Tacking pipe connections before the soldering process in series production
Individual spot welds can be used to precisely fix workpieces together before they are further processed industrially in an automated process. In this example, we show you how our welding technology is used for tack welding pipe joints before automated joining in a brazing furnace.
Material preparation
As always, the first step is to degrease and pre-clean the workpieces sufficiently. If not already been cleaned industrially, we recommend using a degreasing cleaner or an acetone-based agent to remove dirt and oil residues.
Setting the welding parameters on the Micro Arc Welder
Both pipes have a wall thickness of 0.4 mm and are to be tack-welded at the neck with two spot welds. Both pipes are made of stainless steel, which is why the steel setting (display symbol “V2A” on the left) is used. As there is an angle or fillet weld as a joint between the neck on the pipe and the inserted pipe, the corresponding welding geometry “fillet weld” (display symbol on the middle right) is used.
Tacking the 0.4 mm pipe sections with spot welds
A 1.0 mm electrode is used to weld the pipes with a wall thickness of 0.4 mm and the pipes are tack welded with one spot weld on the front and one on the back. A power of 30-35 % with a pulse duration of between 5.0 ms is selected.
Further processing steps: Solder paste is applied to the tack-welded pipe sections before they are passed through the soldering furnace and brazed.
Gaps and gaps during tack welding
This tube has a wall thickness of 0.5 mm and is to be tack-welded to a solid stainless steel tube holder. Both workpieces show a gap that can be bridged with Lampert welding technology during tack welding. In general, however, the components should ideally be gap-free in order to achieve the best possible welding results.
Tacking a 0.5 mm piece of pipe with an end piece
In this case, the bracket (wall thickness 4 mm) is also tack-welded to the tube (wall thickness 0.5 mm) using two opposing welding points. A pulse duration of 6.0 ms with a power of 40-45 % on the Micro Arc Welder is selected.
Further processing steps: Solder paste is also applied to these pipe sections and the seam is then completely and tightly soldered in the brazing furnace.
