A trolley includes a body and a side block coupled to the body via a pivot arm and a spring. An adjustment knob adjusts a position of the side block relative to the body. A first plurality of rollers are coupled to the body and roll along a first roller recess on a first side of a length of a cap channel. A second plurality of rollers are coupled to the side block and roll along a second roller recess on a second side of the length of the cap channel. A first welding torch bracket positions a welding torch at a first interface between the first side of the length of the cap channel and a first deck sheet as the trolley traverses the length of the cap channel.

A desktop laser cutter configured to cut a cylindrical workpiece includes a laser, a cutting head that receives an electromagnetic beam from the laser and emits a cutting beam, and a gantry that supports the cutting head relative to a base plate of the laser cutter housing. The gantry can be actuated to move the cutting head within a plane that is parallel to the baseplate. The cutting head emits the cutting beam in a direction parallel to the plane. In use, the cutting head is disposed side-by-side with the workpiece and the cutting beam is applied to a side of the workpiece that faces a sidewall of the laser cutter housing. The workpiece is supported by the gantry to rotate an amount that is a function of movement of the cutting head in a direction parallel to the plane.

The present disclosure provides a method for controlling a robotic welding system to weld pipe sections wherein the pipe sections are held in fixed relation to each other by a plurality of stitches at a seam between the pipe sections. The method comprises rotating the pipe sections so a camera may determine the seam position, moving a torch arm and welding torch so that the torch is over one of the plurality of stitches, adjusting welding parameters and determining stitch start when welding torch is over a stitch and further adjusting welding parameters and determining stitch end when welding torch moves past one of the plurality of stitches.

A method of manufacturing a cylindrical cargo container includes: providing a plurality of rigid panels together formable into a cylindrical shell; forming a first semi-cylindrical shell from a first set of the panels; forming a second semi-cylindrical shell from a second set of the panels; forming the cylindrical shell from the first semi-cylindrical shell and the second semi-cylindrical shell; forming a collar conformably encircling the cylindrical shell; constricting the collar to compress joints formed at abutting edges of pairs of adjacent panels; rolling the cylindrical shell and collar to bring respective joints of pairs of panels to a lower position, and welding an inside seam of the joint when at the lower position; removing the collar from the cylindrical shell; and rolling the cylindrical shell to bring respective joints of pairs of panels to an upper position, and welding an outside of the joint when at the upper position.

The presently disclosed technology includes a friction stir welding apparatus comprising a frame, a moving platform and a parallel mechanism composed of three branch mechanisms, wherein a first branch mechanism comprises a first sliding pair, a first revolute pair, a telescopic rod and a first spherical pair connected in sequence. A second branch mechanism and a third branch mechanism both comprise a third sliding pair, a second revolute pair, a third linkage and a second spherical pair connected in sequence. The friction stir welding apparatus has high stiffness, low inertia, high dynamic performance and high accuracy, which can achieve precision welding with high requirements on processing quality and accuracy for jointing annular seams of large-scale rocket fuel storage tank barrels in the aviation field, for example. The presently disclosed technology also includes a corresponding friction stir welding system.

This invention relates in general to a portable work supporting and rotating apparatus for rotatable support of elongate workpieces of various diameters to be worked. The device having a longitudinally extending base frame with a fixed member and a movable member being disposed in generally parallel and spaced relation. A plurality of rollers are journaled on the fixed and movable members to rotatably support the elongated workpieces axially parallel to said rollers between the fixed and movable members. A means for moving the movable member in a transverse relationship with the fixed member is provided to increase or decrease a space between the fixed and movable members. A drive unit is operatively connected to one of the plurality of rollers permitting the workpiece to be rotated about a longitudinal axis.

A pipe clamping apparatus of a pipe processing machine includes first and second slide rails on inner and outer end surfaces of the clamping apparatus, a turntable with slot openings, first and second rotating rings with a gear rack, plural linkage modules and plural clamping components. A rod of the pneumatic cylinder is fixed to the inner end surface; the pneumatic cylinder has a rack engaged with the gear rack and is fixed to a block having an oblique slot and a rail slot; and the clamping component has a claw, a slider passing through the slot opening and oblique slot, and a rail slot. Air drives the pneumatic cylinder to move, while the rack is driving the first or second rotating rings to move the opposite pneumatic cylinder in an opposite direction, and the slider slides in the oblique slot to drive the claw to clamp the pipe.

A welding device for automatically welding a workpiece by a welding robot using a welding wire includes a welding control device that controls operation and welding work of the welding robot. The welding control device includes a sensing unit configured to detect a position of the workpiece, a root gap calculating unit configured to determine a root gap, and a storage unit including wire melting information as a database of a proper welding current corresponding to a feeding rate for each of the welding wire. A lamination pattern and a welding condition are provided in accordance with the root gap determined by the root gap calculating unit and the wire melting information so that an amount of heat input is equal to or less than a predetermined amount of heat input.

A rotator is disclosed. The rotator includes a base and a mounting ring supported by the base. The rotator further includes a plurality of rollers on which the mounting ring rests when the rotator is fully assembled. The rotator is configured to support a steel column and allow rotation of the steel column to facilitate fabrication of the steel column.

The invention relates to a method for handling a rectifier of a turbojet of an aircraft, the rectifier having an axis defining the asymmetry thereof, said method comprising a step of placing the rectifier on the rollers of a supporting structure, the structure and the rollers thereof being arranged such that the axis of the rectifier is inclined at a non-null acute angle in relation to the horizontal, and a step of controlling, maintaining, assembling, handling, storing, deburring and/or cleaning the rectifier, during which the rectifier is pivoted about the axis thereof. The invention also relates to a trolley for handling a rectifier for an axial turbojet, said trolley comprising at least two of the lower rollers that have axes inclined in relation to the horizontal of said angle and at least one upper roller, the axis of which is inclined in relation to the vertical of said angle.