| Johnny Sundin ESAB AB, Welding Automation SE-69581 Laxå, Sweden Tel No : +46 584 81000 Fax No : +46 584 411721 E-mail : johnny.sundin@esab.se Website: http://europe.esab.net/ |
In 1921 ESAB also started its own production of welding machines.
Now, ESAB is the world leader in welding products and advanced cutting systems, serving a broad range of industries - shipbuilding, transport and off-road, offshore, power, process and construction.
ESAB AB, Welding Automation in Laxå, is a world leading supplier of welding automation solutions for a multitude of welding processes and applications. Ranging from tractor packages up to complete custom designed welding stations for fully automatic welding.
Welding processes range from normal arc-welding methods and flash butt welding to Friction Stir Welding. In FSW ESAB was the first company to industrialise the process and delivered the first production machine in the world to Hydro Aluminium in Norway already in 1996. Since then in excess of 10 additional FSW machines have been delivered to customers in Europe and USA.
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Fig.1. ESAB's SuperStirTM machine to be installed at TWI for the EuroStir® project during preliminary assembly in Laxå, Sweden © 2000, ESAB |
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Fig.2. ESAB's SuperStirTM machine to be installed at TWI for the EuroStir® project during preliminary assembly in Laxå, Sweden © 2000, ESAB |
The first contract was signed between ESAB and TWI Ltd in Cambridge (UK)[3]. ESAB SuperStirTM equipment has now been placed where the entire process was invented and where friction stir welding began. The equipment has a gantry type design with a welding area of 5 x 8m and two heads of different sizes (Figs 1 & 2). The first head will be used for welding thin sheets with high rotation speeds. The second head can be used for thick sheets while applying high downward forces. The machine will be capable of welding aluminium alloys with up to 18mm thickness over the full working envelope. Up to 25mm thick aluminium plates can be welded in the centre line of the machine.
Another order was received from DanStir ApS in Copenhagen (Denmark)[4]. This machine is of the same gantry type design as that for TWI but is designed for a welding area of 3 x 15m and has one welding head. It has a vertical clearance under the gantry of 0.85m. It is equipped with a high-power main drive and a hydraulic actuator for vertical spindle movements. The versatile control system allows for numerous operations modes including position or force control and/or various combinations hereof.
The powerful design facilitates up to 100kN (10t) down force on the parts to be welded, and up to 40kN (4t) transverse thrust on the welding head. This allows the welding of all aluminium alloys in thickness up to 15mm and beyond.
The third contract was signed with EADS[5] and Institute de Soudure[6] in France and involved a basic longitudinal machine. This machine is also equipped with a unit for circumferential welding and furthermore, the welding head is designed not only for conventional tools but also for retractable pin-tool and bobbin-tool techniques.
Copyright © 2003, TWI Ltd