Selecting Welding Equipment for Mechanical Contracting Projects

Mechanical contractors weld everything from HVAC sheet metal to process piping and pressure vessels. Welding mechanical equipment and piping systems requires the utmost precision and quality to meet code requirements and client expectations. At the same time, contractors must be highly efficient and productive to stay competitive and improve their bottom line.

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This article will help you choose the best welding and cutting equipment for your mechanical contracting projects. With the right gear, you can be more productive and achieve exceptional results for your clients.

MIG Welding Power Sources

The MIG welding process offers significant productivity gain compared to stick and TIG welding for many applications and gives you additional versatility of using solid and metal-cored wires. In addition, gas-shielded and self-shielded flux-cored wires provide the versatility you need to adapt to almost any metal contracting job with high productivity.

• Solid MIG wire – Used for standard gas-shielded MIG welding. Provides excellent arc characteristics in short-circuit, spray transfer, and pulsed arc modes.
• Metal-cored MIG wire – Tubular wire filled with metallic powders, alloys, and arc stabilizers. It offers an exceptional deposition rate and doesn’t produce slag. In addition, it tolerates mill scale and rust better. Metal cored wires excel at welding single-pass welds using the spray transfer mode.
• Self-shielded flux-cored wire (FCAW-S) – It doesn’t require a shielding gas, making it the best solution for outdoor welding. This wire offers a better deposition rate, travel speed, and efficiency than stick welding. It’s an excellent substitute for MMA to beat time constraints and achieve higher productivity and weld quality. 
• Gas-shielded flux-cored wire (FCAW-G) – Offers high deposition rates and can be used for out-of-position welding since its slag solidifies faster than the weld metal. But, it requires a shielding gas, just like solid MIG wires.

As you can see, having a MIG welding power source gives you a wide selection of wires you can use, each with their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, you can choose between short-circuit, spray, and pulsed spray arc transfers that best suit your needs, making the MIG welding process highly adaptable for almost all mechanical welding jobs.

Our Miller PipeWorx 400 Welding System is an excellent choice for mechanical contractors who often weld pipes. It’s a multi-process welder that supports advanced MIG modes, DC TIG, stick, and flux-cored welding. PipeWorx 400 is specifically optimized to deliver superior performance when making root, fill, and cap weld passes on pipes. It features the advanced regulated metal deposition (RMD) MIG welding mode, which is a precisely controlled short-circuit metal transfer mode. The RMD reduces the chance of lack of fusion, creates less spatter, and provides a higher quality pipe root pass. In some stainless steel pipe applications, you may even eliminate the need for argon purging when using Miller’s RMD, which can significantly improve your productivity. When applicable, pairing the RMD for root pass and pulsed MIG for fill passes allows you to use one process and one wire for the whole pipe weld.

TIG Welding Power Sources

The TIG welding process is the best choice for delicate welds, and when the weld quality and accuracy are paramount. For example, welding pressure vessel valves and manholes, water manifolds, heat exchangers, fittings, and other mechanical welding applications where maximum precision is required.

Our fleet of advanced TIG welders is ready to help you take on the most delicate mechanical contracting jobs. Using Miller’s Dynasty and Syncrowave TIG machines, you get the best pulsed and standard TIG with advanced adjustability, allowing you to tune your arc perfectly. You can modify the AC balance, EP and EN amperage output independently, output frequency, pulse peak time, pulse background amps, and pulse frequency. The Miller Dynasty 400 allows you to output up to pulses per second, which is highly beneficial when welding sensitive alloys like stainless steel. In addition, you can use up to four AC TIG waveforms, each with a different puddle action for maximum versatility. 

Plasma Cutters

Plasma cutters are essential tools for any mechanical contractor in the HVAC industry. Computer-controlled (CNC) plasma cutting power sources slice and shape the sheet metal for ducts, brackets, gussets, and flanges. But, plasma cutters also play a major role in demolishing and removing old equipment, piping, and various systems like sprinkler systems. 

Red-D-Arc offers top-of-the-line Hypertherm plasma cutters ranging from small, hand-held cutters you would use on-site, like the Hypertherm Viper 30 XP, to highly powerful cutters, like the Hypertherm Python 85 and Python 125.

Specialized Pipe Welding Equipment

Mechanical contractors who often weld pipes, like process piping, commercial piping, underground distribution piping, and jacketed piping, can benefit from specialized pipe welding equipment. 

