System Offers Enhanced Wear-cladding Capabilities
Climax Portable Machining and Welding Systems says its AutoClad machine is an innovative system for cladding the inside diameter of nozzles, tubes and other cir-cumferential components for protection against corrosion from caustic chemicals, or erosion from slurries. Usually manu-factured from mild steel, these com-ponents can be clad with a protective material such as stainless steel or a nick-el alloy to provide corrosion resistance. Although most welding processes leave voids where corrosion can damage the base metal, AutoClad provides void-free welds by combining GMAW welding with automated axial feed and rotation of chuckable parts. Work pieces can be clad with stainless steel, Iconel, or other exot-ic metals at a rate of up to 5 lb (2.3 kg) of metal per hour, reducing weld times. The machine rotates the work piece, fea-tures an automated axial feed that uses a “step” process for precision bead place-ment and complete weld coverage, offers independently adjustable parameters that allow the user to control the bead thickness, and permits the travel carriage to be disengaged for rapid re-positioning.