Industry News
8
M
arch
2014
Investment in
new development
facilities
POLYSOUDE has been proposing
comprehensive automated welding
solutions for many years. Multi-axis
CNC systems, and even robots, are
designed to cope with demands for
increasingly high welding or cladding
speeds in numerous industrial sectors.
Many industrial manufacturers faced
with high output rates must also tackle
difficulties relating to the complexity
of the applications and the solutions
available on the market. If the purchase
and definition of components are
within their grasp, the assembly and
interfacing required to turn them into a
functional machine can prove to be a
more arduous task. Polysoude enables
full integration through its commitment
to supply turnkey systems.
Conventional automated welding
solutions are restricted in most cases to
linear or rotary movements due to the
torch holder. However, manufacturers
increasingly have to deal with complex
welding or cladding trajectories,
limited accessibility, or environmental
constraints.
Robots – essentially multi-functional,
multi-directional and multi-tasking
tool holders – are suited to
welding by focusing on the torch,
the decisive component in the
tools developed by Polysoude.
The ‘robotics’ approach is not a
recent phenomenon at Polysoude.
On numerous occasions over the
last decade or more, the company
has integrated different brands
of robot to meet customer needs
as closely as possible. Wherever
irreproachable joint quality is a
compulsory factor, the axes of
movement and motion peripherals
are designed on a case-by-case
basis to transform the robot into
a more suitable control device. The
robot can accommodate all types of
torch depending on the cold-wire or
hot-wire TIG or plasma welding process
adopted, not only for standard joints but
also narrow gap applications.
This approach has resulted in the
acquisition of new programming skills
within the company’s applications
department for the development of
welding procedures. At the Polysoude
headquarters in Nantes, France, the
company has invested in a robot to
develop specific tools and to study these
applications.
This opens up other channels in which
technological solutions can be optimised
to ensure that perfect integration can be
achieved.
Polysoude
– France
Website:
Robotic
installation
with TIG torch
German supplier to
manufacture in USA
RATTUNDE, a Germany-based manu-
facturer of finished length tube and
solid bar production systems, has been
operating in the North American market
for over seven years. The company
is building a 30,000ft
2
facility near
its current location in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, scheduled to open in April.
The plant will continue to house
the North American sales and service
operations and will allow for expanded
spare parts inventory and manufacturing
operations, including the production
of tooling and various machine
components. The new facility will also
house a technical centre with a machine
on-site at all times for demonstration
and training.
Future plans call for an expansion of
the building to over 100,000ft
2
, enabling
Rattunde to produce its entire finished
length tube and solid bar production sys-
tems there. This decision was reached
after analysis of the current and antici-
pated business needs of the company.
According to Rattunde Corporation
president Richard Stadler, growth of
the company into diverse markets
throughout North America made the
new facility a logical choice. “There
were several reasons why we wanted
to remain in the greater Grand Rapids
area, but one of the main reasons is the
excellent talent base here. Companies
are built on people and, whether you
are looking for an experienced veteran
of industry or a fresh graduate from one
of our ranking high schools, colleges, or
universities, outstanding people can be
found here.”
Concurrent with this development,
Rattunde has expanded its workforce
with technical service and administrative
personnel.
Rattunde & Co GmbH
– Germany
Fax: +49 3874 4240204
Email:
Website:
Rattunde Corp
– USA
Fax: +1 616 940 2771
Email:
Website:
