Orbital welding and automated welding

Orbital tube and pipe welding

A wide range for all diameters, wall thicknesses and workpiece geometries

Orbital tube and pipe welding for any applications

Polysoude provides modular welding heads and tools which easily adapt to various applications for tube and pipe welding and meet the increasing quality requirements for materials which are often difficult to weld. Only automated orbital welding guarantees welding with controlled and limited heat input in order to respect the material properties. Polysoude Smart Welding stations are able to produce high-quality welds at high production rates, under severe environmental conditions.

EXPERT TALKS - read more about our Passion for Welding:

Our experts are telling you all the secrets about orbital tube welding

Smart Welding Station - Power sources

Smart welding station P3 P4 P6 with touchscreen controller See our products

High performance equipment for various applications

A welding power source for orbital welding is composed of several integrated subunits, each with specific functions:

One or two Power Inverters to supply both the welding current and, in the case of TIG Hot Wire welding, the current to heat up the filler wire. Today, inverter sources are state of the art and POLYSOUDE’s unique high performance transistor power source PC-TR is cutting edge.
A programmable control unit, operated through an integrated micro- or PC-controller.
An integrated or external data acquisition system.

  • P3 UHP Designed for demanding environments, ultra-compact portable 3-axis Smart Welding Station + Contact us
    Lightweight design and highly accurate, with ergonomic features: WiFi, digital flowmeters, OPC-UA ready...
  • P4 Advanced - Intelligent, portable 4-axis Smart Welding Station + Contact us
    p4-4_smart_welding_station_power_source_station_polysoude
    Intuitive user interface, automatic weld procedure generation, built-in quality tools
  • P6 / P6 HW Advanced - Intelligent, 6-axis Cold and Hot Wire power source + Contact us
    P6 power source pipe welding
    Built-in Arc Voltage Control (AVC) and torch oscillation (OSC) / torch off-set, intuitive user interface
  • PC Unique - High power, multi-purpose, multi-axis, multi-process power source + Contact us
    PC-2 automated welding power supply
    Adaptable to all orbital, automated welding even cladding applications. A high performance power source with simply “no limits”
  • Data acquisition system Advanced - Productivity optimisation and follow-up for P6 and PC power sources + Contact us
    Data acquisition system
    Process tracking, data-recording and archiving for total quality control

Closed chamber welding heads

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Precision welding in high purity industries

Closed chamber welding heads are specially designed for autogenous welding of tubes without filler wire. Different sizes are available, covering a range of diameters from 1.6 mm to 170 mm (ANSI 1/16" to 4"). Excellent results can be achieved when welding austenitic stainless steel, metals susceptible to oxidation, such as titanium, or alloys such as Inconel. Depending on the application, clamping cassettes or TCIs (Tube Clamping Inserts) are used to fix the closed chamber head onto the tubes and fittings, to be welded.

  • UHP Modular - Ultra High Purity, closed chamber welding head + Contact us
    Closed chamber welding head UHP 625
    Specially designed for autogenous welding of stainless steel precision tubing and micro-fittings, with unique titanium clamping cassettes
  • MW Long Life - High duty cycle, closed chamber welding head + Contact us
    MW closed chamber welding head for orbital welding
    For the autogenous welding of stainless steel medium sized tubing and fittings, with unique titanium Tube Clamp Inserts (TCI)

Open welding heads

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With or without filler wire, AVC and OSC

Open welding heads were conceived as a tool for orbital TIG welding with or without filler wire. The diameters of the tubes to be welded range from 8 mm up to 275 mm (ANSI 5/16" to 11"). Open welding heads of the U-type are equipped with a TIG-torch with gas diffuser. Excellent gas protection is achieved in the zone around the torch, which is covered by the shielding gas streaming out of the gas lens. During the welding process, the arc and wire impact can be observed and controlled directly by the operator. The asymmetrical design of the open heads allows welding to be carried out at a very short distance to a wall or bend. The positioning of the welding torch can be carried out manually or by means of motorised slides: Arc Voltage Control (AVC) and torch oscillation (OSC).

  • MU IV Flexible – Modular open welding head + Contact us
    MU IV open welding head for orbital welding
    Full range adjustability for frequent O.D. changes, with or without filler wire, with or without Arc Voltage Control (AVC) and torch oscillation (OSC)
  • MU IV 195 HW Highly productive – Hot Wire, multipass open welding head + Contact us
    MU IV HW welding head for orbital welding of tubes and pipes
    For welding of medium and heavy wall thicknesses, with on-board wire feeder, with Arc Voltage Control (AVC) and torch oscillation (OSC)

Carriage type welding heads

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The most versatile torch carrier

Open orbital welding heads of the carriage type travel around the tubes or pipes on suitable rails or tracks, which can be mounted on any tube OD from 32 mm (1,3") upwards. The wall thickness of such tubes and pipes always requires multi-pass welding. The robust design of the carriage welding heads enables them to carry the necessary equipment, such as a torch with an AVC and oscillation device and on-board wire feeder with a spool weight of up to 5 kg. In addition, video cameras can be mounted, allowing the operator to watch and record the weld process. Depending on the application, these welding heads can be equipped with a conventional TIG torch with gas lens or with a Narrow Groove torch.

