TPT September 2017

55 / 124

T E CHNOLOG Y
Engineering Value
Power for your multi-layered pipes
Pipeheads for PO processing
Your advantages at a glance:
– Low tolerances for wall thickness
and diameter
– Significant material costs
reduction thanks to exact layer
and thickness distribution
– Short flushing and cleaning times
Tube welding accessories
TITANIUM, stainless steel and other
corrosion-resistant materials are used
for tubing and pipework especially where
there are highly corrosive materials
flowing through them.
When such pipework is welded for
joining or repairs, it is necessary to
protect the material in and close to the
weld joint using weld purging. Oxygen
and nitrogen can be harmful to the weld
joint in particular as they will combine
very easily with the hot material, forming
oxides and nitrides, until the temperature
falls below its oxidation point.
One accessory – called aWeld Trailing
Shield® – can be added to a GTAW/TIG
welding torch before beginning a pipe
weld. This lightweight tool, designed
and manufactured by weld purging
expert Huntingdon Fusion Techniques
(HFT), is easily manoeuvred around the
pipe joint as it is being welded, with no
inconvenience to the welder.
The Trailing Shield® is connected
to an argon gas source and when the
weld is started it allows extra argon to
flood to the sides of the weld, covering
the heat affected zone adjacent to the
weld. As the welding torch is moved
forward because of the length of the
Trailing Shield® the weld remains under
an argon gas shield until the welded
metal has cooled below its oxidation
temperature.
For manual welding this lightweight
and low cost tool is easy to drag along
the surface being welded. One further
benefit is that it carries the welding torch
at 90° to the weld.
With automatic welding machines it
is possible to raise the welding speed
dramatically and enjoy the major
benefits of automatic welding. Each
Trailing Shield® is delivered with a
variable diameter connector so that
it can fit any size of TIG/GTAW/PAW
welding torch for manual or mechanised
welding.
Savings on expensive cleaning
and pickling costs to remove
oxidation and discolouration on these
corrosion-resistant materials pay for
the shields in the first weld and the
shields can be used for years without
replacement.
Trailing Shields® are available
immediately for any diameter of tube
and pipe from 17mm upwards. They
are also manufactured in flat format for
sheet metal welding.
Luke Keane, distributor support
for HFT, said: “The Trailing Shield is
connected to the argon gas supply
and it diffuses gas out evenly without
turbulence through the multi layers of
stainless steel mesh built into the body
of the shield.”
Huntingdon Fusion Techniques – UK
Fax:
Email:
Website: