Automatic Vertical-Up welding Machine for Storage Tanks

• High deposition rates of 40-65 pound per hour
• Fast vertical speeds, 9 inches per minute on 3/8" plate, 6IPM on 1" plate and 4IPM on 4" plates
• X-Ray quality with impacts better than 20 ft-lbs at 0 degrees F.
• Weld joints of either square edge or single bevel.
• Square butt reduces plate preparation time.
• Operates with either two movable shoes or one moving shoe with fixed backing bar (comes standard with rear sliding shoe).
• Self shielding means no additional gas or flux is required.
• Standard unit works on plates from 3/8" up to 2" thick and 10 feet high.

VUPNA-3ST scope include following:

NA3 wire feeder NA-3 control
DC-1000 power source: Vertical support column Front and rear sliding shoe: Water re circulator Power skid: Lifting bale
Input power disconnect: 200 feet of control cable Wired for 220/380/440Volts - 3 Phase - 50/60Hz: Tropical controls Manual lateral controls: Tool kit
Equipment includes:
Powered lateral travel (powered to move from joint to joint)
Oscillator - required for all plates l-l/4inches or thicker

Operation:
The Machine is designed to weld 5/16" to 2" thick, 6-10 ft high vertical joints erected storage tanks at speeds considerably faster than any other means, and inner shield process is employed.

The machine consists of a vertical column supported by a carriage that rides the top of the tank ring. The welding equipment is attached to a saddle, which in turn travels up the column during welding. Seam guidance and vertical travel speed are automatically controlled during welding. The machine is manually propelled to a succeeding joint after completion of each weld. A power skid, usually located in the centre off the storage tank, contains the welding power supply and other service equipment.

Main Column and lift system
NA-3N Innershield head mount assembly, including a 50lb wire reel, is fastened to a saddle which in turn is supported by a main column assembly. The lift assembly located at the top of the column employs a self locking reducer gear and a % HP variable speed motor with dynamic brake. The lift drives raises and lowers the saddle along the column by means of a triple RC-60 (2500Dlbs capacity) roller chain at infinitely variable speeds from 1 to 40 inches per minute.
The VUP machine employs the same lift system as employed on a standard Manipulator and features our proven saddle safety lock which locks the head mount and saddle assembly to the column in the unlikely event of a chain failure.
The lift motor control is eclectically integrated with the welding control to provide the continuous and automatic speed changes necessary to maintain a constant copper shoe to weld puddle relationship during welding. This is achieved by having the welding head assembly alternately travel vertically at a speed slightly lower than and then Slightly higher than the weld puddle rise rate. At weld start carriage travel is zero. As the puddle rises in the shoe it reduces the electrode stickout, the welding current increases and trips a relay which starts the up travel. The welding puddle is maintained between the front and rear slide shoe assemblies.
The shoe then moves up faster than the weld puddle. This increases the electrode stickout and causes a reduction in current, which signals the travel to switch to a speed slower than weld progression rate. The cycle repeats as necessary to maintain constant wire stickout and automatically maintains the arc in fixed relation to the copper shoe even with variations in joint gap. A flow regulator and switch in the water system regulates the flow and protects the shoes against no or low water flow.

Head Mount Assembly
The welding head is mounted on a free moving slide, which allows lateral movement of the head assembly and automatic seam guidance. This assembly is also controlled by an air operated bracket which supports an articulating copper shoe, and cross-slide with the NA-3 head and special nozzle assembly. With this arrangement the copper shoes and weld nozzle can be easily positioned and maintained with respect to the joint. A swivel mount provides easy alignment for inside application and torch relationship to joint.

Column Support

The main column is supported at the top by two wheels riding on the top edge of the plates to be welded, by two adjustable wheels which grip the back of the plates at the top, and by two wheels at the bottom of the column. The assembly can be pushed or pulled along the tank shell plate to the next vertical joint. A friction lock is provided to clamp the column to the plate in the desired location. An electro magnet is furnished at the bottom of the column to stabilize the location of the column in relation to the plate.

The operator's controls consist of the following:

1. Welding controls - Current, Voltage, wire speed, start weld, stop weld, manual cross seam adjustment, manual in-out adjustment of electrode. Air cylinder switch (Cylinder may operate from compressed air or CO2)
   
   
2. Lift Controls - Up and down switch, low speed and high -speed potentiometers, rapid-set speed selector. Operators control is fastened to the saddle of the vertical travel mechanism. An auxiliary pendant is located at base of column.
   
   
3. Power Skid - the fabricator must supply a source of power of at least 100amp.capacity for operation of the VUP machine. A fused disconnect switch to receive the power service is mounted on the skid with a Lincoln DC-1000 power supply, water recirculator, and plumbing service box is provided and mounted. The machine is provided with ID feet of double4/D ground cable which is generally fastened to the tank floor. A 200 foot long cable assembly consisting of double 4/0 welding cable, multi conductor control cable, water hose and air hose conveys all the services from the power skid to the tank mounted welding machine. All of the cable and hoses have quick disconnect joints at the machine proper to facilitate separation of the two basis units for transportation. The skid is provided with a canvas cover that may be opened for ventilation when the machine is operating. The fabricator must supply a source of air or bottled nitrogen of 100 -200 P5I to the skid for operating the pneumatic copper shoe mechanism.

