Arc welding systems innovations advance

Innovative manual and automatic arc welding systems to be shown at MACH 2008 include cold metal transfer, digital TIG, digital MIG/MAG and the welding of speciality steels.

TPS - Fronius will be showing a wide range of equipment and systems at MACH 2008, one of which, its revolutionary cold metal transfer (CMT) process, recently won the Frost and Sullivan Global Award for Technological Innovation for resolving long-standing problems in the welding industry.

The name 'Cold Metal Transfer' differs from the conventional GMA (gas metal arc) process as CMT significantly applies less heat to the metals to be joined.

TPS - Fronius said that there are materials and applications that cannot withstand the constant heat of a welding process.

In order to avoid weld-pool 'drop-through', to be spatter-free, and to be amenable to metallurgical joining, they need lower temperatures.

With CMT, this is now possible said the company.

CMT enables the welding of materials as thin as 0.3mm and of widely different gauges, with minimal spatter and distortion due to the low heat input of the process.

The lower heat input of the 'cold' process brings with it significant advantages: significantly less thermal delay and rework.

CMT can also now offer the innovative ability to join aluminium and steel.

* From 'cold' to pulsed-arc - when combined with a pulsed arc, the heat input, the penetration and also the weld seam geometry can be varied from the pure 'cold' CMT-process up to the relatively 'hot' pulsed-arc process.

The combination of the CMT-process with the pulsed-arc process also supports the excellent gap bridgability, said TPS - Fronius to manufacturingtalk.com, and leads to further enhancement in the welding speed.

* Replace manual TIG with mechanised MIG - the special features of CMT produce faster welding speed, higher productivity and an impressive ability to bridge gaps compared with conventional arc-welding processes.

It gives uniform, spatter-free seams, even on light-gauge sheeting with gaps more than 1mm wide.

With CMT it is possible to replace TIG manual applications with mechanised MIG applications.

Indeed, CMT is just as suited to the small firm with one automated welding workstation as it is for batch production in large-scale industry With its high degree of process flexibility, CMT offers benefits in respect to quality and economy.

With the spatter-free CMT process, Fronius has opened up a new chapter in the history of welding.

* Full digital TIG - completely digital TIG equipment, DC and AC/DC, will be represented by the MagicWave 2200 Job, a fully digital bus-controlled AC/DC welding system with ActiveWave technology.

This results in an extremely quiet yet highly stable AC welding arc, whilst the Reverse Polarity Ignition ensures arc ignition first time, every time.

A synchronous function allows two machines to operate together in the same weld pool.

The extra 'Job' functions include storage of up to 100 pre-programmed jobs and integrated cold wire feed control for automatic applications.

* Welding stainless steels - TPS - Fronius will demonstrate its TransPulsSynergic (TPS) 3200 CrNi, the MagicWave (MW) 2200 Job and the TransCut 300.

The TPS 3200 CrNi is another in the family of Fronius digital MIG/MAG welding machines with specific software for use with a wide range of stainless steel materials.

The Transcut 300 plasma cutting system is a technological breakthrough which utilizes a steam plasma instead of the traditional gas.

Compact and portable, it cuts conventional metals and provides a better working environment.

* Move the welding torch and not the job - Fronius Automation said it has developed an innovative welding system concept: instead of the workpiece, which often weighs tons and needs to be adjusted, it is the welding torch that rotates.

The benefits for the customer are considerable in time and cost savings.

Today the TPS - Fronius customer is offered the ETR system, which complies with the features of the original FPA 9000 TIG Hot Wire Cladding System as regards weld quality, functionality and software features.

* Welding chrome-nickel steel alloys - special steels, especially CrNi and other such difficult materials, require careful handling.

Fronius said it can offer the ideal solution for these demanding welding jobs.

The CrNi edition of the TransPulsSynergic 2700/3200/4000 includes an unrivalled range of 46 optimized characteristics for CrNi and other alloys that are hard to weld.

Designed for perfect, careful welding of CrNi, key features are as follows.

* Low spatter, requiring little post-weld machining.

* Minimum distortion when joining thin metal sheets.

The range of software is comprehensive in respect of chrome-nickel and nickel-based metals, as well as for mild steel and aluminium.

Standard programmes exist for use with solid and flux-cored wires, with mixed gases and pure CO2, and for chrome-nickel brazing, ensuring high quality weld seams, through reduced heat input, and complete control over weld seam appearance.

Further benefits include smaller heat affected zones (HAZ) and reduced risk of oxidation which can lead to premature corrosion problems in stainless steel products.

The TPS 2700/3200/4000 CrNi-edition is suitable for MIG/MAG, TIG and MMA welding whether in the workshop, on site or in automated situations - welds are 100% reproducible every time.

In addition to the universal advantages provided by fully digitized Fronius welding systems, these systems are distinguished by the stable arc, SyncroPuls, e g, for weld ripples, TIG Comfort-Stop for perfectly filled end craters during TIG welding and the 4-roll drive with positive contact for stable wire transport and current transfer, all of which are standard features.

With current range adjustable between 3A and 400A, the site welder can still carry the 28kg TPS 2700 CrNi-edition to the workplace.

All Fronius digital equipment is generator-compatible.

* Plasma-arc innovations - the Transcut 300 plasma cutting system is a technological breakthrough which utilizes a small amount of liquid instead of the traditional compressed air.

This liquid serves as a medium for the high-energy plasma beam, ensuring the machine's lightweight portability.

No separate air supply is needed and it is also generator-compatible, making it an ideal tool for site use.

The 1.5 litre reservoir holds sufficient liquid for up to one month's work.

Weighing only 14.6kg, it can be carried virtually anywhere, said Fronius.

The TransCut 300 produces high quality cuts of mild and stainless steels, and aluminium, up to 6mm.

thick.

The water-based cutting process avoids any nitriding of the cut surfaces and delivers bright, metallically clean, oxide-free surfaces.

This greatly reduces the risk of pore formation during subsequent welding work.

The reduction in flying metal sparks and resultant soiling of components means that far less cleaning and machining are required, which is particularly relevant to pipeline work.

There is also a reduction in the emission of harmful pollutants by up to 90% compared with conventional plasma-arc cutting.

* TPS - Fronius at MACH 2008, NEC, Birmingham, UK, Hall 4, Stand 4889.

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