Technological Advancements in Orbital Welding

As technologies continue to increase many businesses are faced with a dilemma. Should they continue using equipment that they have relied upon for years, or should they consider in investing in newer technologies? I have seen businesses go both ways in my industry. The newer orbital welding equipment was considered to be the future of the welding business. With orbital welding equipment, it was possible to improve a number of different industries in ways we never thought possible.

Our industry heavily relied upon welding. Effective welding is necessary for any oil and gas company. Some of the technologies currently available offer three specific welding strategies. One of these strategies is fusion-only welding. This is for thin-wall tubes and pipes. This is one of the welding strategies we encountered on a regular basis.

Another method is usually referred to as GTAW in the industry. Multi-pass gas tungsten arc welding is used for process and pressure piping. Again, this is a type of welding that we would regularly perform in our industry.

The last type is usually referred to a FCAW. Orbital multi-pass flux-cored arc welding is for heavy-wall, large diameter pipes. This is the type that we encounter on a daily basis, and it became our most important type of welding.

A multi-pass system has an immense advantage in the market because it increases the welder’s duty cycle by up to 300 percent. If this process was done manually, the welder would have to move all the way around the pipe and switch positions multiple times before the process was completed. With an orbital arc, this could be done seamlessly which helps to speed up the process.

With the shortage of skilled welders in the workforce, this increase in the available technology is coming at the best time for the industry. A novice welder could use these machines and outperform an expert welder. This technology helps companies become more efficient and cut back on their labor costs.

Orbital welding is considered to be the future of this industry, so in order to stay competitive, it is necessary for companies to adapt to this change. With the number of skilled, experienced welders dwindling, this is the perfect time for a company to look into this newer option. For my company, using this newer technology helped us gain a huge advantage in the market. Once our competitors saw how well we were performing, they made the shift to similar technology.