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GULLCO® and Translas Announce Global Distribution Partnership

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“A future forward alliance for a healthier and more efficient welding industry”

January 21/2020 - Woodstock, Canada - Translas, a premier global manufacturer and leader in
on- torch fume extraction, has announced a partnership with GULLCO International Limited. With this partnership, GULLCO will serve as the global distributor of Translas’ newest fume extraction solutions, such as the Translas 7XE Semi-Automatic Fume Extraction welding gun and the ClearO2 W-Series hi-vac units, designed and engineered for welding automation.

As the announcement was made, Translas Canada’s Executive Director Duncan Beaumont commented, “We are very pleased to partner with GULLCO as our global distributor of the Translas fume extraction solutions, the 7XE Semi-Automatic Fume Extractor welding gun in combination with the ClearO2 W-Series hi-vac units. With air quality regulations being a growing concern globally and with automation gaining traction worldwide, we see a strong potential for growth in a wide variety of applications. GULLCO has been a leader for more than 66 years in the automation industry and is a trusted international manufacturer and world supplier of welding automation including welding carriages, cutting carriages and plate beveling machines for automated welding and cutting to global manufacturing brands. GULLCO is an ideal partner for Translas and we look forward to a successful collaborative partnership.”

GULLCO is pleased to work with Translas as a premier partner and to add the 7XE Semi-Automatic Fume Extractor welding gun and ClearO2 W-Series hi-vac units to their portfolio of products designed with exceptional engineering. According to Nick Drake, GULLCO’s Global Marketing Manager, “GULLCO is enthusiastic to enter into an exclusive distribution agreement with Translas to further influence the welding industry with a future forward alliance.”

Health and Safety Concerns Associated with the Welding Process
Welding fumes contain vapours, a mixture of airborne gas by-products and fine particles. The composition of the mixture depends on the welding method and the products that are welded. The vapours and gases released during welding can lead to serious health problems. Short-term exposure can result in nausea, dizziness, or eye, nose and throat irritation. Prolonged exposure to welding fumes can lead to cancer of the lung, larynx and urinary tract, as well as nervous system and kidney damage. Certain gasses, such as helium, carbon dioxide and argon, displace oxygen and argon can pose suffocation risks, particularly in enclosed work areas.

The Translas 7XE Semi-Automatic Fume Extractor
Extraction at the source proves to be the safest and most effective solution to achieve a healthier work environment. The Translas 7XE Semi-Automatic Fume Extractor is a welding gun engineered to capture hazardous welding fumes directly at the source. The Translas fume extraction solution extracts up to 95% of the welding fumes directly at the source. When using the Translas 7XE in combination with the ClearO2 W-Series hi-vac units, the harmful welding fumes and individual particulates are no longer released directly into the air; they are captured immediately as generated.

Translas 7XE Fume Extractor welding guns and GULLCO Moggy® Automated Trackless Welding Carriage in action
Translas 7XE Fume Extractor welding gun on source fume extraction nozzle closeup

The Translas fume extraction system reduces the amount of welding fumes and particulates in the workplace to less than 1 mg/m3 during an 8-hour working day. The legal threshold in Canada for welding fumes in the workplace is 5mg/m3 over the span of an 8-hour workday. Individual particulates such as manganese and hexavalent-chromium threshold regulations can vary by province, but with the Translas solution these particles are also extracted successfully at the source before becoming airborne.

The Clear O2 W-Series Mobile Filtration Hi-Vac Units:
The ClearO2 mobile filtration units are designed to accompany the 7XE Semi-Automatic Fume Extractor guns and work efficiently in combination with the GULLCO KAT® or Moggy®.
The 7XE Semi-Automatic Fume Extractor and the ClearO2 hi-vac units offer powerful filtration with an efficiency > IFA 99.8%. The units are compact, lightweight and mobile, making it easy to change locations on the job.

About Translas - “Engineering the new standards by welders for welders”
Translas is a Dutch manufacturer of welding guns since 1960, founded “by welders, for welders” with a passion for innovation and new technologies. We engineer innovative products that boast a distinctive design as well as quality and functionality.

