An extensive network of petroleum pipelines transports a wide range of natural gas and crude oil across the United States. This network includes 2.4 million miles of natural gas pipelines and more than 190,000 miles of liquid petroleum pipelines. However, the functionality and construction of these pipelines differ significantly. Due…
Pipe is notoriously challenging to weld; welders must manage constant changes in arc length. Positioning as the welder moves around the pipe is seldom optimal. The difficulty is high enough that many would prefer to position the electrode in a fixed position and rotate the pipe beneath instead. This is…
Titanium has many advantages, which is why it is often used in applications where metals like steel or aluminum were previously preferred. It has a greater strength-to-weight ratio than steel and is attractive for systems where minimizing weight, like race cars and space vehicles, is a premium objective. However, leveraging…
Strong bonds are always the objective for welding. This is true for tubes, tubesheets, fillets around pipes, pressure vessels, or other systems. And, for most applications, bond strength is a reliable metric for the quality of a weld. For some industries, the purity of a weld is the principal concern….
When it comes to TIG welding steel, the focus is mostly on stainless. The more common and widely used mild steels are typically thought of as being welded with Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) or Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW). Using high-quality Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) also known as Gas…
Stainless steel is a critical material in a range of industries. Without it, the dairy, food, and beverage industry would have great difficulty in keeping food safe while producing it in industrial quantities. Similarly, the chemical and biopharmaceutical would find it impossible, or at least uneconomical, to operate as they…
The advantages of orbital welding vs. manual welding are well known. These include improved consistency, better precision, greater efficiency, and eliminating the physical demands contributing to substandard manual welds. Fully realizing these attributes, however, requires the best orbital welding technique, materials, and equipment. Orbital welding relies on automation to provide…
The history of orbital welding began with the need to fix a leaking pipe, albeit one that was destined to travel to the edge of space. From there, orbital welding heads grew to play a role in wastewater treatment, orbital sanitary welding for biopharmaceuticals, nuclear power, and even experiments on…
Pressure vessel welding encompasses many applications and industries. At the lower end, any system that operates at 15 psi is considered a pressure vessel. However, systems like boilers and storage containers used in pharmaceutical and food processing, as well as in facilities like power plants, including nuclear generation, are critical…
Welders are very familiar with the fusion zone in welding. When the fusion zone looks like stacked dimes, they call their friends over to take a look. When it looks like a squashed or otherwise ailing caterpillar, they slink away to find an angle grinder. The fusion zone in welding…
© 2025 Arc Machines.
