New welding equipment for shipyards

The TPS/I modular MIG/MAG welding-appliance platform offers a range ofindividually customisable and upgradeable appliances featuring high intelligence and extensive communications functions. The equipment is claimed to help users carry out welding-tasks more easily and more quickly, with better results. The platform is expected to be further developed in the future, said to provide a secure long-term investment.

The aim behind the new range was to obtain the “perfect arc”. As a result, says the company, the equipment offers technical improvements and new functions to achieve noticeably less spatter, a more stable arc, better penetration and higher efficiency. The so-called “integrated intelligence” provides precise control of the arc, while the high-speed link between system components, known as ‘SpeedNet’, ensures short reaction times and better control.

The TSP/i is claimed to be the first system able to compute the instantaneous temperature at the end of the wire electrode, to calculate from this the necessary (lowered) ignition energy and then to control the power source accordingly. During the actual welding process, the TPS/I adapts the wirefeed speed to the actual contact-tip to workpiece distance more rapidly and more precisely. The arc length is re-adjusted more quickly, so that the penetration is subject to fewer fluctuations. As the wire electrode is retracted at the same time as the welding current is limited, droplet formation, spatter and wire burn-back are said to be significantly reduced.

The modular approach means that users of the TPS/i platform can put together the hardware and software they need to match their own individual requirements, and later alter or upgrade it as needed. The software is designed for simple modification and updating as the system is expanded.

With a 7in touch screen, and high levels of customisable automation, the company says that users can program their systems to carry out complex and varying welding-tasks swiftly, effectively and with consistently high quality.

The battery-powered AccuPocket 150/400 is claimed to be the first MMA welding system with a high-performing lithium-ion rechargeable battery and a low enough weight (11kg) to allow users portability and freedom of movement when carrying out manual electrode and TIG welding. A fully charged battery delivers sufficient power to weld up to six 3.25mm diameter electrodes or 16 electrodes of 2.5mm. The device is supplied with an active charger, based on active inverter technology, which provides 90%-plus battery capacity within 30 minutes. An intelligent control system is included to ensure optimum balance between battery and welding electronics, which Fronius claims offers better welding results than comparable mains-only MMA welding units.

The integral rechargeable battery is able to momentarily deliver high short-circuit currents during welding in order to prevents electrode-sticking, and the electronics can provide high welding voltage at high power to maintain the arc even when the charge status is low. The rechargeable batteries are of the lithium-iron-phosphate, LiFePO4 type, said to offer high intrinsic safety and environmental compatibility, lower self-discharge and no memory effect.

For maximum operational stability, the AccuPocket can be used in hybrid mode while attached to the charger, so that the battery is charged during welding-off-times, and at other times it exercises a buffering function to reduce risk of tripping circuit breakers. Full welding amperage of 150 A is available in TIG mode, or 140 A in MMA mode, even in a 110 V network. The hybrid mode allows the unit to be run from a generator, work that would normally require an 8kV generator can be carried out using a2kV generator, for lower capital cost and more portability.