It often takes very little time for new welders to experience the detrimental health effects of welding. Flash-burned eyes are a familiar sensation to many welders in spite of precautions, and most welders know what it is like to work through metal fume fever to complete a shift. Although efforts…
An arc welding monitoring system is an essential tool in any shop that has a significant volume of orbital welding projects. Just as the mechanization of orbital welding procedures has enabled welders to boost productivity, weld vision systems make it possible for welders to improve the quality, efficiency, and safety…
If you’re wondering how to record a weld puddle, you’re not alone. Nearly every welder at some point in their career has had a compelling reason to record or review a recording of a welding procedure. Though nothing replaces hands-on experience, an apprentice welder can use a recording to observe…
Welding a large bore pipe is a big job. Big bore piping is generally defined as having an interior diameter of two inches—approximately five centimeters—or more, but pipes are most often referred to as “large bore” when they are 30 inches in interior diameter or larger. This is about the…
Pipe and pipeline welding is divided into many worlds. At one end is the roughneck world of owner/operator welding subcontractors. These welders wear pancake-style welding helmets, drive trucks featuring prominently mounted pipe welding power supplies on the back, and have a seemingly endless supply of welding rods tucked about their…
Having choices doesn’t necessarily make things easier, and that is certainly the case when it comes to choosing a joint type for a tube-to-tubesheet welding project. Of course, the type of use—heat exchanger, pressure vessel, or boiler—and the fluids being processed factor into the choice. Tube material, corrosion resistance, tubesheet…
The welding that most people are familiar with is manual arc welding, in which the quality of the weld depends entirely on the skill and experience of the person moving the metal. Manual welding is subject to inconsistencies due to fatigue, inattention, and distraction, which alter the weld’s properties. In…
By its very nature, the orbital TIG welding process poses fewer hazards than most manual welding methods. Non-consumable electrodes, fully enclosed weld heads, remote vision systems, and mechanized control of the welding process can all reduce the health and safety risks associated with welding. Nonetheless, orbital welding hazards do exist,…
Ask a pipe welder what the best welding machine for a pipeline is, and they are likely to mention a particular shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) machine first produced in 1945, when welders still cross-trained as blacksmiths. This machine is a classic that stayed in production until the 1990s, and…
If you’ve invested in orbital welding equipment or you’re about to make the investment, it’s probably because you’ve heard that automated pipe welding is faster and safer than many of the manual welding methods it replaces. This is true: orbital technology is proven to boost productivity and deliver consistent, high-quality…
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