Tank Welding

What Is Automated Tank Welding?

Automated welding incorporates robotics and computerized controls into the welding process. These automated components regulate and guide the welding torch’s movement based on the positioning instructions that an experienced welder has input into the system. Automated welding enhances production by improving speed, consistency, and overall quality in comparison to manual welding techniques.

Welding automation systems vary from semi-automated options with manual positioning and adjusting to fully automated solutions in which the full welding process is computer-controlled. For tank welding applications, operations utilize specialized industrial carriages to automate precision welding and cutting processes for accurate, uniform tank components.

Automated Welding Applications for the Tank Welding Industry

Automated welding equipment is ideal for projects requiring high-volume and repeatable welds or those in tight or challenging areas for human welders. Specific tank welding applications that benefit from the efficiency and precision of automation include:

• Vertical and circumferential welding on shell plates and tiers
• Floor, roof, wind girder, and curb angle welding
• Lap welding and butt welding
• Fillet welding on shell and floor plate interiors and exteriors

In addition to tank welding, welding and cutting carriages are also applicable in industries like infrastructure, oil and gas, and shipbuilding.

Advantages of Automated Welding Solutions

Incorporating an automated solution for welding tanks offers a range of benefits and savings, including:

• Improved quality. As automated welding machines use computerized controls, they generate welds that are highly accurate, precise, and repeatable. This enhances the quality of the welds, helping welded components retain their integrity and allowing manufacturers to produce consistent components.
• Increased fabrication speeds and productivity. Automated welding systems are faster than manual welding, and a single setup can facilitate multiple operations. They don’t require lunch breaks or sick time, enabling rapid production and increased output.
• Reduced costs, time, and labor. Manual tank welding is a time- and labor-intensive process. Automated equipment requires far less time and attention from employees, freeing skilled welders for alternative tasks and cutting labor costs.
• Minimized waste and rework. The precision of automated solutions also reduces the scrap waste that manual welding operations might otherwise generate due to human error or tiring workers. Additionally, quality welds require less rework and production time while saving on materials and labor.

Weld Automation Equipment From Gullco International

We offer an extensive array of automation solutions for tank welding and other welding processes. Our products include:

• KAT^® 300 Welding and Cutting Automation Carriage: A supremely durable, versatile machine with toolless setup and operation in a lightweight, compact model
• KAT^® 200 Welding and Cutting Automation Carriage: A tough, reliable, and efficient carriage with automation capabilities for quality single or multiple arc welding and cutting operations
• KAT^® 100 Mechanized Welding and Cutting Carriage: A simple, entry-level machine for enhanced productivity as well as fast setup and system integration
• KAT^® Weld Oscillation Automation Carriage: An automated, mechanized welding carriage with adjustable positioning, speed, and stroke width for pattern versatility and minimal weld defects
• KAT^® Auto-welding Automation Carriage: A highly accurate machine for multiple, repeatable automated welding cycles along any plane, with applications in seam and stitch welding
• KAT^® Weld Indexing Automation Carriage: A machine designed to automate hard-surfacing as well as single and multi-head overlay/cladding applications
• KAT^® ARCAIR Weld Gouging Automation Carriage: A welding- and gouging-capable machine that’s well-suited to metal fabrication applications and compatible with virtually any metal material