The World's First
Copper Fusion Weld
Consistent
Superior Welds
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Copper orbital welding is ideally suited for production welding due to high repeatability.
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Fusion welds like the Orbital-GTAW process provide consistent, clean, sound welds as the possibility of contaminants, filler metal imperfections, fluxes and protective shielding materials which can cause inclusions and potential weld defects are not present.
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Fusion welding is widely used as the process of choice for high integrity welds in Aerospace, Bio-Pharmaceutical, Semiconductor, Nuclear and other mission critical applications.
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Low leak rate due to a strong continuous bond at the molecular level.
No Fillers
Required
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CSI’s copper welding offers true fusion of the base materials, no filler materials required.
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Full penetration copper autogenous welds, fitting to tubing.
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The result is a fusion weld that is stronger than the material around it.
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Superior tensile strength and root bend test results.
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Welded assemblies maintain rigidity and integrity, lending the Orbital- GTAW process to pre-fabrication and field installation with superior results.
Reliable
Performance
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CSI’s Lightning Series (LS) weld heads are all “NEW materials of construction,” offering world class performance.
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Super cooling technology quickly dissipates heat for robust service.
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Built to last: The LS weld heads can withstand “closed arc” welding amperages, exceeding 250 Amps. Truly, the LS heads are incomparable to any weld head ever developed.
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Power Supply Systems offered by CSI come with a complete welding library including copper programming ranging from 3/8” to 1.5”.
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Closed arc welding is safe, provides uniformity, reduces human error, and boost efficiency.
Why Copper
*Laboratory testing shows that, when cleaned regularly, Antimicrobial Copper™ kills greater than 99.9% of the following bacteria within 2 hours of exposure: MRSA, Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE), Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli O157:H7.
“…no live microorganisms were generally recovered from copper surfaces after prolonged incubation.”
“…copper and copper alloys have been used by humans for thousands of years, yet no bacteria fully resistant to contact killing have been discovered.”
“…contact killing is very rapid, and cells are not dividing on copper surfaces…”
-Excerpts of Journals from American Society of Microbiology
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the registration of antimicrobial copper alloys … [and] acknowledge that copper, brass, and bronze are capable of killing harmful, potentially deadly bacteria. Copper is the first solid surface material to receive this type of EPA registration, which is supported by extensive
antimicrobial efficacy testing.”
-Copper Development Association
Regulatory Information - NFPA 99
5.1.10.3.1 Positive pressure patient gas systems, medical support gas systems, vacuum systems, and WAGD systems shall have all turns, offsets,
and other changes in direction made using fittings or techniques appropriate to any of the following acceptable joining methods:
(1) Brazing, as described in 5.1.10.4
(2) Welding, as described in 5.1.10.5
5.1.10.4.1, addresses the requirements for brazing medical gas piping systems, particularly focusing on preventing the formation of copper oxide.
5.1.10.5.1, approves Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) (TIG) for creating welded joints in medical gas and vacuum systems, including autogenous orbital welding. This method is permitted for copper and stainless-steel tubing in these systems.
Consider This
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Copper melts at 1,984 F. Stainless Steel melts at 2552 F.
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Copper is more conductive than stainless steel.
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While copper melts at a lower temperature than stainless steel, due to rapid heat being conducted away from the weld, it requires higher amps to create the “puddle”.
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A 1 ½” stainless weld requires, approximately 65 primary amps to make a successful weld.
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The same copper 1 ½” weld requires 185 primary amps.
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Standard orbital welding equipment is not designed to operate at such high amperage.
Leveraging Our Expertise
As a company that has supported Orbital Welding for nearly three decades, the question we asked was why not orbital weld copper? After all the benefits of orbital welding have been documented for a half century now…
Orbital welding improves safety:
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Orbital Welding is performed in a “closed arc.” The operator and the surrounding work area are not exposed to flame or open arc which produce sparks, spatter and expose potential damage or fire. Making for a safer overall environment.
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OW offers reduced risk of injury to welders, minimizing exposure to fumes, heat, and other hazards associated with manual welding.
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The OW process fits in most spaces where manual welding may be a bit tricky. There are times as welders where we are required to be in awkward, out-of-position spaces that limit our ability travel around the weld joint and see the weld properly. Additionally, when trying to hold a position, on a ladder, under a beam or reaching across equipment and other obstacles, the performance of the weld can be diicult. In many of these cases, the OW process is not easy either but once the weld head is properly fitted to the joint, the weld cycle can be initiated, and the weld outcome can be greatly improved.
Orbital welding enhances
weld quality and precision:
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Automated control minimizes human error, resulting in more consistent and precise welds.
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The repeatability of orbital welding ensures that welds are uniform, reducing the risk of defects and improving the overall quality of the finished product.
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Performance of precision welds is crucial in industries with stringent quality requirements. Improvement in this performance is easily achieved through rigorous training, in-depth understanding of the processes and procedures we are following and most importantly experience in hours of operation. Like any skilled work experience, the more time we spend honing our capability, the more e ective we are at executing orbital welds.
Orbital welding increases
productivity and efficiency:
• Orbital Welding (OW) systems automate the welding process, significantly reducing weld time compared to manual methods.
