Many fabricators of metallic tubes have chosen TIG welding as their welding course of as a result of it’s a versatile, environment friendly course of in a position to be a part of most kinds of supplies in a high-quality weld with clear edges and minimal weld bead.
Like all welding processes, TIG welding depends on exact alignment of the welding torch to the welding seam to get weld and produce top quality tubes. The seam location can change over time as the varied tensions within the tube may cause it to twist because it’s pulled by the weld head. The twisting tube can imply that the weld seam can rotate out and in of place with respect to the TIG welding torch.
See the figures under to see instance pictures of the weld seam in, and out of, alignment with the weld head.
Determine 1: Seam in Alignment with TIG Torch |
Determine 2: Seam Out of Alignment with TIG Torch |
The standard answer to monitoring the seam is to aim to find it utilizing a mechanical feeler/wheel or a non-contact laser triangulation system. The issue with some of these gear is that they discover the weld seam solely and assume the measurement datum on which they’re based mostly is all the time in the identical place. If, for instance, the gear will get knocked or the torch itself strikes, the seam place measured by the system is not going to be an correct measurement relative to the torch tip. Such conventional measurement instruments face different challenges as effectively: particles on or close to the seam could trigger a mechanical system that depends on bodily contact with the seam edges to learn incorrectly. Laser triangulation techniques are sometimes mounted farther upstream on a TIG tube mill, so they aren’t measuring the seam edge place at a degree shut sufficient the place it must be – simply earlier than the weld head. As well as, laser triangulation techniques search for the perimeters of the seam by measuring a single level on every edge. If that precise level on the sting is just not persistently shaped due to a variable edge preparation, then the outcome reported again from the laser could also be not the place the true edge is.
Compared, a camera-based measurement device that may see the seam and the TIG torch tip in the identical picture is ready to measure the relative offset of the seam and its edges in a extra sturdy method. Ought to the digital camera be someway knocked throughout manufacturing, it should nonetheless have the ability to see the weld seam place relative to the TIG torch tip, so long as each stay seen within the picture. As well as, utilizing a 2D digital camera method permits a number of measurement factors for use to search out the perimeters of a weld seam with a best-fit edge detection algorithm to take away any localized discrepancies. The ensuing measurement is extra exact and fewer susceptible to localized variations than different measurement strategies.
One other challenge widespread to most tube mills is the standard of the sting preparation of the coil. When the strip metallic is rolled right into a tube, the 2 edges come collectively for welding. If the perimeters haven’t been ready correctly, they are often fairly tough. The ensuing weld seam hole (the area between the 2 sides of the shaped materials simply earlier than welding) can range considerably in width based mostly on the consistency of the perimeters. If the weld seam hole turns into too massive, the weld course of may produce a sunken weld or may even see the welder burn by the seam, leading to a poor weld. An answer will be discovered by measuring the seam width utilizing a digital camera.
The Xiris SeamMonitor™ system has been particularly developed to measure the seam alignment and weld seam width on TIG welded tube mills. Combining a Excessive Dynamic Vary (HDR) weld digital camera that may see a wide range of brightness to simply seize the TIG torch, weld arc and weld seam, with subtle machine imaginative and prescient measurement software program, SeamMonitor™ permits real-time monitoring of the weld seam measurement, the torch tip location, and the relative offset between the torch tip and its seam.
Determine 3: The Xiris SeamMonitor™ with a Seam in Alignment. Notice the Seam Place of -0.26 mm within the SeamMonitor™ Outcomes tab to the precise. |
As a result of it’s a camera-based answer, the SeamMonitor™ can be utilized both as a standalone visible answer to supply picture suggestions to the operator, or it may be built-in with the mill’s controller for closed loop suggestions management.
The SeamMonitor™ system will be added to any TIG welded tube mill. The digital camera needs to be mounted off-axis to view the TIG torch tip whereas additionally having a transparent view of the weld seam earlier than the welding takes place. Threshold warning and alarm limits of all of the measured parameters will be set by the operator and the outcomes will be output to an exterior system if required. All parameters and pictures will be recorded for high quality assurance of the tubes based mostly on the set-up parameters and outlined warning/failure limits.
Determine 4: The SeamMonitor™ software program detects the Out-of-Alignment Situation – word the Seam Place Studying of -1.06 mm within the SeamMonitor™ Outcomes tab to the precise. |
SeamMonitor™ addresses one of the urgent wants dealing with TIG tube fabricators: how to make sure that the seam being offered to the weld field is in the precise place and ready correctly for weld? By having the ability to clearly see the TIG torch and weld seam, and detecting the alignment between the 2, the SeamMonitor™ can present mill operators goal data-based instruments that may exactly monitor the standard of the welding course of.
To study extra about SeamMonitor™, request a copy of the datasheet here or contact one of our product experts.
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