Fronius Welding Challenge Winner: Overlay welding is frequently used to make parts such as pipe and boring heads last longer in service. As part of the process, filler material is applied to a component and forms an additional layer. This requires the right filler metal, and the welding process also needs to be suitable for the application – whether it is a pipe for water well drilling, utility boring or a drill pipe for oil wells.

For some applications, the pipes are coated with a plastic material on the inside and are made of steel on the outside. These pipes are enveloped with an overlay made of weld beads. Drill pipes with a longer service life cost less to maintain, reduce downtime and therefore increase the user’s productivity and profitability.

Hardface Technologies by Postle Industries Inc., based in Cleveland, Ohio USA, has therefore developed wires that, by means of overlay welding, form an ideal protective layer against stress in their various applications. The company sells all kinds of filler metals for overlay welding, which protect the system parts and tools extremely well from wear, thus extending their service life. Users in many different industries use Postle’s products, from oil and gas, mining, and agriculture and forestry, to recycling.

The challenge when applying filler material is to envelop the pipes using a welding process, and not heat the component to more than about 150 degrees Celsius in the process. If it reaches temperatures over 150 degrees Celsius, the plastics layer on the inside can sustain damage as well as causing large Heat Affected Zones (HAZ). This could cause catastrophic failure of the pipe, and therefore calls for a special welding solution. Troy Feuss, Sales Manager at Hardface Technologies by Postle Industries, submitted this challenge whilst attending the SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN 2017 trade fair in Germany in order to develop a solution together with Fronius.

THE FRONIUS WELDING CHALLENGE

Special materials, difficult surroundings, high demands on quality and efficiency: When welding, there are all kinds of challenges. Therefore, Fronius Perfect Welding started the Welding Challenge Contest 2017 at SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN. Around 60 participants submitted their applications, from these the jury determined the three winners. Fronius will involve the prize winners in the development of clever solutions, geared to their respective welding challenge.