TPT September 2011

W elding e quipment

Latest generation of high frequency welders THE process of welding tube and pipe requires skilled operators using precision welding equipment. Since the industry’s transition to solid-state welders, operators have grown comfortable with higher quality and higher productivity. But the welders being used by many tube producers are lacking a critical degree of control. The latest generation of high frequency (HF) welders provide independent control of power (kW) and frequency (kHz) enabling fine control of heat input to the weld.

a controlling variable for electrical reference depth. With Thermatool’s variable frequency welder, frequency can be adjusted while welding from the console between 250kHz and 400kHz. This allows an operator not only the ability to increase power, but also to control the depth of penetration of the weld power. Control of the weld HAZ is the result. By adjusting variable frequency alongside welding power an operator can compensate for changes in mill speed, new materials or alloys, changes in wall thickness, difficult d/t ratios, and changes in impeder performance. Changes in vee length are a thing of the past with a new vee axis servo controlled coil-positioning feature, standard with HAZControl Technology™. For operators, the ability to change a new influencing process variable could add a degree of complexity. To address this, Thermatool has developed HCT: HAZControl Technology™. This software requires the users to enter in values for

material properties like diameter and wall, as well as production variables like vee length and coil geometry. The software uses all of these variables along with mill speed and in process welder operating conditions to calculate and characterise the HAZ. The HCT software recommends an initial welding frequency and power and from there the operator determines the “best weld” for the product. The welder then stores the data as a recipe that can be used as a standard for future production. This allows the skill of the best operator to be shared with those that are new and prevents divergence from a standard that is known to produce exceptional product. HAZControl Technology brings a new standard to the tube and pipe industry: a standard of control, precision and

Successful solid-state welding of tube and pipe requires meticulous adjustment of the heat affected zone (HAZ) by the welder. With older HF welders, the operator tries to find the ideal welding power to achieve a desirable weld characteristic. But welding power is only one of the electrical variables that influence the weld HAZ. The latest forge welding research points to the critical nature of weld frequency as a highly sensitive process parameter. Welding frequency is

unequalled performance. Thermatool Corp – USA Email: mdidonato@ttool.com Website: www.thermatool.com

A better welding effect HIGH Tech Extrusion, consisting of the companies Theysohn, Technoplast, Topf and Extruder-Komponenten Salzgitter, is an “all-in-one” provider that has developed a unique series of extrusion lines, tools and pipe heads. After presenting the new OMNIA line for profile extrusion, High Tech Extrusion developed new and innovative products for the pipe extrusion market: a complete new OMNIA XTR extruder series and a “RK Streamliner” pipe head with some of the following advantages:

High Tech Extrusion GmbH – Austria Email: office@ht-extrusion.com Fax: +43 5969 22202 Website: www.ht-extrusion.com

of companies, which bundles 30 years of experience in extrusion technology, belongs to HTI High Tech IndustriesAG, a technology group offering high-tech products for engineering and energy technology.

• higher melt pressure after the torpedo and therefore a much better welding effect • by reason of the higher melt pressure after the torpedo, high melt pressure in the die set is no longer necessary for achieving an optimum pipe quality • shorter die sets • wider pipe diameter range for each pipe head. The new “RK Streamliner” pipe heads are available for single strand extrusion from 12 to 400mm and for double strand extrusion from 12 to 63mm and 20 to 110mm respectively. High Tech Extrusion is the umbrella brand name for the four extrusion specialists Theysohn, Technoplast, Topf and Extruder-Komponenten Salzgitter. High Tech Extrusion operates internationally with four production locations in Austria and Germany as well as sales offices in Moscow and India. This group

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