Welders’ safety is of paramount importance to Translas. The company’s goal is to globally reduce
workers’ exposure to hazardous fumes and to provide a healthier and safer work environment, therefore establishing higher productivity and profitability. Some of our pioneering products include fume extractor guns with a built-in module to safely extract welding fumes at the source and portable extraction units.

Translas has grown at a fast pace over the last few years. With the recent opening of Canadian distribution channels the company is focusing on key partnerships with companies utilizing smart technologies globally to influence today’s manufacturing industry towards “the future”.

For more information please contact info-CA@translas.com or visit www.translas.ca

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Bridging the Gap

Gullco Adventures, Uncategorized

Project - Bogibeel Bridge, Assam - HCC

 

When discussing infrastructure in India it is hard not touch on the topic of bridges. There are so many bridge construction projects underway or in the planning stages as it is one of the India’s most important industries.

 

The Bogibeel Rail - Road bridge is one such project that recently was completed on December 25th, 2018. It is a double decker bridge with a two line railway track on the lower deck and a three lane road on the upper. With the title of India's longest road and rail bridge at 4.95km. It was important that the construction of the bridge be of the utmost quality. As the first fully welded rail and road bridge over the Brahmaputra the choice of welding equipment was paramount to the success of the project.

 

The Bridge is a combination of fully welded steel trusses and concrete. It spans 125m and has strong heavy box sections throughout. It was difficult to turn and position the girder boxes at the construction site while welding the joints so the company in charge of construction, HCC chose to implement GULLCO’s welding automation carriages to complete the GMAW welding process. By incorporating welding automation such as the KAT® all position welding carriage, HCC was able to produce UT and MPT quality welds on site without having to worry about manipulating or turing the heavy structures. They were able to achieve this because GULLCO’s carriages are designed for field welding applications and the equipment can be installed directly onto the structure using a modular system of track and mounting devices (most commonly magnets). The KAT® Oscillator carriage with Rigid track was used to weld these butt joints in vertical and overhead positions. The carriage is a portable, light-weight and is easily mounted or repositioned other weld joints by one welder. The use of these carriages removes the need of skilled welders and eliminates weld defects and costly repair work as it ensures high quality and repeatable welds at increasing productivity through consistent arc on time. Mechanised welding makes the planning more predictable, and, since it is less strenuous for the welders, helped this project meet its production deadlines and save money through welding efficiency which can only be achieved through the use of automation.

 

GULLCO’s KBM-28 bevelling machines also played a vital role for edge preparation of the plate used in the box sections. At a thickness  of 8mm to 50mm. The bevellers produced clean machined bevels with no thermal distortion or heat affected zone. This meant that after the material was bevelled it was immediately ready for welding. Completing these bevels at a speed of 2m/min this cold shearing method of plate preparation is the most time efficient way of bevelling the plate and is 4 to 10 times faster than cutting or grinding and improves work environment by reduce noise and vibration.

 

As more and more infrastructure projects like these get underway and the competition for these projects becomes increasingly more competitive companies will have to adopt automation into the planning phase in order to reduce cost and increase price competitiveness when bidding against others. The Bogibeel bridge is another great example of how the effective use of welding and cutting automation solutions can give you the productivity and quality necessary to meet production deadlines and reduce costs.

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INTRODUCING THE KAT 300

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PRODUCTIVITY - DURABILITY - SUPPORT

Gullco International Limited’s welding and cutting automation products combine high quality productivity and uniformity with reliability and durability for a multitude of applications. Wherever there is continuous repeatable welding or cutting processes, there is an opportunity for the implementation of Gullco’s automation equipment. We have built our world-renowned reputation by delivering excellent automation equipment and pairing it with superior service. Find out more by calling or emailing to learn how your application is right for automation.

