TPi January 2017

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54 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL January 2017
Welding technology
Automated orbital welding carriage
The Gullco Pipe KAT® is an automated
orbital welding carriage designed for
pipe welding applications. Suitable for
field pipeline manufacturing and power
plant construction, the Pipe KAT is a
fully integrated welding system that
includes a remote control pendant to
allow adjustment of critical application
parameters during the welding process,
including oscillation width, speed,
dwells, wire feed speed and voltage
adjustment.
The carriage operates on a track band
made of durable aluminium extrusion
by engaging the track with self-aligning
wheels and a rack and pinion drive. This
wheel assembly uses a lever to engage
the track, making it quick and simple to
install the carriage.
Gullco International Ltd – Canada
Workshop welding machine
The Alfa 400 Easy Life workshop welding
machine is designed to fabricate fittings
by joining pipe segments with the help
of special jaws.
It can also weld special and moulded
fittings such as elbows, tees and flange
necks, with the use of different jaws.
The machine can handle elbows from
90 to 400mm (4" to 16" IPS), and tees,
crosses and wyes from 90 to 315mm
(4" to 12" IPS).
It is composed of a machine body with
two carriages, one of which is driven
by a hydraulic system; and a control
panel that features the Easy Life system,
which allows a complete welding cycle
to be carried out in a simple, intuitive
and repeatable way, reducing operator
involvement to a minimum.
The built-in memory allows the machine
to store 4,000 welding cycles (including
the set diameters and SDR).
The welding data can be transferred
to a PC through a serial port (a USB
adaptor connector is available) and data
management software, and a printer
can be connected to the serial port to
obtain a welding report at the end of
each welding cycle.
The heating plate features a new,
automatically operated horizontal
sliding system that enables fast side-
sliding of the plate during the exchange
period.
The milling cutter, for levelling the
ends of pipes and/or fittings, slides
on recirculating ball slideways, with an
electronic device for a soft start.
The machine, which is available in 230V
and 400V versions, also features an
upper cylinder, to be positioned on the
jaws, for welding extra-thick pipes or
for when it is necessary to use high
pressures.
Ritmo SpA – Italy
Alfa 400 Easy Life
Pipe KAT in operation
on a pipeline in Brazil