TPT July 2012

Welding

Keyhole TIG welding

ExtrEmEly rElIABlE tEchnology ORBITAL WELDING sOLuTIONs

THE Keyhole TIG welding breakthrough delivers major cost reductions to pipemakers by reducing the time, skills and materials needed to weld thick gauge and difficult materials such as stainless steel and titanium. Already used in Asia and the USA, Keyhole TIG (K-TIG) welding solves many problems that beset traditional gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), also called TIG (tungsten inert gas). Widely used in pipe fabrication, GTAW can be costly, complex and time- consuming when used for larger welds. K-TIG is a new, high performance enhancement of the GTAW process that can weld thick materials, including stainless steel and titanium, in one tenth of the time of traditional welding processes. Unlike standard GTAW, which can require many weld passes on thicker pipe and large amounts of filler material, the K-TIG process can weld half-inch-thick stainless steel in a single pass at a speed of 12" per minute. The improved speed of K-TIG welding can deliver large cost savings, improved productivity and increased profits to pipe manufacturing companies. The K-TIG welding technology is delivered by Keyhole TIG Ltd, which has commercialised a scientific breakthrough achieved by Australia’s largest research institution, CSIRO. The patent-protected K-TIG welding process is gaining international recognition and market acceptance. This innovative welding technology is already used by major organisations including US pipemaking companies and the South Korean shipbuilding industry. Earlier this year, K-TIG Ltd signed an exclusive three-year agreement that licenses UK-based PCT Group to distribute the K-TIG welding technology in the UK, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. K-TIG Ltd chief executive officer Gordon Kay said the K-TIG welding process was a “game-changing” technology. “It is faster, cheaper, simpler and less energy-intensive than standard GTAW,” he said. “For example, using traditional GTAW, a specialist welder can take as long as six hours to join two sections of 10" schedule 80 stainless steel pipe. Using the K-TIG welding process, a less qualified operator can complete this weld in less than 10 minutes. K-TIG welding can deliver a massive competitive advantage to any company that uses it.” In the pipe manufacturing industry, K-TIG technology greatly improves productivity by reducing the required preparation time for welding. With square edged butt joins achievable in materials as thick as 5/8", deep edge preparations are a thing of the past. K-TIG welding relies on a combination of arc pressure and surface tension to create a welding “keyhole”. Even when welding through 5/8" of titanium using 800 amps or more, the process is very quiet: without raising ripples in the weld pool and leaving a flawless finish. Unlike traditional GTAW welding, the penetration of K-TIG means it is possible to weld up to 5/8" thick material with a single pass with no filler materials from either side of the pipe.

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J uly 2012