Orbital welding is a mechanised version of the tungsten inert gas arc welding (TIG) process and is used to weld stationary tube or pipe; the tungsten electrode contained in the weld head rotor rotates or “orbits” around the weld joint circumference.
The TIG process can be either a fusion (autogenous) process in which the edges of the weld joint are heated by the arc and fused together without the addition of filler material to the weld pool. Or filler, usually in the form of a solid wire can be added. The choice of autogenous or wire feed is dependent on a number of factors such as: material, wall thickness, application, and acceptance criteria.
In a typical fusion application the tube or pipe would have a thin, regular wall (typically less than 3mm), the material would be suitable for welding without the use of a filler (such as Austenitic Stainless Steel or Titanium) and the weld acceptance criteria requires a good visual profile and surface finish such as that required in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries. Other industries such as aerospace and offshore also utilise the fusion technique.
The OSK range of Orbitec weld heads are fully enclosed and are designed for fusion welding of thin walled pipe and tube, the weld heads come in a number of sizes and configurations covering tube diameters ranging from 3mm (≈1/8”) to 115mm (≈4.500”).
In a typical wire feed application the pipe would have a heavier wall thickness, materials less suitable for fusion welding such as Cr Mo, Inconel etc. can be welded because the filler materials used are designed to assist and complement the welding process. Weld acceptance criteria is biased more towards strength and reinforcement of the weldment, typically wire feed is more widely used in the petrochemical, power generation, and nuclear industries.
The OSW & OSZ range of Orbitec weld heads are the open frame type, these can be used for fusion applications where the weld finish criteria is less stringent, they can also be used in conjunction with a wire feeder to add wire and so complete welds with wall thickness up to 15mm thick.
Innovative, Practical and Affordable!
Orbitec´s equipment technology is focused on the particular practical needs of its customers, whether they specialise in tube and pipe fabrication or you have a one-off requirement to join tubular components. Key factors on our list of design considerations are safe and easy to use, modular where possible, with a form and construction that reduces manufacturing costs to a minimum. Because of this philosophy Orbitec has been able to offer practical, robust and easy to use products at price levels not previously available to the Orbital market.
Central to our success over recent years has been our ‘Tigtronic Orbital’ controller, specifically designed to work with a range of welding inverters providing a flexible system that combines both Orbital and manual TIG capability. This controller was the first on the market to provide operators with automatic parameter calculation:
- Enter tube outside diameter
- Enter wall thickness
- Enter weld head code
- Start
It could not be simpler!
Our range of OSK weld heads are unique in design, the cable and handle/motor assembly is separate from the weld head itself, so one handle assembly can run a variety of different sized weld heads. This concept provides significant cost savings on multiple weld head
systems and unmatched flexibility using the same weld heads on different manufacturers’ power supplies.
Other products, often considered peripheral to the orbital process (but never the less key to its successful application) such as cut-off saws, tube facing tools and oxygen analysers etc. compliment the comprehensive product range available from Orbitec. | 
