Welding in tight place..

[Tuomas]

There was a little tight places to weld yesterday..
32 similar welds through opening that's 300mm wide and 320mm long.

Took a short video about it.
Material is 316 stainless. Wire is Kobelco Premiarc 316Lp, dual shield.

Sometimes being a metalworker feels so funny. 😁

[Toolmaker51]

Tuomas, so did your friendly design engineer measure minimum area required for helmet and hand, or did others try to enter and not fit?
That bead though, left handed to boot! Beautiful!
Metal work can be 'funny', I don't recall any such contortions in my work.

[Fast.Eddie]

Beautiful work in demanding conditions. Job well done, Tuomas!

[Duke_of_URL]

Left handed for me would be no problem... but I can't lay down a bead like that in open spaces! Nice work!

[Tuomas]

This was a part from a new design from paper machine "lower hull frame". Previous versions has wider space. Most likely gap will be adjusted at the next version.

I think design engineers doesn't even measure how it can be done. Mirrors are their answer if one tries to say that its too difficult to weld.

[Tuomas]

Here is some pictures.



Some vertical welds.



Difference between right and left handed vertical welds can be seen..



After welding, frame was flame straightened to 2mm level.
Finished frame was shrinked 15mm shorter than it was build.



This needs to be considered at the beginning, otherwise it happens that there is no enough machining allowance.
Drilled holes goes thought heating water casings, or something like that..

Build has several water casings, to heat and keep frame straight in use.

[Fast.Eddie]

I would love to be able to weld like that. Robots can't weld that good. You are an artist and a craftsman, Tuomas. Thanks for sharing!

[TheElderBrother]

I am so insanely claustrophobic that I couldn't get through five seconds of watching this video, and I don't know why I even tried.

The welder must be one of these guys who can barely hear himself think over the clanging of his gigantic brass balls.

Nice work. I'm going outside for a while and sitting in the middle of an empty parking lot.

[Toolmaker51]

I would love to be able to weld like that. Robots can't weld that good. You are an artist and a craftsman, Tuomas. Thanks for sharing!

Not denying Tuomas can lay down ideal welds, appear best I've seen in person or photographically. As more proof to a steady hand, find his posts about abrasive disc cutting, rivaling what us regular folk need a bandsaw to accomplish.
I spent time at a certain car plant in Reno NV, we built the battery chassis pan assembly line, a machine over 1500 linear feet long of plasma cut frames into weldments. Nothing short of spectacular.

Robotic welding can be that good, when knowledgeably programmed and then adjusted by someone who can read signs of good welds...

[Tuomas]

Not denying Tuomas can lay down ideal welds, appear best I've seen in person or photographically. As more proof to a steady hand, find his posts about abrasive disc cutting, rivaling what us regular folk need a bandsaw to accomplish.
I spent time at a certain car plant in Reno NV, we built the battery chassis pan assembly line, a machine over 1500 linear feet long of plasma cut frames into weldments. Nothing short of spectacular.

Robotic welding can be that good, when knowledgeably programmed and then adjusted by someone who can read signs of good welds...

I don't have much experience about the robots as a welder. But i know that until AI actually can learn from the mistakes, it takes really accurate jigs and fitters to do the premanufacturing.

Here's another tight place.




Those welds are in "upper hull frame" in paper machine OptiFlow type headbox.