A seam welder uses spot welding to create continuous welds with no gaps. Welding wheels made of copper alloy are used as electrodes, and the technique varies depending on the materials and thickness being welded. Advantages include high speed and minimal fume generation.
A seam welder is a device that uses a variation of the spot welding technique to weld continuous seams. Wire welders typically consist of two rotating wheels that each form a separate electrode with a gap between them. Piece sheets are pulled through this gap as an electric current is pulsed between the wheels. This electrical impulse welds the two plates together with an overlapping series of “spot” welds. Wire welders can either fuse the two pieces together themselves or use an additional wire or sheet metal element to achieve various results.
Spot welding is a process of passing a momentary electric arc between two electrodes on opposite sides of the workpiece. This causes the release of intense localized heat which fuses the two materials together in a “spot”. In conventional spot welding where continuous, gap-free welds are not required, these spots are regularly spaced according to the specifications of the job. A seam welder uses the same technique but overlaps the spots, thus creating a continuous weld bead with no gaps.
Welding wheels used as electrodes are typically made from a copper alloy and mounted on mandrels that allow them to rotate freely. They remain stationary with respect to the workpieces being moved between them. A high voltage pulsed electric discharge is passed between the wheels where they meet and fuses the two pieces together. The intervals between the pulses are calculated according to the speed with which the pieces advance, thus giving a series of overlapping weld spots.
Continuous welding techniques differ according to the materials to be welded, their thickness and the possible use of the welded piece. Light gauge coated steel used for fuel tanks and cans is often wire welded using a copper wire add-on fed between the two plates at the weld point. Radiators and water tanks are usually welded without using any additional materials in the joint. A length of copper wire may also be fed between the seam welder wheels and the workpiece in what is known as consumable wire seam welding.
Seam welding uses a technique in which two thin gauge steel sheets are partially squeezed together during welding. Foil butt welding uses a strip of stainless steel foil placed above and below a butt joint in the sheets. This film strip preserves the corrosion resistance of coated steel plates. A seam welder offers several distinct advantages over other arc welding techniques. These include high welding speeds and very little fume generation.
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