Perfect welds when using the orbital TIG process (photo: Polysoude)

When high-quality welds are required, orbital TIG welding is the ideal technology for tube-to-tube or tube-to-tubesheet welding applications. With or without filler wire, this is a stable, reliable process that can be used on a wide range of materials such as carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium and nickel and aluminium alloys.

The efficiency of this equipment is due to a precise programming facility. With Polysoude’s latest generation of power sources, such as the P4/P6, the development of a welding program, easily created via the graphical user interface, guarantees a high-quality weld through automation. The welding cycle can be repeated as often as necessary with the same result. Moreover, Modern orbital welding equipment is designed for real-time monitoring of the key welding parameters, which can be checked and compiled into a complete weld protocol, generated and stored or produced as a printed document, for guaranteed traceability. Furthermore, the P4/P6 from Polysoude, allows the operator to find matching weld programs by using a touchscreen or personal computer. The user specifies basic information, relating to the size and material of the tubes to be joined. The system consults its in-built database to find similar applications, or suggests weld parameters determined by progressive calculation. The proposed welding procedure can finally be optimised by an expert help menu or Welding Assistant.

Polysoude provides a wide standard range of orbital welding equipment, for orbital TIG/GTAW welding, as well as automated solutions integrating the latest technologies.

Orbital welding equipment is generally composed of the following components: a programmable power source with a remote control pendant, either distinct from, or integrated into the welding head, the welding head and a wire feeding device, if required by the application.

Polysoude has produced a complete range of modular and adaptable open and closed welding heads and orbital welding power sources, dedicated to diverse applications, covering a wide range of diameters, wall thicknesses and workpiece geometries. Furthermore, Polysoude orbital welding equipment is designed to meet the increasing quality requirements for materials which are often difficult to weld. Polysoude is dedicated to improving the overall lifespan of customer products. As high and special alloy materials are frequently used, only automated orbital welding can guarantee limited heat input during welding, thereby safeguarding material properties.

Two out of every three users worldwide rely on Polysoude solutions and their guarantee of the highest weld quality and maximum productivity.

In fields such as: the semi-conductor industry, biochemistry, instrumentation, food and beverage, pharmaceutical industry, chemical/sanitary industry, and aeronautics/ aerospace, fusion welds of thin-walled tubes can be made in a wide range of applications. Fusion welds are carried out using portable inverter power sources, combined with closed orbital welding heads. The closed chamber welding heads, such as Polysoude’s MW range, are especially designed to meet the requirements of hygienic applications (Fig.4). Inside the welding head, the shielding gas flows directly to the weld zone. Thus, all welds are oxidation-free, complying with hygiene requirements. In most cases, the tubes are made of austenitic stainless steel, but nickel alloys as well as titanium and its alloys can also be welded, in a range of diameters.

In the fields of electricity production (Power Plants), oil & gas industry and chemical or petrochemical industries, Tube-to-tube welding applications with the addition of filler wire are often demanded and orbital TIG welding can handle the wide range of base materials which are used.

In all kinds of industries, but mostly in the chemical or petrochemical industries and in electric power plants, where boilers and heat exchangers are used, Polysoude can provide tube-to-tubesheet welding heads, with or without filler wire and a continuous rotating torch. A high duty cycle is achieved due to water cooling.

For very thick-walled pipes, Polysoude has achieved another way of increasing productivity in addition to the Hot-Wire TIG process, by reducing the Weld groove design, and therefore the volume to be filled by the weld. The use of an open-type carriage welding head equipped with a Narrow Groove torch limits the quantity of metal deposited.

Automated TIG orbital welding of pipe components is continually increasing in importance. The process, as provided by Polysoude, has a huge impact on quality, as it creates smooth, high quality welds, at high production rates, often under demanding environmental conditions.

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