CSI's Major Advancements in High Amperage Orbital Welding

Join Critical Systems as we dive into one of the first major advancements in orbital welding technology in the past 5 decades, our Lightning Series Weld heads!

The video above showcases Critical Systems’ Lightning Series (LS) heads' patented Super Cooling Technology! The LS heads were designed from the ground up for high amperage applications like copper welding and heavy wall pipe or tube, where a homogeneous single pass weld is preferred. Copper requires a much higher amperage input than traditional orbital welding applications, due to its high thermal and electrical conductivity. High amperage welds generate heat that quickly degrades traditional weld heads. Traditional orbital weld heads are used to weld materials such as stainless steel or other alloy materials. They have high melting temperatures but low thermal conductivity. Because of that, amperages are only required to be low or midrange.

Copper, on the other hand, has high thermal conductive and low viscosity. This results in an almost “water like” molten state, which makes establishing the puddle difficult to control unless much higher amperages are applied and maintained during the weld cycle. Our LS weld heads are designed specifically for high amperage use and are robust, handling repeated back-to-back welding with no downtime required for the weld head to cool between welds.

For reference:

• A 1 ½” stainless weld requires approximately 65 primary amps to make a successful weld.

• The same copper 1 ½” weld requires 185 primary amps.

The LS weld heads offer state-of-the-art materials of construction. Our patented design utilizes highly conductive cooling channels, ceramic rotor protection, and super cooling that extends into the handle. This all-new material design also keeps the weld head light weight for ease of handling. In fact, the weld head body remains cool to the touch even when the cassette and collets reach and exceed temperatures of over 400 degrees Fahrenheit! The cassette connects to the weld head quickly and easily using our cam-lock lever design, locking securely in place to the weld head body to ensure proper grounding and a high integrity welding circuit.

• Our Lightning Series 1000 (LS1000) is capable of welding copper tubing and fittings from 3/8 to ¾ inch.

• Our Lightning Series 4000, (LS4000) can weld copper tubing and fittings from 1” to 3” *.

The CSI Lightning Series weld heads are the culmination of seven years of research, development, testing, and adapting the groundbreaking technology needed for welding at extreme amperages. These pioneering features are key to driving orbital technology into new markets where the advantages of precision, repeatability and reliability, inherent to orbital welding shine.

*The LS4000 currently offers tooling and Power Supply programming through 1.5” OD. Larger sizes will be offered in 2026