ENGINEERED TO BE
DURABLE - DYNAMIC - TOOL-LESS - LIGHT WEIGHT

The re-engineered KAT® welding automation carriage is smaller and lighter yet robust and feature rich. The carriage incorporates a tool-less design for simple setup and adjustment. Self-aligning wheels, dynamic dovetail racking and semi-rigid track all combine to make the KAT® the most versatile welding automation carriage on the market.

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Pillars of Support

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Oculus train hub – photograph by duo Hufton + Crow

Gullco’s KAT weld oscillator carriage has recently been selected and put to work on the Oculus subway project in New York. The PATH train station which was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks, has been rebuilt and the weld oscillation carriage is being put to good use on a very pivotal part of the structure. Part of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava’s design includes bomb proof pillars which has resulted in a very substantial weld necessary to produce these reinforced pillars. These welds are being produced by our KAT oscillator not just because of its high weld quality but because it has a unique feature for weld carriages of this nature. Our weld oscillator head is independent of our carriage which allows for it to be maneuvered into a variety of different positions and can tackle even the deepest weld grooves. This benefit is very important on the Oculus project because of the immense material thickness and large bevel groove necessary to provide a pillar which can withstand an explosive impact.

KAT weld oscillator in operation at the Oculus project in New York

The independent head was not the only necessary benefit in this instance as the project has been consistently set back, taking 12 years to complete and has been extremely over budget to the tune of billions. Weld automation equipment is often selected when a project is falling behind deadlines or welds are becoming increasingly costly to produce and in this instance it is no different. Welding is often one of the largest overhead costs in any large scale construction project and by automating the process you remove many of the unnecessary pitfalls inherent in manual welding. Stops and starts are eliminated, welder fatigue is removed and accurate weld deposition is achieved. On a weld as thick as this even a small amount of over-welding on each pass can result in tens of thousands of dollars. By deploying a welding automation solution such as the weld oscillator extremely precise control over the welding procedure is achieved and eliminates costly over-welding and rework pays back the investment in a short amount of production time. Part of Gullco’s implementation strategy is to provide on site training for any equipment which has been purchased. This ensures quality results and sets both the end user and the equipment up for success. Once trained the operators at the site of the Oculus project were capable of completing these extremely important pillar welds, putting this part of the project back on schedule.
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1 Million Mile Club

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As a company Gullco attends over 20 trade shows a year in various countries around the world, we have distributors in over 80 different countries and have supplied welding automation solutions to every continent on the planet. As a salesman, I have been no stranger to air travel and have recently become a member of the Million Mile Club for Air Canada. I did not receive a visit from the pilot on my flight to Mexico when I reached this milestone and it was not like a scene out of the movie Up in The Air,  but as I contemplate the number of times I have circled the globe and the unique places that this job has provided me the opportunity to go I realized how unique of an experience both a customer and an employee has when working with a company like Gullco.

We believe in our products and service so passionately that we fly from the top to the bottom of the world to show people our products and teach them about automation so that we can make sure projects get finished on time and under budget. It’s the kind of automation that gets you out of the factory and into the middle of the desert in Ghana. The type of welding solution that puts you into the mountains of Peru or the rain forests of Brazil. Going to these remote locations and training people on our equipment or setting up distributors is what makes Gullco such a unique company. There are very few in the industry with as much of a commitment to the relationship between the products, the service and the people in the field as we have.

Its not just about selling welding equipment. Its about meeting people, experiencing the different parts of the world and their cultures and how we are all brought together by the industry of welding. By providing our equipment to these places we have been able to assist in bringing electricity, fresh water and water storage to cities which didn’t have it before. Build bridges, ships and railcars to help improve trade and make doing business more economical. Improve the quality and productivity in welds to make businesses more competitive and improve the health and safety of its welders.

After flying what is the equivalent of going to the moon and back and equal to 40 times around the earth I have met many friends, in many countries. Have traveled over 100 days a year. Eaten food I cant pronounce in places I cant pronounce.  I have been from the north of Russian to the south of Chile and back again. All the hours in planes and airports and hotels and restaurants is worth it when you know your doing your part in bringing a better quality of life to people around the world.

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