Oxford Sensors announces a new integrated head and controls for Submerged Arc Welding

Oxford Sensors Ltd (OSL), Bicester, UK announces the release of a new fully integrated system for tandem or triple submerged arc welding. The new system incorporates several innovations: 1. A completely new weld head design which is easy to set up and adjust, and which integrates up to three torches together with flux delivery and recovery, laser seam tracking and video camera. 2. Modular design for ease of using the key components in several mill locations. The new head has already been installed on several pipe mill applications. For spiral pipe offline ID welding, it can be mounted on a new OSL boom-end frame incorporating horizontal and vertical slides with space for up to three wire feeders. For spiral pipe OD welding or other similar applications, the new head can be mounted on an OSL slide assembly together with up to three wire feeders for single, tandem or triple arc operation. 3. A new integrated control system allows all parts of the system operation to be controlled from a single station. The new control station can be used for simultaneous control of ID and OD weld heads for spiral pipe offline welding from a single station. 4. The new system is based on a network architecture allowing it to be easily used with welding power sources from leading manufacturers.

According to Bob Beattie, of OSL, “Over the last twenty-five years, we have developed a lot of experience in pipe mill welding and other similar applications. So when we had the opportunity to put that experience to work in designing this new system we were very excited by the possibilities. After a lot of intensive effort in design and on proving trials, we are very pleased with the results.” The photo shows the design superimposed over one of the heads mounted for spiral offline ID welding.