KLAD Manufacturing has partnered with Arc Specialties, the Houston-based provider of automated welding solutions to a variety of industries, to offer a proprietary hot-wire GTAW weld overlay process aimed at subsea piping and other applications. The venture will do business as KLADARC, and will be located at KLAD’s facilities at 403 South Loop West in Houston.
KLADARC will specialize in production of hot-wire alloy 625 GTAW overlay for subsea pipe applications meeting the quality assurance requirements of today and tomorrow. Weld deposit reliability will be achieved through the use of advanced controls, pulsed arc with oscillation and 100% capture of welding and inspection data to allow quantitative analysis.
KLADARC overlay systems provide the following:
- Superior pipe weld overlay using dual torches for two layers meeting 3mm minimum thickness with very low dilution (maximum 5% Fe) in the deposit.
- Dual torches have automatic arc voltage control for real-time height adjustments
- Real-time CCTV remote weld monitoring of each torch for accurate placement and viewing with recording capabilities for data storage
- Data logging of weld parameters per customers’ requirements
- Parallel capabilities to provide fittings, flanges, and other components to supply the complete project requirements
- Software to develop and customize data storage of production records with full traceability per client and project specifications
- Other quantitative analytical opportunities with stored data to further enhance reliability
Bhaven Chakravarti, president of KLAD Manufacturing, said this about the capabilities: “KLADARC’s latest-generation hot-wire GTAW weld overlay machines employ full parameter controls with capture and recording of data to provide complete history of the overlays. This capability will enhance reliability and quality, which is key to KLADARC’s commitment to providing solutions to the challenges in our clients’ projects.”