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Steel Fabricator Finds New Market with PipePro 450 RFC Welding System
- New pipe welding technology increases productivity 64 percent
- Zero weld failures on 66 joints of heavy-wall P11 pipe
- Project completed two weeks ahead of schedule
- ProHeat 35 induction heating systems contributes significantly to reduced cycle time, improves safety
- Company wins bid for P11 pipe job, enters new market
Customer Testimonial
“I heard about these new welding and heating products when they were first introduced, but we didn’t really have a need for such an advanced system at that time. When the power plant project came up, I had a feeling that the PipePro 450 and ProHeat 35 would be the right technologies for the application.”
— Chico Nunez, welder, CMN Steel Fabricators
Application
Welding and installing 66 joints of Schedule 160, 12-in. diameter (1.25-in. wall thickness) P11 pipe that would transport high-pressure steam.
Key Business Issue
- Completing the project within its 8-week deadline.
- All welds must pass ultrasonic testing (UT)
- Winning a bid that would enable CMN Steel Fabricator to enter a new market.
Challenge
- Implementing new pipe welding and heating technology.
Previous System & Process
- Stick welding
- Propane heating
New Solution
- PipePro 450 RFC (Root, Fill, Cap) welding system featuring Pro-Pulse, a modified pulsed spray transfer MIG welding process. The System also provides a TIG, Stick and gouging outputs, as well as RMD (Regulated Metal Deposition), a modified short circuit transfer process used for root pass welding. The Pro-Pulse process is so easy that CMN Steel's experienced welders learned it in a few hours.
- ProHeat 35 Induction Heating System for pre-heating and post-weld heat treatment in the shop and in the field.
Results
- 64% productivity increase. For the joints that needed to be heated and welded on in the field, CMN used a propane rosebud heating method and Stick. With those processes, it took Chico Nunez 11 hours to complete a single joint. Using the PipePro and ProHeat systems, it took him 5 hours per joint.
- Reduced weld passes. While the customer's procedures required TIG for the root, hot and first fill pass, they did allow for the Pro-Pulse process for all remaining fill passes. Pro-Pulse filled the 1.25-in. wall pipe joint in just seven passes, compared to 13 passes for Stick welding.
- Perfect welds. Not a single one of the 66 joints required rework.
- Ahead of schedule. CMN Steel completed the P11 pipe project two weeks early, in six weeks instead of eight.
- Happy welders. The productivity increase also pleased the welders, who were given the choice of getting paid per hour or per piece. They naturally chose piecework. “Our welders were used to 12-hour days. On this project, they were able to earn the same income in six hours that they would normally make in 12 hours. They were very happy with the results.”
— Marisa Nunez, vice president, CMN Steel Fabricators - Smart investment. The productivity increases paid for both new Miller systems with the first job. CMN Steel's success on the project has positioned the company to take on future projects using P11 and other types of high-pressure chrome-moly steel.