  • Polycar 30 Low Profile –Compact carriage-type welding head + Contact us
    Polycar 30 carriage welding head for orbital welding
    Special design for minimal radial clearance, with on-board wire feeder
  • Polycar 60 Standard duty – Full function V- and J-groove carriage-type welding head + Contact us
    Polycar 60 carriage welding head for orbital welding
    For medium wall thicknesses, TIG Cold and Hot Wire
  • Polycar 60 PLC Medium duty – Narrow Groove (NG) carriage-type welding head + Contact us
    Polycar 60 PLC carriage welding head for orbital welding
    For NG welding of critical applications and heavy wall piping such as primary loop circuits, NG and conventional torch with video module
  • Polycar MP Heavy duty - Narrow Groove (NG) carriage-type welding head + Contact us
    Polycar MP carriage welding head for orbital welding
    For heavy wall-piping applications and linear seams on wall thicknesses of up to 300mm, various NG torches with built-in cameras

Wire feeders

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Full compatibility with any series of power sources and welding heads

Generally, a wire feeding device can either be mounted directly onto the orbital welding head, or used as an external wire feeder. The choice of the feeding device depends primarily on the conditions of use, the constraints of the application, the requested mobility of the equipment and sometimes on the availability of filler wire on suitable spools.

  • Polyfil Floor mounted wire feeder + Contact us
    Polyfil 3 external wire feeder for orbital welding
    Multipurpose Wire feeder for both Cold and Hot wire TIG welding
  • Polyfil - On-board On-board wire feeder + Contact us
    On-board wire feeder for orbital welding heads
    Wire feeder for both Cold and Hot wire TIG welding

Customised equipment and toolings for orbital welding

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Proven solutions for unique applications

For specific applications not covered by our modular welding heads, in which the welding torch follows a circular welding seam on a fixed workpiece, POLYSOUDE has developed a range of generic tools, which are continually upgraded, in order to meet individual customer requirements.

  • TP 60 Full control – For critical applications + Contact us
    TP 60 welding head for orbital tube to tubesheet weldingTP 60 welding head for orbital tube to tubesheet welding
    For critical applications such as Urea reactors out of super duplex. Tube to tubesheet welding head with adaptive sensor and more…
  • Closed chamber welding head Precise and clean – Perfectly aligned and free of oxydation + Contact us
    Customised closed chamber welding head for orbital welding
    Closed chamber welding head with customised clamping cassettes or fixture blocks
  • Open-type welding head Flexible – Modular open welding head + Contact us
    Customised open-type welding head for orbital tube welding
    Open-type welding head with reduced clearance
  • Carriage-type welding head From medium to heavy duty – One unique tool + Contact us
    Customised carriage-type welding head for orbital welding of tubes and pipes
    Carriage-type welding head with conventional or NG torch, integrated cameras and single / twin wire feeding device
  • Collector welding head Continuous welding - Without cables + Contact us
    Collector welding head for orbital tube and pipe welding
    Endlessly rotating collector welding head

Equipment for orbital Narrow Groove welding

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Narrow Groove TIG welding – an essential process

POLYSOUDE has a comprehensive line of "Narrow Groove" welding torches for all wall thicknesses up to 300 mm and more.
Each torch has a range which enables it to be used from maximum wall thickness (maximum torch insertion depth into the groove) up to completion of surface capping runs.

Two essential approaches and their advantages shall be examined:
– Single stringer bead per layer
– Single oscillation pass per layer

  • Conventional torch Torch with adjustable electrode stick-out + Contact us
    Adapted for wide & narrow groove applications from 0 to 45mm wall thickness
  • OSC-Electrode NG torch with oscillating (OSC) electrode + Contact us
    A line of 3 torches for wall thicknesses from 0 to 150 mm, 0 to 200 mm and finally 0 to 300 mm, with trailing shield assembly for all runs from root to cap.
  • Conventional torch with V2-Gasnozzle Torch with Narrow Groove Nozzle and fixed electrode + Contact us
    Adapted from 0 to 100 mm wall thickness. The V2-Nozzle has the particular feature of being insulated and channelling the gas directly into the groove.

Application examples for orbital tube to tube and pipe welding

Fusion welds of thin-walled tubes cover a wide range of applications, for example in the following fields: semiconductor industry, biochemistry, instrumentation, food and beverage, pharmaceutical industry, chemical/ sanitary industry, and aeronautics/aerospace. In most cases, the tubes are made of austenitic stainless steel, but nickel alloys as well as titanium and its alloys can also be found. The range covers diameters from 1.6 to 170 mm; with various wall thicknesses, but mostly between 0.2 and 3.2 mm. For several reasons, it may be necessary to apply filler metal in orbital welding procedures:
  • The wall thickness of the tubes may necessitate preparation of their ends
  • The tubes or pipes to be welded may be made of different base metals
  • The weld may need to be reinforced
  • Strength and/or corrosion resistance are compromised by fusion welding
Tube-to-tube welding applications with the addition of filler wire are often required in power generation (power plant construction), oil & gas supply (pipeline welding) and chemical or petrochemical industries. A wide range of base materials are used:
  • Carbon steel
  • Low-alloyed chromium or chromium manganese carbon steel
  • High-alloyed chromium nickel steel
  • Nickel base alloys (like e.g. Inconel®-alloys or Hastelloy®-alloys)
  • Titanium and its alloys.
Although tube dimensions vary greatly, the majority are within the range of:
  • 25.4 mm to 508 mm (1" and 20") diameter
  • 1.5 mm to 25 mm wall thickness