Orbital welding equipment

When it comes to choose orbital welding equipment there are many things to know first related to TIG / GTAW welding: which equipment is composing the best orbital welding set and what are they made for. The combo of an orbital TIG welding machine meaning a power source and a welding head should be considered as a cornerstone of the orbital welding process. 

Hardware components of orbital welding equipment

Welding Power Source

Orbital welding equipment is generally composed of a programmable welding power source and a remote-control pendant, the welding head and a wire feeding device, if required by the application.

Programmable power source

The welding power source for orbital welding also known as Smart Welding Station at Polysoude has subassemblies each with specific functions.  Power Inverters supply the welding current and for hot wire welding, the current to heat up the filler wire. A Programmable control unit is based on an integrated or external PC.  A Cooling circuit for the torch and the welding and clamping tools and finally, a Data acquisition system records each welding sequence.

Portable power sources

Portable power sources can be carried to the job site by the operator himself. Welding power Sources of this type can handle up to four axes of control, i.e. four devices can be programmed and controlled: the shielding gas fl ow, the weld current intensities and pulse rates, the travel speed of the welding head, and wire feeding operations.

Medium-sized mobile power source

Medium-sized mobile power sources are mounted on rubber wheels to keep them mobile, because of their increased weightThese power sources are designed to handle up to six axes, attributed to the shielding gas flow, the weld current intensities and pulse rates, the travel speed of the welding head, the wire feeding operations, and Arc Voltage Control.

Full-size welding power sources

Full-size welding power sources are designed to handle six axes or more. Shielding gas flow, weld current intensities and pulses, travel speed of the welding head, wire feeding operations, Arc Voltage Control and oscillation devices. A second welding power supply can be installed to deliver a separate current for hot-wire applications. The welding machines are designed to control supplementary axes, which can be added later; the necessary electronic boards are installed to empty slots at the front of the machine to provide customised solutions.

Orbital Welding Head

Tube to tube TIG / GTAW welding head

  1. A closed chamber TIG welding head is designed for welding tubes without filler wire and directly connected to an appropriate power source. It exists in different sizes to cover a range of diameters, between 1.6mm and 168mm.  Closed orbital welding heads produce excellent results when welding metals susceptible to oxidation such as titanium or zirconium and their alloys.
  2. An open welding head of the U type was conceived for orbital TIG welding with or without filler wire.  Diameters of tube to be welded cover a range from 8mm to 275mm. They require a dedicated welding power source as well to be connected with.
  3. A carriage-type welding head is commonly an open orbital welding head, which travel around the tubes or pipes on rails or tracks.  These can be mounted on any tube OD from 114mm upwards. The wall thickness of the tubes and pipes concerned always requires multi-pass welding. The robust design of the carriage welding heads enables them to carry the necessary equipment such as a driving motor, a torch with an AVC and oscillation device and a wire feeder or video camera. Due to the application, these welding heads can be equipped with a standard TIG torch or with a narrow groove torch, which offers improved gas protection near to that of closed welding heads.

 

Tube-to-tubesheet TIG / GTAW welding head

  1. A closed orbital tube-to-tubesheet welding head without filler wire is designed for TIG welding (GTAW) of tube-to-tubesheet applications, with flush or slightly protruding tubes with a minimum internal diameter of 9.5 mm (3/8") up to 33.7 mm (1 1/3"). The weld is carried out in an inert atmosphere inside a welding gas chamber, to protect against oxidation
  2. An open tube-to-tubesheet welding head with or without filler wire covers the whole range of applications from tubes with an I.D. of 10 mm (13/32") up to tubes with a maximum O.D. of 60 mm. The TIG torch travels around the tubes, which can be protruding, flush or recessed. The welding heads are equipped with a TIG torch with gas diffuser.  Gas protection can be improved by installing a gas chamber. Every welding head can be equipped with an integrated wire feeder. 

Who we are

Polysoude specialises in the design, development and manufacture of innovative arc welding solutions. The brand is synonymous with world-leading expertise in 3 core sectors: automatic orbital TIG welding systems, automated TIG and plasma welding solutions and TIGer™ weld overlay.
Situated in Nantes since 1961, the company manufactures a variety of power sources and orbital welding equipment, like a wide range of open and closed welding heads.
Nowadays, as a smart factory oriented company, Polysoude products are all designed to be ready for Industry 4.0.

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