• Time Savings: As technicians or installers become more efficient with the OW process, efficiency gains begin to take place. As is the case with many manual processes, our ability as welders to put forth the concentration needed to perform at a high level, diminishes as the days get long. With the OW process, we improve through repeated, better understanding of the size and joint configuration we are working on and the time between welds from automated, start to stop can be spent on set-up in preparation for the next weld. This makes downtime a benefit to the productivity we can offer. This is not possible with manual welding, as the operator is fully involved from start to finish and each weld having its own life due in large part to each position required to make that weld being slightly different than the one previous. The manual process during an 8–10-hour day has always been and will remain very demanding for the welder.
• Efficiency translates into faster production cycles and ultimately higher profitability. Skilled personnel can produce quality welds as the equipment supports consistent steady performance over extended periods of time.
The Road to Success -
Where we Started
NFPA 99 included Orbital Welding and Brazing as the only two qualified processes for Medical Gas installation some years ago. In 2018, CSI began our R&D process to develop the process. At the time, many were aware that copper could successfully be welding using OW. This understanding was a bit off target as the equipment, using legacy technologies, power supplies and weld heads, both of which were developed in the 1970’s and 1980’s, lacked the amperage output to allow successful welds to be completed. The legacy weld heads themselves were not designed to perform using the high amperage and our failure rate during early-stage development led to multiple “burned up” heads.
Metallurgically, copper is significantly different than stainless steel or other metals. Literally this is an Apples to Oranges comparison as copper has a lower melting temperature than that of stainless steel so logically this would require lower amperages to perform welds. NOT the case. Copper is, metallurgically, one of the most conductive materials on the planet, making it exceedingly difficult to establish the most important part of any successful fusion weld, the “puddle.” Establishment of the puddle determines everything needed for a sound weld. It provides our travel speed, deposition rate, depth of penetration and determines the profile of the weld which is vital to strength and ductility. To establish a puddle, copper requires 2-3 times the amperage needed to successfully perform a stainless weld. Therefore, the required increase in amperage leads to weld head degradation, as the legacy weld heads were never designed for high amperage applications. Early designed weld heads utilize non-conductive materials of construction for the body of the head with minimal cooling provided to protect the internal workings such as the motor, wiring, cabling and geartrain assembly. The conclusion by our R&D team was to start from scratch and develop an entirely new weld head, made from 21st-century materials. This is what we did.
The LS1000 and LS4000 were born. The “Lightning Series” weld heads are capable of welding in a “closed arc” environment, at amperages above 250 Amps. This is 120% more amperage capacity than the next closest weld head ever developed.
This innovative LS design performed better than expected. This patented design is state-of-the- art and has no peer. For that reason, CSI is developing an entire new line of weld heads to offer the marketplace that will include tooling for all OW applications. Look for more LS announcements in the coming weeks…
“Lesson learned” – Be patient, it may take years for a successful result. But it is worth the wait. The new Lightning Series weld heads are a fundamental leap forward in OW and future designs will all feature this new technology.
How We Got There
Innovative Tooling -
Fit-Up Tool
Conductivity and concentricity are crucial in orbital welding and brazing, and common “socket fittings” can vary in size, ovality, and quality due to methods of manufacturing. Variations in concentricity can cause the heat or arc to be less effective and thermal transfer between the fitting and the tube, due to the annular space between the two, allowing air, a non-conductor to be present. This can cause low thermal heat transfer and in the case of brazing, cause improper heating of the internal fitting surface and the external tube surface to heat unevenly. This can also cause the arc to wander, increase the chances of lack of penetration and in extreme cases cause the arc to “stub out.” Our patented “Cinch Saddles,” coupled with a crimping tool, eliminate the guess work by ensuring that your fittings are round for proper concentricity and that you have a tightly held joint for maximum thermal conductivity between the fitting and the tube, ensuring the best weld possible.
Innovation can produce good side ects. The Cinch Saddles are a good example of proper fit-up can be a benefit to several welding techniques.
Revolutionary Weld Head - LS1000/LS4000 Weld heads
Our patented super cooled weld heads can handle the heat. The super cooling technology means the heat is concentrated in the weld and in the cartridge, not in the head itself. A er delivering up to 200 Amps, the rotor is s ll cool enough to touch. This gives you the flexibility to perform back-to-back welds in the time it takes to reposition the head to the next weld.
Powerful Equipment - IPS-200 Power Supply
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The IPS-200 is a direct current (DC) power supply developed for welding a variety of metals and alloys that lend themselves well to the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process.
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Key improvements to the IPS-200 include advanced inverter technology, which produces the highest level of amperage output of any power supply in its class.
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An industrial grade PLC allows for repeatable program performance and an unmatched arc control and signal that is far above the competition.
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The IPS Chiller is a 3-liter cooling unit with a host of new features. It includes a detachable reservoir with industrial “quick snaps” that make it both secure and simple to remove.
Features:
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Large Reservoir (3 Liter w/ large fill spout for filling while in operation)
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110V or 220V, Single Phase, Standalone Power (Independent from IPS-200)
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Flow Indicator, visual Control of Coolant Level
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DC24V pump, Max Flow 70 PSI (flow at maximum pressure is 0.8 gallons per minute)