Orbital welders are indispensable for making the highest quality welds, often required by strict codes and standards in the petrochemical, food and beverage, semiconductor, and pharmaceutical industries. Orbital weld heads, like the Axxair Fusion closed orbital weld head, rotate the tungsten electrode around the pipe and maintain optimal torch position at all times. As a result, the produced weld has consistent quality. These systems don’t rely on the operator to TIG weld manually, so human error is minimized.

Our process pipe cell (PPC) is an automated MIG/Flux-cored oscillating pipe welding system. It supports a dual wire feeder and can be used with various power sources, including the Miller PipeWorx 400 and Lincoln’s advanced process Power Wave systems, like the S350, S500, and S700. So, you can weld pipes using Miller’s RMD short-circuit MIG or Lincoln’s surface tension transfer (STT) advanced technologies. The PPC allows you to run a root weld with MIG and hot and cap passes with flux-cored or solid wires, automating the welding procedure and producing outstanding results. 

Weld Automation Equipment

Besides orbital TIG welders and process pipe cells, you can use several other weld automation equipment to enhance the productivity and efficiency of your mechanical contracting jobs.

• Welding positioners – Used for rotating the welded part. The operator stays in one position as they work, which reduces fatigue and improves weld quality and productivity.
• Welding turning rolls – Allow rotation of large and heavy round components, like large diameter pipe and pressure vessels. Our turning rolls can handle round objects weighing several hundred tons, making welding these massive equipment pieces far safer and easier. 
• Fit-up bed rollers – Can rotate and translate the large round parts and align them in optimal joint geometry before welding. They are crucial when welding large pressure vessels. The fit-up bed roller aligns the vessel before the mechanized welding head makes a seam weld.
• Longitudinal seam welders – Irreplaceable tool for making long seam welds on thick materials. Often used for thick plate, pipe, and pressure vessel fabrication. 

BotX™ – Collaborative Robot

Smart collaborative robots work alongside your welders and multiply their capabilities.

Perhaps the most impactful innovation in welding automation is the recent rise of welding cobots. Smart collaborative robots work alongside your welders and multiply their capabilities.

Almost every industry benefits from cobots, and mechanical contracting is no exception. If you often weld medium to large batches of equipment parts, like flanges, brackets, or structural components, our BotX collaborative robot can dramatically increase your operator’s efficiency and time to completion. 

BotX cobot welding system addresses the skilled labor shortage by providing an easy-to-use automation system. Anyone can learn to use BotX in several hours. In fact, BotX is so easy to set that you can quite literally guide its hand and use a highly intuitive app to create the weld path. All you need to do after successful programming is unload the welded parts and load the new ones on the table. As a result, you can skyrocket your productivity, weld accuracy, and joint quality. Contractors who adopt cobots can typically scale their operations and take on more jobs without hiring an additional workforce. Cobots can give you the edge for certain applications and allow you to bid on projects with better time to completion and score more jobs.

Rent or Lease Welding And Cutting Equipment From Red-D-Arc

Whether you want to upgrade to state-of-the-art weld automation equipment, like our BotX or PPC, or expand your MIG or TIG welding fleet, Red-D-Arc is here for you. Mechanical contractors face similar problems as the rest of the welding industry — the need to scale production while maintaining safety and struggling with the shortage of skilled welders. Red-D-Arc allows you to scale in and out with the welding equipment. So, you can allocate your resources as needed instead of investing in expensive equipment that may not provide the ROI for a long time.

Tank Welding Rotators for Sale(1T-T)

OLIVTE Tank Welding Rotators are robust heavy-duty designed rotators for various applications, built to withstand the harsh and rugged weld shop environments expected in the world of welding and fabrication requirements. Our range of Tank welding rotators is appreciated in the European and U.S. Steel Manufacturing Industry for its highest quality benchmark, economical, rugged construction, and ergonomic look.

Tank Welding Rotators are designed to rotate and manipulate Shell, Tanks, Pipes and any other type of cylindrical object. These “Welding Rotator” units provide a wide array of component manipulation and precise rotation speed adjustments as needed for any Tank or Shell Rotation purposes. This reduces the preparation time and allows the operator to manipulate workpieces to optimal.

Related:All About Welding Rotators

Tank Welding Rotator Details

1. Steel wheels or polyurethane wheels are optional for rollers.

2. Drive motor adopts AC variable frequency motor. Can use Servo motor if high precision is required.

3. The roller’s support bearing adopts spherical roller bearing, which has the characteristics of strong bearing capacity and impact resistance.

