Welding a tube to a bend which has no straight part can prove to be a very difficult task. Manual welding can be considered, but the welder would have to operate in extreme conditions and the quality of the weld would not be worth the cost. What happens if one decides to go through the process without using manual welding?
Automation allows for a lot of things in welding, but without the straight part so necessary for fixing with a closed head, one would have to recommend an open head. The solution to this problem resides in the use of good material, good technique and good machine options! This will enable us to have a high quality weld, which facilitates the work conditions of the welder, and which will even allow him to save time!
Welding bends without straight parts is a task to master!
In the piping world, tubes are straight or curved. The latter are used in the creation of a piping network and allow for making connections. They are generally made up of a straight part placed on each side of the radius. However, depending on the choice of accessory and the space required, this one is non existent. This is the case for a bend welded on the perforation of a tank or for circuits that have a limited space. These bends are of high importance in the installation within which they are to integrate, their welding cannot present any porosity at the risk of creating leaks.
Opt for a closed head weld
As part of an automatic weld, it is best to use a closed head system. This system is fixed onto the two tubes to be assembled and the weld is done automatically by the machine.
But this becomes more complicated when it comes to welding bends without straight parts. In fact, throughout the duration of the process, the tubes to be soldered must not move. For this, the closed head welding machine is positioned and centered on the straight parts of the tube, scoring is necessary before welding. To fix this system of welding, the tubes and accessories must have a straight part of at least 20mm on each side of the welding joint, to allow for the machine to be easily positioned. In the case of a bend without arms (without straight parts), the machine can only tighten on the tube and not on the radius of the bend. A random positioning can create welding problems.
Solutions exist, we will choose a jaw form.
In this video, we show you how easy it is with our special jaws :
An adaptable element
This solution is available in the form of an additional module. This jaw form is placed on the accessory to be welded and requires less space to install it, positions the welding joint in the axis of the electrode, promotes the gas shield and allows the benefit of the clean quality of automatic welds.
Moreover, by using this process, it is possible to gain speed. In fact, the shape of the accessories to be welded and the absence of straight parts makes of their creation a delicate process by the welder. With this adaptable jaw, the weld is carried out in a repeatable and time saving manner.
Welding bent tubes without straight parts is totally possible by using an automatic welding process such as orbital welding with a closed head. This technique stands out from manual welding by the precision and the quality of the results obtained. It should also be the choice when you want to save time and in areas of more demanding industrial activity.
