The K-TIG control system integrates all components in the K-TIG System, combining all elements of the welding cell and providing centralised control.

This means the entire welding process is automated and results in a high level of consistency in welding performance. The K-TIG Controller manages not only every component of the welding cell, but can also manage other components in your production line, including plant automation and other process equipment.

The K-TIG system is designed to log all data relevant to each weld it undertakes. The data can be transferred to a secure site where it may be stored indefinitely. This provides an invaluable resource for quality control and management.

Furthermore, it means that complex or critical welding sequences and settings can be reproduced exactly as programmed. This could offer major benefits to multiple site operations when working across similar projects or matching components.

The K-TIG Torch is the key to the system and the result of 15 years continuous research and development.

The 'keyhole' arc is critically dependent on the torch design, and understanding these dependencies and getting the design elements 'right' is a source of pride for us. It has required inputs from arc physics, material science, thermal and electrical modelling, engineering design, and shop floor evaluation.

K-TIG operates at relatively high currents that may exceed 600 amps when welding 12-13mm (1/2 inch) thick materials.

K-TIG offers two basic torch styles, and we are happy to consider customisation and mounting options on your request.

The supply of clean, reliable flows of welding and shielding gases is critical to all gas tungsten arc welding processes, including K-TIG. Insufficient or contaminated gases will result in large-scale oxidation, porosity and other defects that will be very costly. These gases also represent significant costs to production and should be used efficiently.

The K-TIG package incorporates several measures to ensure you maximise value per litre (or cubic foot!). The first of these measures is to assign the task of gas management to the controller. Pre-and post weld purging, supply of gas to trailing shoes, and purge systems are all programmed and cannot be overlooked. Sensing is available to make sure you have adequate gas flow and gas quality at all times. You can even review the process data and determine just how much gas is being used for each job.

In most cases the K-TIG process will require gases for the welding torch, trailing shoe and back-purge. The gas to the torch interacts with the tungsten electrode and the molten weld pool, and is critical to the stability of each. Trailing shoes are provided to protect the weld from oxidisation while it cools. Back-purging is recommended for all keyhole welds. In this case the gas not only prevents contamination, but also maximises surface tension and supports the weld pool.

K-TIG is a high current arc process. It operates with welding currents between 300 and 700 amps, sometimes even more.

Smooth DC output, constant current mode, and up to 1000 amps at 100% duty cycle to make sure you always have power in reserve.

The modern design means you have a compact unit with high electrical efficiency and rapid response. And of course it is fully integrated with the controller so that it is monitored and controlled at all times during the welding process.

Specifications include:

Welding current range: 60 -1000A

Rated output voltage: 44V

Weight: 95kg (210 lb)

Dimensions (LxWxH):767x352x757mm/ 30x13.8x29.6 inch.

The K-TIG welding torch is water-cooled. In addition, other elements may incorporate water-cooling due to the high power outputs used in the welding process.

The K-TIG package includes a water cooler to address these needs. Water is recirculated through a radiator where it is cooled with a fan-forced air-flow. Again the water cooler operation is handled by the controller to minimise any chance of mis-operation, and to alert the operator should the need arise.

Specifications include:

20 litre tank

Flow rate of 3 litres per minute

Cooling capacity of 4000 W (14,000 BTU/hr).

An exciting component of the K-TIG system is its ability to log data and report back to you from any of your sites. This cloud- based technology allows you to track the performance of your systems from anywhere in the world, or share data and welding procedures as desired. This level of reporting is also a benefit for maintenance, troubleshooting and upgrades.

Clients have the option of enlisting K-TIGs record-keeping services to augment these processes, and to maintain long-term logs should you ever need to refer back to tasks performed weeks, or even years in the past. This is only the beginning of what the technology can provide.

Keyhole processes such as K-TIG effectively produce weld beads on both sides of the material at the same time. Its no surprise then that we pay as much attention to the root-side of the weld as we do to the front. Back-purging is always recommended because it prevents oxidation, and plays a very important role in stabilising and enhancing process performance. However, back-purging a keyhole welding process such as K-TIG is significantly more complex than conventional welding processes.

K-TIG has created purge equipment specifically designed for this process. Our units provide an exceptionally stable purged environment: very clean, no pressure surges, no draw in of air when the welding stops, and a minimum consumption of purge gas. In particular, the units maintain a very slight, variable positive pressure, even when the keyhole plasma penetrates the material.

This level of control over the purge pressure even allows you to control the root bead profile to your requirements. It can also enable you to push the boundaries on the thickness of material that can be welded in one pass. As with other elements of the package this can all be integrated with the controller and so reduce to a set of parameters specified in your welding job file.

K-TIG welding normally consumes very little filler wire. However, we do use it to fill craters and sometimes to add reinforcement.

At other times you may want to revert to melt-in mode welding for filling or capping a weld in thick material.

A general approach is to prepare the edges with a 'Y' preparation, (ie a 'V' with a 4-12mm root-face/landing) and use a keyhole pass to join the root-faces. the subsequent passes are completed by reverting to a melt-in mode with wire-fill.

The K-TIG package includes a wire feeder for such tasks. the unit is integrated into the package so that there is no need for manual intervention.

The wire feed unit will handle 1.0, 1.2 and 1.6mm diameter wire and feed speed can be varied up to 20 metres per minute.

The K-TIG system is designed to integrate with your production requirements. It can be used as a single element in a more complex production environment, or it can become the control centre for your welding plant.

The K-TIG package can be installed as an element in a pipe or tube mill where it will start and stop on request, weld without further input, and raise an alarm on the rare occasion that it becomes unable to provide a satisfactory weld.

On the other hand you may have a complex pipe spooling operation where the cell must interact with robotic manipulators, rotators, safety interlocks, purging devices and a variety of sensing equipment. K-TIG is at home in either of these configurations.

The K-TIG system records and logs data that can be stored by us for your future benefit. You can share data between sites. This means plant automation extends to efficient data collection and tailored reporting. K-TIG enables you to share procedure details across sites and view and analyse your welding data from anywhere in the world.

We can see your engineers being able to guide welding operations without having to travel. In fact, we see plant automation as including the means to grow and perfect the production process.