4. All the shaft parts are quenched and tempered, and the tooth parts are quenched and tempered.

5. The welded base profiles and plate welding, de-stressed. And the frame is shot blasted and rusted, which has sufficient strength to ensure long-term use.

6. All shaft holes CNC boring machine and the precision of transmission gears are 7 grade to ensure dimensional accuracy.

7. The electric control system is composed of a control box and a hand control box, and the electric control system adopts the AC frequency system to regulate the speed. A super-soft multi-wire cable connects the control box and the hand control box to ensure reliable use.

We look forward to hearing your questions about welding rotators!

Introducing our tank welding rotators to a customer in Sweden

Tank Welding Rotator Applications

With a wide range of turning power and load capacities, pipe rotators are an essential tool for welding heavy and oversize vessels and pipes. Tank Welding rotators are ideal auxiliary machines in pressure vessels, boilers, chemical equipment, oil and gas, storage tank, water tank, water pipe, shipyards, wind energy, etc.

Rotators for Safe and Efficient Welding

The use of rotators helps ensure a safe working environment for welders handling large, heavy pipes or vessels. These tools also provide increased efficiency as welders spend less time using lifting or crane facilities to turn pipes during the welding process. With such capabilities, Tank welding rotators are great investments for your workshop.

For a unique welding rotator, kindly inquiry us with the following details.

1. Max. Loading capacity in tons or max. Workpiece weight in tons or pounds

2. Tank/Vessel diameter range (min. and max.) in mm

3. Tank / Vessel final length in mm

Friends from Europe and the USA or other countries and regions are very welcome, if you have any questions, please send us a message!

About OLIVTE

Our company which gather research and development, manufacture and sale, majoring in the line of automatic welding equipment such as adjustable welding rotator and welding chuck, cutting equipment, milling equipment, environmental protection equipment. For many years service in the boiler, pressure vessel, petrochemical, electrical installation, metallurgy and steel other manufacturing industries.

Welding Rotator – The Ultimate FAQ Guide

The use and importance of welding rotators in the industry have grown significantly. Because of the excellent benefits, you can get from using it, and you can expect better productivity with fewer errors. However, not many people are well versed when it comes to welding rotators. Most traditional welders even think it wouldn’t help out in the process. In this guide, we’ll uncover the truths about these claims.

By the end of this ultimate FAQ Guide about welding rotators, you'll have the best and the most precise understanding of it.

What is a Welding Rotator?

A welding rotator is a machine you can use to help in welding cylindrical or rounded objects. It is typically used in the manufacturing of large cylindrical structures, such as storage tanks or pressure vessels, where it is important to achieve a high-quality weld with minimal distortion. The rotator consists of a set of rollers that support the workpiece, and a motor that drives the rollers to rotate the workpiece at a controlled speed. The welder can then move their welding torch around the circumference of the workpiece to perform the weld. Welding rotators are an important tool in the construction of large, heavy-duty structures because they help ensure that the welds are strong and evenly distributed around the circumference of the workpiece. You can use it in welding either small or large-sized rounded objects.

How Does a Welding Rotator Function?

Many people don’t understand how a welding rotator works. But in reality, it functions pretty quickly. It functions by rotating the circular or the cylindrical object to help and aid in welding. Welders don’t need to change positions for heavy materials and workpieces as the welding rotator would rotate them for them.

What are the Usual Parts of a Welding Rotator?

Different welding rotators have different parts. Moreover, some manufacturers add specific components to it.

But, the parts that would never be taken out include:

1. Driving Wheels (what turns the materials or workpieces)

2. Wheel Frames (what supports the wheels)

3. Transmission Device (what controls the speed of the rotation)

4. Controller  (what is used to change and modify the speed of the rotation)

5. Direct Current (DC) Motor (what makes the motion concrete and real)

Even if just one of these parts is missing, a welding rotator will not function.

What's the Importance of a Welding Rotator?

In the fast-growing industry, the need for safety and security remains at the top priority.

Using welding rotators can give you a ton of benefits, some of which include:

1. Safety and Less Effort for Welders

If you use a welding rotator, you will exert less effort as it’ll be rotated automatically.

This means that a welder would not need to move and rotate the workpiece manually, promoting safety and security to the welder and the workpiece.

2. Faster Productivity

All automation results in faster and better productivity. The function of a welding rotator to move the workpiece means that the welder can do more and better.

3.More robust and More Reliable Support

The support from the equipment itself is already enough to tag it to have more substantial and more reliable support.

