EoW January 2013

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48
Focus on
Austria & Switzerland
September 2012January 2013
Wire lubrication system
Protec has developed a system for fine
cleaning and coating of welding wire:
Protec WLS (wire lubrication system). The
system removes drawing oil residues and
coats the wire with a fine layer.
The needs of feeding behaviour, ignition
behaviour and consistent performance for
welding wire increased dramatically with
growing automation of welding processes
and higher productivity goals.
Protec developed a system in cooperation
with wire manufacturers and end-users.
The core of this solution is the special
“Wire-Balm” fluid, which is applied either
at the wire factory or by end-users directly
at the welding station.
Benefits in the welding process include
stable arc with excellent ignition;
optimum feeding and high process
stability; reduced spatter; reduced
hydrogen entry; and higher lifetime of
wear parts (liner and tip).
For end-users Protec offers the fluid
Wire-Balm Protec WLS04. This fluid can
simply be applied by felt pads and clips,
so a “tandem method” is used: a pad
soaked with Wire-Balm is followed by a
dry pad to wipe off over-dose and dirt.
At the wire factory, the application can
be automated easily by using the Tribo-
Cleaning-Station Protec TCS-2U. The
application at factory level leads to the
additional benefit of protection for the
wire surface (corrosion protection).
Protec offers two fluid product lines for
wire manufacturers: Dry-Balm Protec
WLS03 (dry, waxy coating, with special
corrosion protection); and Wire-Balm
Protec WLS04 (oily coating, with
additional cleaning effect).
As an example of how companies can
benefit from WLS, Protec states that at
German automotive OEM’s factories the
uptime of welding robots was increased
significantly by the use of Protec WLS.
Other examples of use are a crane
manufacturer using high-strength steel,
exhaust system plants using heat resisting
steel, and companies running orbital
welding processes for building pipelines
or wind power plants.
Protec, based in Salzburg, Austria,
specialises in optimising welding
processes through bio-chemical additives.
The product range contains two fields:
anti-spatter surface protection and wire
fine-cleaning and coating. Due to product
development in partnership with users,
Protec solutions are focused on concrete
benefits and proven in use from the
beginning. Protec has been in the market
for more than 15 years, selling solutions to
more than 40 countries worldwide.
Protec – Austria
Website:
▲ ▲ Tribo-Cleaning-Station Protec TCS-2U
Wire drawing die expertise
Eder Engineering GmbH supplies die-tool processing
equipment and dies to the international wire and cable
industry, and exports 98 per cent of its output worldwide.
The company is a technological leader and global player
in the wire drawing die tool and particularly in the
drawing die machine technology sector (hardware and
software). The company states that its machines benefit
the customer by longer life for the die, and higher tonnage
drawn; accurate reconditioning of the die; durability
with minimal maintenance costs; lower operational costs
(less consumption of power and consumables due to
high efficiency); reduction of manpower (high degree of
automation built-in); easy operation; and the experience and
proven after-sales support of Eder.
Eder’s product range consists of approximately 80 per cent
machines, 10 per cent wire drawing die tools and 10 per cent
software (technical assistance).
These products are supplied to the wire and cable industry in
over 80 countries and the latest technological developments
are regularly presented at all international wire trade fairs
and technical symposiums in Europe, North America and
Asia.
Recently Eder has also developed the EDDS-2, which
provides fully automatic dot-peening marking of costly
die-tools by means of a durable tungsten carbide marking
pin, producing an individual DataMatrix code within seconds.
Eder Engineering GmbH – Austria
Website:
▲ ▲ Identification of an EDDS-2 marked die-tool