WELDING


Know-how is fertile ground for Growhow


ertiliser manufacturer GrowHow UK Ltd says deploying Arc Machines’ (AMI) automated orbital welding systems enabled it to complete a critical pipework project at the company’s plant near Chester in half the time compared to using manual welding.


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GrowHow, the country’s largest manufacturer of ammonia, nitric acid and agricultural fertilisers, had previous experience of AMI’s technical expertise. This time the company enlisted their equipment to accurately join high temperature, primary reformer catalyst tubes that carry a mixture of steam and natural gas for converting methane to CO and CO2, leaving nitrogen and hydrogen available for ammonia production. AMI provided full training and weld procedure  contractor appointed by GrowHow


  power supply for the project, which required guaranteed high weld quality and speed unachievable by a manual process.


GrowHow’s Ammonia Mechanical Engineer, Nick Oates, said: “The catalyst tubes are heated up to around 890°C on their outside so it was crucial the weld quality met our  and the work had to be carried out  Machines equipment coped very well. Productivity was around 50% higher than using manual welding and the weld quality was excellent, but I was not surprised as we had used them before.” In a situation where the quality of every weld is vital, the ability of AMI’s equipment to cope with the thickness of the pipe wall and maintain weld integrity under very high acceptance


standards for NDT gave the  The M95 weld head is rugged and easy to set up, which is also ideal  welds that have limited axial and/  is designed for high production welding of schedule pipe. It is a 225A   supply and controller for automatic orbital welding applications     sized machine match or exceed the  such as chemical manufacturers, power generation and nuclear. Its compactness and rugged casing  AMI’s technical sales manager, John Morris, said: “Arc Machines’


range of equipment is ideally suited  working conditions. The automated  only reduces manufacturing time but also the fatigue aspect from the welder’s point of view. “In this particular case Arc Machines’ automated orbital welding equipment helped  production savings compared to going down the manual route.  have been a really labour intensive job and the impact would have been a longer production time.” GrowHow prides itself on technical excellence so AMI’s system had to match up to very  automated orbital welding complete the job faster and more accurately than a manual system, but it also provided a clean, high quality surface 


More information on Arc Machines UK Ltd t: +44 / 1327 / 312787 f: +44 / 1327 / 315034 sales@arcmachines.co.uk


A new range of high-pressure/ 


For industrial applications requiring  mixtures, such as laser cutting, WITT’s new MG 50/100 HP gas mixers provide an easy-to-use, reliable solution for high-quality results. The quality of the air is key in laser cutting applications. A precise mixture of nitrogen and oxygen forms a cryogenic atmosphere to provide moisture- and debris-free air, thus eliminating contaminants that 


Easy to operate, the MG 50/100 HP models provide correct and constant  gases. Featuring a proportional  based control knob, a wide variety of mixtures are possible. Providing


further ease of use, the MG 50/100 HP models allow gas mixture withdrawal anywhere from zero to  The new gas mixers showcase high process reliability, as they provide precise mixtures  in the gas supply. In addition, they allow for intermittent gas mixture withdrawal.


Built to last, the MG 50/100 HP  robust stainless steel, and they feature a lockable transparent door to protect settings. As an option, users can monitor the gas supply by means of pressure switches. Too low an inlet pressure triggers an optical alarm (audible optional) to


shutdown machinery. Designed to meet a full range of applications, both models are rated at 400 PSI inlet, with the MG 50 HP rated at  


www.internationalmetaltube.com


More Information on Wittgas Gas Controls t: +1 770-664-4447 f: +1 770-664-4448 www.wittgas.com dbell@wittgas.com


IMT December 2013/January 2014 23


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