Just Launched: First-of-its-Kind Spool Welding Robot for TIG Welding

Fabricators, metalworkers and contract manufacturers have an exciting new solution to maximize productivity. Just launched, Novarc’s innovative first-of-its-kind Spool Welding Robot (SWR)-TIPTIG empowers operators to obtain the highest quality welds with speeds two to three times faster than manual TIG welding (tungsten inert gas or gas tungsten arc welding – GTAW), while maintaining the highest standards of weld integrity and precision.

Novarc enhances TIG welding by using the advanced TIPTIG system, enabling greater speed and precision, and significantly boosting productivity.

From an ergonomic perspective, welders also benefit, as Novarc’s SWR-TIPTIG eliminates welder fatigue as the robot takes on the heavy lifting. In fact, the SWR-TIPTIG allows a non TIG welder to make TIG quality welds, as the SWR-TIPTIG system reduces the skill level required for welding, making it accessible to a wider range of operators, without sacrificing quality. As well, because of the nature of the SWR system, the operator is removed from the weld area, reducing the exposure to weld fumes, radiant heat and muscle fatigue.

Novarc’s SWR-TIPTIG can be used in a number of industries: aerospace, food & beverage, mining, oil & gas, pharmaceutical, power generation, shipbuilding, chemical processing, and water treatment & desalination. Fabricators and contract manufacturers serving these industries are in a pressed position of facing a lack of skilled labor and the limited productivity of manual labor.

The benefits that are offered by Novarc’s welding automation solution in terms of productivity, as well as the health and safety of workers, have been key in the adoption of cobots and now Novarc’s recently launched SWR-TIPTIG.

Novarc founded SWR-TIPTIG due to the demand from customers for the Spool Welding Robot to be able to TIG weld. Customers who are welding higher amounts of stainless steel, duplex, super duplex, Inconel, etc. needed a solution that could weld thin materials, exotic metals, and where high quality/testing requirements were required. TIPTIG is a worldwide leader in TIG welding and Novarc is a worldwide leader in pipe welding, so it was a natural partnership.

The result was SWR-TIPTG, boasting a number of benefits, most importantly, faster and better welds, enhanced speed & precision, and 2.6x increase in the rate of weld deposition.

SWR-TIPTIG Benefits:

• Higher deposition rates than conventional TIG systems: up to 4 lbs./hour.
• Increase in travel speeds allowing projects to be completed faster and with increased travel speeds: up to 300%.
• Ability to meet and exceed industry standards for weld quality.
• Minimal spatter promoting a cleaner work environment with reduced post-weld cleanup.
• Patented TIPTIG feeding system, designed for impeccable weld quality.

How does the TIG System Work?

TIG stands for tungsten inert gas and is technically called gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW).

The TIPTIG arc welding process involves a hot wire TIG application with an oscillating drive roll system to deliver the wire. The machine provides 40-to-80 amps to the incoming filler metal and the oscillating drive rolls result in the appearance of the “stacked dime” look. The feeder oscillation is caused by the vibration agitating the weld pool. The hot wire (HW) current which pre-heats the weld wire improves the wire receptivity into the TIG weld. The agitation of the TIPTIG weld and the added weld energy creates unique TIG weld dynamics which slow down the weld solidification. Enabling longer TIG weld fluidity allows more TIPTIG weld wire to be fed into the weld pool.

How does the SWR Integrate with the TIG System?

The SWR-TIPTIG easily integrates with production flow and existing manufacturing processes. The SWR is designed with a very small footprint and a long reach, so it can be incorporated into many different fabrication shops. It’s designed to work with existing positioners and equipment that customers technically have worked with before to be minimally intrusive to the production flow. Novarc follows the same roll welding processes as many of their customers but are also allowing a transition from manual welding to mechanized welding and robotic welding, keeping all the processes intact. Novarc also has a very accommodating set of requirements for the fit up process and provides training for fitters. This is another way the Spool Welding Robot is easily integrated into existing manufacturing processes.

And ultimately, the key benefit is that fabricators and contract manufacturers will realize a better ROI much faster than other types of equipment and technology implemented in the past.

This is helping disrupt the status quo which hinders the adoption of new technologies such as those provided by Novarc. Some customers are not aware of the wave of adoption of automation in the welding industry, and they might be surprised by how competitive other companies could become when they’re adopting these technologies in terms of winning more projects and lowering their bid rates. At the end of the day, any new technology that presents a solution for welding automation is welcome because the end users of pipe spools are pushing harder and harder regarding project delivery timelines, cost of production and high-quality welds. This pressure is helping Novarc’s automation solution to ride on the tail winds that are inevitably pushing the industry forward.

www.novarctech.com