African Fusion

March 2016

AFRICAN FUSION

Lincoln’s CrossLinc

Technology

incoln Electric has launched new

CrossLinc™ Technology-enabled weld-

ing equipment to provide advantages for

the construction, shipbuilding, barge,

heavy fabrication and other markets. The

Flextec® 350X GMAW power source and the

associated LN-25X wire feeder now use a

proprietary communications protocol to

transfer operator voltage adjustments at the

feeder to the power source – which may be

50 m away or more – via standard copper

welding cables. No additional control cable

is therefore required.

The result is greater safety, quality and

productivity for site and large fabrication

shop environments.

Lincoln Electric’s new Flextec 350X

multi-process welding power source deliv-

ers premiumarc performance for all dcwire,

stick and TIG processes and for gouging of

plate up to 4.8 mm thick. Engineered for

outdoor use and harsh environments, this

IP23-rated welder features fully protected

components; anoutput range of 5.0 to 425 A:

a 100% duty cycle rating of 300 A at 32 V;

and a 60% duty cycle rating of 350 A at 34 V.

A standard model compatible with a

greater selection of feeders is available

but the Flextec 350X Construction model is

compatiblewithCrossLinc-enabled feeders,

such as the LN-25X feeder. Multi-operator

4-pack and 6-pack rack systems are also

available, which enable the power sources

to be located together in a convenient and

safe place, leaving the welders with only

simple, reliable and easy to service wire

feeders weighing less than 16 kg.

The Xs in the Flextec 350X and LN‑25X

names indicate that the power source and

feeder can communicate using Lincoln

Electric’s CrossLinc technology.

Dragline bases are complicated structures that require significant numbers of internal

stiffeners. After completing the assembly, the accuracy required has to be “within 6.0 mm

across the 17.7 m diameter, in terms of flatness and roundness.”

ongoing improvement

Flextec® 350X GMAW power sources and LN-25X

wire feeders now use Lincoln’s CrossLinc™

proprietary communications protocol. Voltage

adjustment signals from the feeder are sent

through the copper welding cables to the power

source – which may be 50 m away or more.

completed last year,” he reveals.

But, apart from some potential re-

furbishment work, the power work has

largely dried up and, as a result of the

collapse of commodity prices, mining

projects across Africa are almost all on

hold. “We are, therefore, busy securing

work from the mining destinations all

over the world.

“We have excess capacity, the skills

and the flexibility to take on work that

has been non-traditional for us. We are

busy with and R&D project on heavy

section exotic materials, for example,

for petrochemical and specialist miner-

als processing plant equipment. This is

free issue proprietary material and we

are exploring how it responds to being

manipulated – formed, cut, shaped

welded and heat-treated.

“We have ISO 9001 and ISO 3834

Part 2 certifications, so we are also per-

fectly capable of fabricating pressure

vessels, although these are generally

made from much thinner materials,”

Mohan says.

“For us, ISO 3834 is a way of life. We

have always had ISO 9001, which we

implementedproperly, as amanufactur-

ing process and quality standard. But in

South Africa, ISO 9001 became more of

a commercial tool rather than manu-

facturing quality system. Hence the

need for ISO 3834, which deals directly

with fabrication quality requirements,”

he argues.

DCD is now into its second five-year

certification period for ISO 3834 Part 2.

“And in terms of auditing, very few ISO

9001 auditors are familiar with weld

quality requirements, so the audits are

not that detailed and do not focus on

a fabricators core competencies. With

ISO 3834, the auditors are specialists in

welding, which helps our business as

their advice is directly relevant to our

daily activities.

“Our entire business is built on

‘right-first-time’ quality. From our ERP

systems, planning, scheduling andqual-

ity are all integrated and even if we have

a to do a repair, the reason is captured

and scheduled before being carried out.

“This approach allows us to review

and analyse every aspect of a project,

enabling us to establish constantly im-

proving benchmarks. I have now been

involved in quality management for 19

years and DCD is the only company I

know that has such a strong and effec-

tive focus on quality control,” Mohan

concludes.