Category: Industrial Welding

The Australian mining industry relies heavily on locally based maintenance engineering companies to quickly repair worn out components, with the highest quality possible. The global pandemic in 2020 dramatically increased both the cost and time required for sending parts overseas for repair, making it imperative to have the latest technology available in Australia. Melbourne based Avweld Australasia Pty Ltd has long been relied upon by Australian industry for emergency breakdown maintenance and routine hardfacing services. In addition to large scale machining and grinding, they have been applying coatings using the HVOF, DC-plasma and Twin Wire Arc thermal spray processes, as well as robotic MIG, TIG and Plasma Transferred Arc (PTA) welding. In 2020 they commissioned three new automatic robotic cladding…

An arc flash can be many thousands of degrees and cause injuries from minor burns through to severe lacerations and even blindness. Image: Shutterstock. AN arc fault can be spontaneous, due to a breakdown of the conductors phase to phase or phase to neutral; ground or inadvertently bridging electrical phases; or contacts with a conductive object. The result is a sudden release of electrical energy (incident energy) through the air and a massive electrical explosion. The arc flash is the blinding light and intense heat that can result. In the arc it could be many thousands of degrees in temperature more than four times hotter than the surface of the sun, and in the plasma cloud (ionised gas) that erupts,…

WHEN it comes to welding, workshops need to ensure their equipment and environment is safe for staff and compliant with Australian standards. WeldConnect director David Crosby said all companies need to test their oxy equipment and environment – and carry out a hazard and risk assessment – every six months. “We go into workshops that don’t test, and the equipment is in very poor condition which leads to equipment failure, but more importantly the risk of injury goes through the roof,” Mr Crosby said. “The companies that stick to the system, after about the third time we come in, around 18 months down the line, they’re in a really good spot. “The equipment is in excellent condition and they get…

MODERN welding machines are highly sophisticated pieces of equipment that use computer processing to regulate the flow of current, wire, gas and other variables to create the perfect bond between two pieces of metal. Every machine has a service life but welding equipment seems to do it tougher than most – they are lifted on and off trucks, operated in hot, dusty environments and sometimes just plain abused. As is the natural order, even the most well-made welders eventually need repair and that is when an experienced technician is required to either bring it back from the brink of oblivion or give it a gentle nudge over the edge. GSE Weld Pty Ltd, in Kewdale, WA, was born from G&S…

FATIGUE cracking of steel occurs due to accumulated damage from repeated cyclic tensile stresses. Eventually, this damage results in a micro-crack developing, which then grows progressively. There are a number of factors that contribute to fatigue cracking, but from a practical perspective, the key consideration is the presence of stress concentrators. Notches, sharp corners, flaws, sudden changes of section are all stress concentrators that act to magnify the stresses in that very small area, which is why fatigue cracking almost invariably occurs at locations like weld toes. Steel has what is called an ‘endurance limit’, which is the stress below which cracking will not develop even after more than a million cycles. Higher strength steels have a higher endurance limit.…

ESTABLISHED in 1973, Leussink Engineering is a state-of-the-art engineering company located in Wollongong, NSW. Family-owned and operated, the business is now managed by the second generation of Leussinks who have continued to grow the company in both size and operational capacity. Leussink Engineering provide a range of engineering solutions. From machining of bespoke components – providing parts and components for turn-key manufactured projects, world class quality welding and jigging table solutions –  to reverse engineering obsolete OEM components, Leussink will leverage its world class thinking, skills, and reputation to solve your engineering problem. Leussink is the leading supplier in Australia of state-of-the-art, large volume, portable metrology systems that deliver: unprecedented efficiencies in deviation analysis, precision in reverse engineering, and qualification…

THERMAL arc spraying is a process whereby molten metal is blasted under pressure onto a metal substrate in order to reclaim a worn or corroded surface. The technology is cost effective for repairs and is used widely in the mining industry for the repair of components ranging from wheel hubs to spindles, shafts and bearing surfaces. This unique process is also known as twin wire arc spray because it uses two spools of wire passing through the same handpiece, like a double MIG welder. However, unlike MIG, one wire is positive and the other is negative so that when the two touch, they create an arc which melts both wires simultaneously. The addition of compressed air into the handpiece literally…

PARTICLES of Inconel or tungsten carbide heated to 3000ºC in a jet-fuelled flame, boosted by liquid oxygen and colliding with a steel shaft at Mach 3 – welcome to the world of HVOF. The Australian Mining Review visited High Velocity Technologies (HVT) in Maddington, WA, for an insight into this high-tech, high-temp process. High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) is a unique process that allows a metal substrate to be built up or coated with range of anti-corrosive or extremely wear resistant metal particles. These particles are heated to the point of plasticity as they are introduced into a flame path created by burning A1 jet fuel with liquid oxygen added as an oxidiser to create a 2000ºC super-sonic torch. As…

WORLD leading welding manufacturer Lorch has developed new, all-in-one resonance technology that enables the next generation of portable machines to operate from mains supply, small generators and batteries – all delivering a perfect Stick and TIG welding performance. The MicorStick series The Lorch MicorStick series always offers you the right tool whether you need to weld with basic, rutile or even special electrodes. Better still, it provides long duty cycles, high power reserves and the possibility of TIG welding with ContacTIG ignition of even the most difficult electrodes. The MicorStick is a CEL-capable, fully resonant welding inverter with MicorBoost technology, electrode pre-selection and TIG function. It’s also suitable for connection to cables with a length of up to 200m and…

Induction heating is a simple, cost-effective heating process that delivers fast and consistent heat in welding fabrication and construction, weld preheating and stress relieving, post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), coating removal and shrink fit applications. Compared to flame or resistance heating, induction heating can save hundreds or thousands of dollars per week because it can bring a part to temperature in a fraction of the time and hold that part at a specified temperature. How does induction heating work? Induction heating induces heat electromagnetically rather than by using conventional heating elements. It acts more like a microwave oven; the appliance remains cool while the food cooks from within. In an industrial part, heat is induced in the part by subjecting it…

WELDING is as much an art as it is a science. While it takes time and perseverance to master the art, the fundamentals of each type of welding must be taught and understood first. Skilled welding personnel are at the forefront of the resources industry in Australia and their work is essential for the ongoing operation of process equipment and the fabrication of the largest infrastructure. Welding for industry goes far beyond simply joining pieces of metal, it also involves equipment and consumables selection, weld procedure qualification and planning, inspection, thorough record keeping (to ensure traceability to industry standards) and testing and certification of personnel. With so much at stake, a modern welder requires training, testing and certification. ENRYB Welding…