This can protect the workpiece, its quality, and its overall dimensions from the deformity.

How To Maintain The Welding Positioner?

Is the Welding Rotator the Same as a Welding Positioner?

No, a welding positioner is different from a welding rotator. The welding positioner is a device that can hold and rotate a workpiece depending on the angle set. It can be at different angles, allowing you to weld at a steady level. Any shape of the workpiece can be loaded to a welding positioner.

Welding rotators are different. Once the workpiece is loaded, it’ll rotate consistently depending on how fast or slow you want it. The wheels on the rotator allow movement; that is why only rounded and cylindrical objects are the ones that can be used with it.

Seek our help and our industry experts will carefully explain any part to you!

What advantages can you get from using welding rotators?

These machines and equipment can help you get a ton of advantages. The most common benefits and advantages you can achieve include but are not limited to:

1. Safety of your welders and the workpiece

2. Accurate and precise welds

3. Continuous welds with ease

4. Higher productivity rate

5. More efficient and more effective results

6. Reduced working hours

7. And many more

If you weld many different rounded or cylindrical products in the same ways, welding rotators can get the job done more accessible and more conveniently.

What Welding Processes Can Welding Rotators Assist?

Welding Processes Can Welding Rotators Assist. You can use welding rotators if you are to perform any of the following welding procedures:

Sub-Arc Welding (SAW)

Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding

Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding

Whatever welding procedure you need, a welding rotator can help you drastically.

Why Use a Welding Rotator?

Using a welding rotator can benefit you in numerous ways. But, the most common reason why you should consider using it is because of the savings it can give you.

With faster productivity, shorter working hours, and more accurate work – you’ll spend less money, and you will be able to save more! Apart from that, you can ensure the safety of your workpieces and your welders! Once mounted, the workpiece would depend on how you set the rotator’s settings! No instability, no moving!

What are Turning Rolls

It's a type of auxiliary machine you can perform better and with more productivity. Welding turning rolls can assist your welding procedure in the best ways possible.

What Works Involve Usage of Turning Rolls?

You can use turning rolls in many different industries that involve heavy equipment.

For more Pipe Turning Rollers Supplierinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

However, the most common ones you can use it for include:

Pressure Vessel Creations

Large, Small, and Medium Pipe Sections Creations

Heavy Machinery Cladding

Shipyard Creations

Boiler Vessel Creation

And Many More!

You can use it in many different fields and applications involving ton-weighted parts.

What are Pipe Turning Rolls?

They're the turning rolls you'd have to use for the rolling of pipes and tubes. It can be small, large, or medium-sized pipes.

What are Tank Turning Rolls?

These are the turning rolls that house tanks instead of pipes. Similarly, these machines can also handle light to the heavy type of parts and components.

You can choose from various types of pipe or tank roller wheels. However, the most common ones are:

Types of Turning Roll Wheels

Use steel wheels to work on high temperature and high capacity equipment and parts. They are the most useful if the engagement of the part has certain limitations.

Phenolic Wheels

Phenolic wheels are most helpful if you can't suffice the workpiece using steel or rubber. Also valuable for high-temperature areas and situations.

Rubber Wheels

Rubber wheels are the most common type of wheels for turning rolls, and this is because of their high friction capacity.

Related:Types Of The Welding Rotators

Is Welding Rotator the Same as Turning Rolls?

Technically, welding rotators and turning rolls are the same. They can be different depending on what process they'll undergo.

Welding rotators assist the welder; they're also dubbed welding turning rolls. But, generally speaking, turning rolls are machines you can use to assist with heavy workpieces.

It's what you have to use if your parts, projects, and components can't be lifted regularly.

How Much Weight Can Turn Rolls Support?

The usual and regular weight that turning rolls support sits between 100 lbs to 400,000 lbs.

Additionally, they can support workpieces and parts that have a diameter of 6 to 30 feet long.

What Features Do Turning Rolls Have?

Some of the physical features that welding turning rolls have include:

Flexibility

Welding turning rolls are flexible and can be used in many different applications. They're known to be flexible and versatile, and they can support a wide range of weight classifications.

Easy Operations

Compare manually welding a 10-ton pipe versus using a welding turning roll. You'll find it easier and more convenient to work on.

Allows Better Productivity

By using a welding turning roll, you increase productivity!

Automating it can give you better and higher chances of faster and more accurate work.

These are just some of the features you can get if you use turning rolls.

What Applications Can You Get With Turning Rolls?

You can use it for any cylindrical or rounded parts or components – that are preferably heavy.

