Orbital welding is a highly accurate form of welding that utilizes precision automation to produce consistent and reliable weld quality for critical components in industries like power plants, breweries, oil refineries, etc. This type of welding has experienced tremendous growth and has emerged as a reliable and cost-effective alternative to manual welding.
In 2020, the global orbital welding market size was estimated to be worth $3 billion USD, and according to recent forecasts, by 2027, the industry is expected to expand to worth more than $5 billion USD; this is due to rapidly increasing demand from sectors such as aerospace, transportation, and telecommunications. So, what is orbital welding and what makes it so popular as a form of welding?
To understand why this form of welding is so popular, let’s take a closer look at what exactly orbital welding is, its numerous advantages, the type of equipment used in this process, and the industries that benefit from orbital welding.
What Is Orbital Welding?
Orbital welding is a welding technique used in many industries to precisely and accurately weld pipes and tubes.This welding technique uses a machine to rotate a welding head around a work piece and weld different points along the circumference of the work piece. Orbital welding is known for its accuracy, repeatability, and consistency in achieving the highest quality welds.
How Does Orbital Welding Work?
Orbital welding machines have three components: a welding head, an external power supply, and a welding process controller. The welding head, which contains the weld wire, is mounted to a precise robotic arm that is rigidly held to a fixture.
When the power supply is switched on, the welding wire is melted and directed on the weld joint by the force of gravity and electric current. At the same time, the robotic arm spins around the joint, ensuring an even and consistent weld. This spinning motion gives orbit welding the name “orbital” welding.
What Materials Are Used in Orbital Welding?
Orbital welding is mainly used for stainless steel and aluminum tubing and pipes.Orbital welding can also be used on other metals, such as nickel alloys, titanium, and magnesium.
Advantages of Orbital Welding
Orbital welding has several advantages over manual welding. The most notable of these advantages is the important increase in accuracy, consistency, and speed of orbital welding.Additionally, orbital welding also reduces labor costs and has a lower chance of producing defects than manual welding. The repeatability of orbital welding ensures quality assurance, which guarantees the safety and effectiveness of the welds.