POLYSOUDE
SHEET METAL
sequence has to be programmed in advance. Depending on different cladding choices and according to the desired type of application (Fig. 8: cylinder, bore to bore, sphere, etc.) different screens become accessible: • Tool path screen (input of the geometric characteristics - path definition, visualization, ...)
• Welding parameters screen Fig. 9 (input / correction of the parameters on a pre-established base)
• Torch definition screen (choice of tools to facilitate the path tracking)
• Production screen (different modes, cycle, simulation, visualization / position, number of turns, recovery)
• Variables screen display - variables consultation (trajectories, speeds, parameters). Additionally to the selection
of the type of cladding, the application, the tools, the welding parameters etc. it is possible to store characteristic data about the workpiece: order no., designation, material, dimensions, etc. This data is useful if, after some time, the same order shall be executed
again or a similar workpiece shall be clad.
Preparation of the final overlay welding operations The start of the overlay welding operations was preceded by wide-ranging preparations. 7 different welding procedures had to be qualified, including 4G and 2G TIGer cladding with high and higher deposition rates. As AER had virtually no experience with the trustworthiness of the TIGer technology a set of parameters for a high deposition rate and a second one for an even higher
deposition rate were approved, in case of problems with the faster procedure the high deposition rate parameters could have been applied. As the final column and boom equipment was not available at that time, to allow the approval on time, Polysoude installed a preliminary unit with the TIGer technology on the AER premises. It was also the task of AER to
design and manufacture a fixture to hold the 27t valve bodies during the cladding operations in 5 specified positions (Fig. 3).
Carrying out the final overlay welding operations With the column and boom equipment mounted on site, the fine-tuning of the installation could be carried out. At the application centre of Polysoude in Nantes, the welding staff of AER had already got a detailed training on the operation of the machines. The commands are given from a control cabinet, a touch screen at the left side grants access to the programs with the welding sequences, whereas the welding parameters are displayed in real-time on the left screen (Fig. 10). The commands can also be transmitted by a remote control pendant “nPad” which serves as mobile unit (Fig. 11). During the simulation of the
cladding operations without arc the welding personnel had the opportunity to refresh and practise the acquired skills under realistic conditions. It turned out that the CNC control reacted too sensible at the surface of the rough casting; the tolerances are finally quite different from the admitted tolerances of a workpiece in a machine tool. Anyhow, the problem could be solved by some modifications of the software. A suggestion for improvement
Figure 8: Proposed applications from the system library 22 IMT December 2017
concerned the “remaining” surfaces on the workpiece, which could not be covered by using the proposed applications from the system library. The suggestion
www.internationalmetaltube.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
