Select a Welding Manipulator

Select a Welding Manipulator

If you are a manufacturer of pressure vessels, pilings, or other bulky items such as rims, you may already have some welding manipulators in your welding facility.

Alternatively, you may be using submerged arc welders in combination with long seam welds and homemade equipment in combination with steering rollers for circumferential welding. Either way, an investment in a manipulator upgrade or even a complete manipulator system can quickly pay for itself through increased productivity and quality.

It is important to fully understand all possible welding and manufacturing requirements when purchasing standard column and arm manipulators. These factors will determine which choice is best for your welding equipment.

When welding pressure vessels, consider the following:

Will the manipulator be stationary? Is it responsible for both seam and circumference welding? Will the base rotate to handle multiple welding stations?

Will the long seam of the pressure vessel be longer than the stroke of the manipulator? In this case, a station wagon and rail unit suitable for welding in motion will be required. This will enable the manipulator to weld the outer long seam steadily at a constant speed as it moves along the track running along the length of the pressure vessel.

Is the manipulator extended long enough to weld the required length in order to weld the long seam interior? To control the arm's speed, make sure you have an inverter driver. Linear bearings are also a good way to ensure steady movement and repeated positioning of welding joints.

Will soldering tips be required in the future to upgrade flux recovery systems in tandem welding or in funnels? If so, then you need to consider the capabilities of the manipulator.

After the manipulator is selected, other options are available in the fully functional welding kit.

Welding power source

Dc only power sources based on transformers or inverters can provide cost-effective welding solutions, but invert-based systems have additional advantages, such as increased weld deposition rates, power savings, and in some systems, cloud-based production monitoring networks.

How to adjust the welding head?

The 180° pivot block can easily change the welding head from the long weld direction to the circular weld direction.

Manual welding of the slider is durable and cost-effective but requires the operator to turn the adjusting knob to place the weld.

The electric cross slide allows the operator to make fine adjustments by controlling the cantilever.

The power cross slider, combined with tactile seam tracking, automatically ensures the smooth completion of the critical first weld without fine-tuning by the operator.

Laser seam tracking is the most expensive option, but when using root path storage on the first pass, it can track the seam until all subsequent passes.

How do you control the system?

An integrated digital control system with a human-machine interface (HMI) screen provides a single point of control for all variables and eliminates the clutter of multiple manipulator control boxes.

Depending on the size of the part, the HMI can be mounted at the end of the welding boom or at ground level. If the HMI is mostly at ground level, an integrated welding camera should be used so that the operator can safely and easily view the welding area.

Flux recovery system selection

There are many flux recovery systems mounted on the funnel. However, a closed-loop flux recovery system with vacuum and pressure feed functions provides maximum flexibility and power and produces a minimum load on the head. These systems also allow the manipulator to enter the smaller diameter pressure vessel when welding long slits inside the vessel.