A design for tank fabricating equipment and system comprises a frame supporting opposing arms for supporting one or more tank shells. The opposing arms pivotally engage opposing sides of the tank shells to force them into a circular cross-sectional shape. The arms are provided with rollers for aligning the tank shell with adjacent components during fabrication. In some embodiments, the rollers are provided with a circumferential channel to accommodate welding seams and to ensure alignment of butt joints.

A rollout wheel apparatus for performing welding. The rollout wheel apparatus may comprise a mount; a support section; a spindle extending from the support section; a substantially circular hub disposed on the spindle and free to rotate about the spindle, the hub having a narrow portion facing the support section and a wide portion facing the chuck, the hub further including a brake pad disposed about the circumference of the narrow portion; a brake, the brake being affixed to the support section and having a cantilever design, wherein the brake is cantilevered from the support section to a point located radially outwards from the brake pad of the substantially circular hub; and a chuck, the chuck comprising a chuck locking mechanism and a plurality of jaws.

A design for tank fabricating equipment and system comprises a frame supporting opposing arms for supporting one or more tank shells. The opposing arms pivotally engage opposing sides of the tank shells to force them into a circular cross-sectional shape. The arms are provided with rollers for aligning the tank shell with adjacent components during fabrication. In some embodiments, the rollers are provided with a circumferential channel to accommodate welding seams and to ensure alignment of butt joints.

The present invention relates to a laser welding method of pipe fittings that mainly provides an automated butt welding process for two pipe fittings to be welded, comprising a laser welding device setup step, a material loading step, a first welding step, a second welding step, a third welding step, and a return to the original position step. The welding zone at the butt joint location of the two pipe fittings to be welded is divided to undergo three procedures through the aforementioned steps, using a laser assembly in conjunction with a reflection assembly, to provide a consistent automated butt welding for two pipe fittings to be welded, in order to reduce the time consumed during the butt welding of pipe fittings and increase the speed of the production process.

The present invention relates to a laser welding method of pipe fittings that mainly provides an automated butt welding process for two pipe fittings to be welded, comprising a laser welding device setup step, a material loading step, a first welding step, a second welding step, a third welding step, and a return to the original position step. The welding zone at the butt joint location of the two pipe fittings to be welded is divided to undergo three procedures through the aforementioned steps, using a laser assembly in conjunction with a reflection assembly, to provide a consistent automated butt welding for two pipe fittings to be welded, in order to reduce the time consumed during the butt welding of pipe fittings and increase the speed of the production process.

The axle welder can be easily configured and adjusted to accommodate axle assemblies of varying axle shaft lengths, hub styles (“straight” and “drop axle”) and lug bolt configurations. The axle welder uses a sliding carriage that slides along the support frame at one end of the welder to accommodate differing shaft lengths. The axle welder also includes a pair of pivoting hub lifts that accommodate both straight and drop axle style axle hubs using modular mounting plates. Modular mounting plates (“hub adaptors”) fitted to the hub lifts accommodate hub assemblies with differing lug bolt patterns. The axle welder is built on a rectangular frame that supports a pair of weld units and articulated electrode arms. The axle welder also includes a pair axle supports for carrying the axle shafts within the support frame. A shaft drive pivotally mounted to the support frame lowers to engage and rotate the axle shaft and hub assemblies in unison during the welding process.

An adjustable clamp for welding together pipes, the adjustable clamp having a first axis perpendicular to the pipes and a second axis parallel to the pipes. The adjustable clamp includes four clamp corners, four transverse bolts, two parallel bolts, two threaded inserts, and four spaces. Each clamp corner includes a first transverse aperture, a second transverse aperture, and a third parallel aperture. The first and second apertures are transverse relative to the first axis and the third aperture is parallel relative to the first axis. Each transverse bolt is securable within the first and second transverse apertures of the four clamp corners. Each parallel bolt is securable within the third apertures of the four clamp corners. Each threaded insert is placeable within the third apertures of the four clamp corners and each threaded insert is mated with a respective parallel bolt. Each spacer surrounds a portion of each transverse bolt.

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 automatic welding method includes: carrying a pipe on which a true circle weld groove and settling the pipe at a fit-up position in the welding station and carrying a hollow connection member on which a true circle weld groove is formed to a position near the fit-up position in the welding station by using the material transport robot; measuring the alignment state of the hollow connection member with respect to the fit-up position by using a gap sensor robot, and according to the results, moving the position of the hollow connection member to align the weld groove of the pipe with the weld groove of the hollow connection member; performing a root welding on the aligned weld grooves by using a GT welding robot; and performing a filling and cap welding on the aligned weld grooves by using a GM welding robot to manufacture a 2D spool.

A process is provided for welding an assembly of a first tubular component and a second tubular component, the first and second tubular components having first and second cylindrical portions, respectively. The process uses a pressing jig, a pressing tool, a welding jig and a welding head. The process includes: positioning the first tubular component with respect to the pressing jig; clamping the first tubular component against the pressing jig; freely fitting the second cylindrical portion into the first cylindrical portion, the two cylindrical portions being substantially coaxial; placing the second component with respect to the first cylindrical portion and the pressing jig; tightening the second tubular component against the pressing jig; aligning the two fitted cylindrical portions with the pressing tool; and pressing by plastic deformation the first and second cylindrical portions. The first and second pressed tubular components form a rigid assembly, with the two fitted and pressed cylindrical portions defining a fitting and a joint. Additional steps include: positioning the rigid assembly with respect to the welding jig; clamping the rigid assembly against the welding jig; and welding by positioning and orienting the welding head repeatably with respect to the fitting and the joint, where the rigid assembly is positioned with respect to the welding jig along one or more surfaces belonging exclusively to the first component in the pressed state.