You'll be able to find a ton of uses for it; some of the most common applications include:

Creation and Fabrication of Tanks and Vessels

Car Tanks

Pipe Spooling

Heat Exchange Units

Shipyards

And Many More

What is the Welding Fit Up Process?

Understanding fit up is just like comprehending what it means. It is the activity of fitting two (2) or more workpieces together to prepare them for welding.

What are Tank Fit Up Rolls?

The tank fit up rollers are the machines and equipment you use to fit them up.

Instead of utilizing heavy equipment and tiring them out, you can utilize tank fit up rolls. They're similar to a welding rotator, but with added features like the rails where the rotators would move, and so on. But, the features you can have will depend on the outputs and the results you want and need. The automatic tank fit up rolls are machines automated to rotate depending on the program.

The fit-up will go manual, but the rotation and the welding can be automated. You can find many automatic tanks fit up rolls in the market, but that would depend on what you need to do.

Are Tank Fit Up Rolls Similar to Pipe Fit-Up Rolls?

Yes, tank fit up rolls and pipe fit up rolls are the same. They differ based only on the type of workpiece that you'll work on. The machines and equipment used are similar, so don't confuse it.

What Advantages Can You Get With Tank Fit Up Rollers?

Using tank fit up rolls can have many advantages for the workpiece, welder, and your other equipment.

1. Less Fatigue From Welder

One of the main advantages you can get would be lower levels of welder fatigue. Because of the automation of tank fit up rolls, welders could stay in just a particular position while welding.

Without a tank fit up rolling machine, welders might find it difficult to fuse and join workpieces.

2. Reduced Crane Operations

In joining and welding two 100-ton tanks, people would be incapable of carrying them; this is where cranes come in.

Using cranes can carry heavy parts, but it'd be time-consuming to line it up to another workpiece. With a tank fit up roll, the utility of cranes would be less.

This means that your cranes could be used up for other purposes, or they'll experience minor wear.

3. Faster and More Systematized Welding

It's not an unknown fact that using welding positioners produce results faster. It's also true with the tank to fit up rolls.

Using it can help you achieve the welds you need faster and more systematized, assisting you in producing better and higher quality welds.

4. Your Welders are Safer

Imagine if a crane lifts an 80-ton tank without any support from the bottom. Would your welders be safe?

The tank fit up rollers can ensure the safety of your welders 100% of the time. Apart from keeping the workpieces hanging, they can clutch workpieces – even those rounded or cylindrical.

Applications of Tank Fit Up Rolls

Often, many people think that tank fit up rolls would be the same as welding rotators. But, welding rotators might not be able to align and line up workpieces.

The tank fit up rolls can endure even the heaviest of workpieces, given they're complete with the right set of tools.

Most of the time, you can apply the usage of tank fit up rolls in heavy, rounded workpieces.

They can be in any industry, such as the shipyard and shipbuilding industry, the petrochemical industry, the mining industry, and so on.

So long as a particular tank or pipe is too heavy to handle, it can heighten the weld's safety, efficiency, and accuracy.

What Types of Tanks Can You Fit Up With These Machines?

With these roller machines, you can fit up whatever kind and type of tank. But, the most common avenue would be heavy, complex, thick, and dangerous tasks.

Types of Tanks

However, you can also use thin-walled tanks, medium-sized aluminium tanks, or whatever in-tank fit up rolls.

Tank Fit Up Rolls Prices

Rates and prices for the tank fit up rolls that you need would depend on the manufacturer. Because there are a lot of variations, you need to set they're not freely priced.

Advantages of Using Turning Rolls For Your Project

Using turning rolls for your project can give you many benefits and advantages. You can look at them as advantages for your welders, your projects, and so on.

If you use welding turning rolls, you can be sure that your welders are:

Safer and more secure

Going to produce more accurate welds

Going to experience less fatigue and tiredness

For your projects, on the other hand, you can expect that:

You'll produce higher quality welds

They'll be finished faster and more urgently

Where Can You Get the Best Quality Welding Rotator?

There'll never be a shortage of where you can buy good quality welding rotators in the market.

But if you are looking for the best and the most functional, we are here to help you!

You were the best in the industry, shaped and moulded us to create and manufacture high quality and reliable products. When you purchase our welding rotators, you'll have no problems with any projects you have – light or heavy.

You can trust us if you need any welding rotator for your project. We can offer you welding rotators for light workpieces and materials, rotators for heavy workpieces, and so on!

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit H Beam Production Line.