When welders want to lay down perfect weld beads, they will turn to using a welding manipulator. These are perfect for welding on sections of pipe or other round weldments when paired with a rotator. The problem with manipulators is that they are very large and bolted to the floor of a shop. Bringing a traditional welding manipulator into the field is usually impractical, but any field welder will tell you that there are far too many times when they wish that there was a portable solution.
The Red-D-Arc Port-A-Weld System (PWS) is a portable solution for a field-ready welding manipulator and has all the features you would expect, in a small easy to transport package.
Key Features
The PWS is engineered to provide a self-contained welding manipulator on a mobile platform which is capable of being used in multiple welding processes.
Some of the most notable features are:
● Fork pockets and casters for ease of transport
● Self-contained system of power source, column and boom
● Able to be used with multiple processes such as GTAW, GMAW, SAW
● 57 inches of vertical boom travel
● 7.87” of vertical and horizontal fine adjustment of the welding head
● 360 degrees of column rotation
● 115VAC power input
The PWS gives the operator all the features and controls that operators in the field require without any of the bells and whistles other manipulators have.
Why Would You Need a PWS?
While manual welding in the field is acceptable, when a high-quality weld is required or the welding is repetitive, a PWS allows for both time savings and better welds. Since the PWS is a welding manipulator, it provides a stable platform for the welding gun to be fixed. The gun is able to be adjusted to the best position and angle and then allow the welding machine to weld without the natural variations in position and angle that human operators have.
Using a PWS will save time and money on rework due to poor welds by establishing a stable welding environment. Setting up a welding station with a welding machine, PWS, and rotator to weld together large quantities of parts makes the job go faster, reduces operator fatigue and rework, which ultimately saves you both time and money.
An Adaptable Platform
When you need a welding manipulator in the field, adaptability is key. Every job site is unique and you need a tool that allows for the greatest degree of flexibility. Since you never know the exact conditions that a weld will be done in, the PWS is designed to offer 360 degrees of rotation along with generous amounts of vertical and horizontal travel.
The manual cross slides also let you precisely move the position of the welding gun, making minute adjustments to achieve the perfect positioning.
The platform itself is easy to move around the job site. Heavy-duty casters let you push the unit around, but when the terrain is too rough for the casters, forklift pockets let you drive it where you need to go using a forklift.
The heavy-duty open construction of the platform also provides flexible options for locating your welding power source. This means that the PWS is an ideal companion for whichever welding machine you have on your job site.
Stability is Key
A stable platform enables welders to deliver a clean, defect-free welds. This can’t always be achieved with freehand welding methods. This is where the PWS saves the day. You can fix the welding gun to the head and know that it will not move.
This stability is critical for all welding processes, but especially GTAW welding and the PWS will give you a fantastic and stable platform to mount the torch. When the GTAW torch is locked in place, the weld puddle will be stable and uniform.
A fixed platform will free up the operator to examine the weld puddle from all angles. The operator can freely move around the weld, checking the weld puddle and bead for defects or issues with shape. This equips the welder to make micro-adjustments to dial in the weld bead profile, shape, and height while maintaining stability.
Final Thoughts on the Red-D-Arc PWS
Welding in the field is a challenging environment to produce high-quality, repeatable welds. But it doesn’t have to be. Using a PWS to establish a rock-solid platform to mount your welding equipment to is going to result in better welds, faster, and significant cost savings.
The Red-D-Arc PWS is highly adjustable, portable, and heavy-duty enough for any job site.
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