TPT January 2012

T echnology U pdate

Simple to operate orbital welder

THE food processing, dairy, and beverage industries utilise large quantities of stainless process piping. The welds must be uniform and completely penetrated. One development that has resulted in increased use of orbital welding are clean- in-place (CIP) systems. To allow cleaning of equipment without disassembly the weld surfaces must be smooth enough to avoid entrapment of product or cleaning residue. These industries require sanitary/hygienic

tubing systems, but do not necessarily have to weld to a “code”. Although they do follow general guidelines and good manufacturing practices (The 3A Sanitary Standards; AWS D18.1 “Specification for welding of austenitic stainless steel tube and pipe systems in sanitary (hygienic) applications”) few government agencies worldwide have adopted these as mandatory standards. Certain companies have adopted them, but there is no industry requirement. The perceived high equipment cost often deters the use of orbital tube welding as the primary joining process. Surveys have shown that the price of an orbital welding system is 2-3 times higher than a fabricator or contractor, servicing these industries, is willing to pay. The complexity of the welding systems on the market dictate on-site training, adding further cost. To offset this concern over equipment cost and simplify the orbital tube welding

process, Magnatech has introduced an innovative solution to orbital tube welding with its modular, EZ Orbital Welding System. The Model 517 is a tube welding controller that integrates the operation of a standard, commercial GTAW power source with the weld head. The customer can use his existing power source, allowing him to weld both manually and automatically. The Controller has an intuitive symbol-based, touch screen user interface. Operation is as simple as selecting tube size and wall thickness, and pressing the start switch on the head. The operator can adjust set parameters by a percentage override to accommodate tube lot variations. The Model 517 operates a new line of tube welding heads with digital control of rotation speed regulation, ensuring perfect repeatability. Magnatech LLC – USA

Email: info@magnatechllc.com Website: www.magnatechllc.com

The Magnatech orbital welder

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J anuary 2012

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