Welding Head Controls
NA-3N head and NA-3 control with two special K-176 nozzles for welding with 3/32 and .120 dia NR-431 inner-shield wire. Two sets of copper shoes are supplied for welding with either diameter wire.

Top Roller Assembly
This assembly holds the column to the tank and may be adjusted in 12" increments to allow welding of plates 6,8 to 10 feet in height.

Back Sliding Shoe Attachment
This attachment is required for the standard square butt joint process. The attachment is removable for a "V" groove joint preparation, which uses a front movable dm (sliding shoe), and fixed copper back up bar. The fixed copper back up bar can be supplied by Koike, but are of simple design and can be readily fabricated by the user.

Water Recirculation System
A forced water re-circulator is provided with 200 feet of hose to provide cooling for the shoes. The water flows through a flow switch that will water re-circulator and plumbing box are located on the power skid.

Automatic Horizontal Welding Machine for Storage Tank
The automatic self propelled welding machine used for the construction of field storage tanks having 6, 8, and 10 foot (1.8, 2.4, 3.04 Mtr) high plate courses. The unit is basically an 'A' frame that straddles and is supported by the shell plates to be apparatus and flux recovery unit so that 3 o'clock welds can be made simultaneously from both sides of the shell. The standard welding process supplied is the using a NA-3S solid state control.

Machine Frame
The 'A' frame is constructed of structural and tubular steel members. One side, referred to as the master, is an entity and can be used by itself for one side welding. The second side (slave) is pivotally to the top of the master frame and is used when welding two sides. The tubular legs of the frame telescope and are manually adjusted by removing pins and lowering the platforms. This machine can weld shell plate ranging from 6, 8, and 10 feet high. Additional holes for positioning can be drilled within this range. Fine adjustments of +/-3" can be made around the course adjustments. The master frame contains two serrated hardened steel flanged drive wheels which are manually adjusted to ride tank diameters down to a minimum of 30 feet (9Mtr). Distance between wheel flanges is 1-7/8 inches (47.6mm) so tank plate can be as thick as 1-3/4 inches (44.5mm). One of the wheels is driven by a positive drive gear train (no secondary chain reduction). The gear train consists of a 3/4 HP T.E.N.V. electronically controlled shunt motor that drives a double reduction gear reducer. Machine speed range is 4 -105 inches per minute (.10-2.67 Mtr/min). Both the Master and the Slave side frames have a hand railed operator's platform with seat. A ladder provides a means for operator movement from one side of the machine to other, and for access to the primary separator TANK. Small diameter wheels at the lower end of the tubular legs simplify loading and unloading the machine on the tank. Canvas curtains offer arc and operator protection on windy days or during inclement weather.

Welding process and equipment
The standard welding equipment supplied is NA-3S solid state control and welding head fitted with nozzle, wire feed rolls, wire straightener and 50Ibs (22.7kg) wire reels for feeding 3/32 or 1/8 inch dia. Wire (2.38mm - 3,2mm). The welding nozzle is mounted on a manual cross slide system that allows the operator complete control of wire placement and joint follow. Welding conditions, wire and flux are those recommended, for this process. The welding head assembly includes a submerged arc flux belt mechanism.

Welding power supply
DC-600 Amp power supply supplies the welding power. Input power is 230-380-460Volts/ 3 phase/50-60HZ and line power requirement is 45KVA for each power supply. The voltage is stepped down in the power source to 115KVA AC, which is required at the welding machine. The power supplies are installed on a steel skid with weather curtains for protection. NA-3S welding equipment is mounted on each side of the machine, and is under the control of the individual operator. KB electronic control, used to drive the machine around the tank, is located on the master side of the welding machine and includes all necessary controls; i.e. speed control potentiometer, direction switch and rapid travel push button. A travel speed tachometer is included. The unit also includes a l00Ib (45Kg) flux recovery vacuum unit for each side. The flux, which platform, is re-circulated to a primary separator tank mounted on the roof of the AGW-II by a vacuum unit mounted on the platform.

- Falls from the flux belt into a flux hopper mounted on the AGW-II Dimension and weight: 3150mm high x 2216mm wide x 2268mm deep.
-Weight :1327Kg

AGW-II scope include following:

• Operators Platform with seat x 2: feeder & control x 2
• DC-600 power source x 2: Vertical adjuster x 2
• Horizontal adjuster x 2: Flux belt assembly x 2
• Weld engineering flux re-circulating system× 2: Twin wire kit
• Preheat torch x 2: Service skid with disconnect x 2
• Trivialized controls: Weather curtains
• 245 feet (75M) of control cable: 220 380 / 440 V – 3Phase – 50 HZ
• Loading safety wheels: Operator communication system
• Emergency E-stop button on control panel: 10" Roof mounted down draft ventilating
• Fan × 2
• Operators Manuals: Tool Kit