AFRICAN FUSION—MARCH2014
40
Afrox.......................................................................8
Air Liquide.............................................................18
Air Products...........................................................37
BEDHoldings, Fronius........................................... IFC
Crown..................................................................IBC
ESABAfrica...........................................................16
Lincoln Electric............................................OFC, OBC
Index to advertisers
P
olysoude has been developing
comprehensiveautomatedweld-
ing solutions for many years.
Multi-axis CNC systems, and even
robots, are designed to cope with the
demandsof increasinglyhighweldingor
cladding speeds innumerous industrial
sectors.
Almost all industrial manufactur-
ers faced with high output rates must
also tackle difficulties relating to the
complexity of the applications and the
solutions available on the market. If
the purchase and definition of compo-
nents are still within their grasp, the
assembly and interfacing required to
turn them into a functional machine
can prove to be amore arduous, if not
impossible, task.
Polysoude brings full integration
into the realms of possibility through
its commitment to supply turnkey
systems. The notion of turnkey solu-
tions at Polysoude goes beyond what
is traditionally understood. It means,
above all, sharing the risk with the
customer and an obligation toperform
in an environment where applications
are particularly complex and the
customer and the developer reach a
mutual agreement on thebasis of a set
of specifications –without necessarily
knowing all the details at the outset.
Today’s conventional automated
welding solutions are restricted, in
many cases, to linear or rotary move-
ments due to the torch holder. Manu-
facturers, however, increasinglyhave to
deal with complexwelding or cladding
trajectories, limited accessibility and
environmental constraints.
Robots,whichareessentiallymulti-
functional,multi-directional andmulti-
tasking tool holders, are particularly
suited towelding if attention isdirected
to the torch, a differentiating compo-
nent in the product range developed
by Polysoude.
Robotics is not a recent phenom-
enon at Polysoude. On numerous oc-
casions over the last decade or more,
the company has integrated different
brandsof robot tomeet customer needs
as closelyaspossible. Therefore,wher-
ever irreproachable joint quality is an
essential factor, the axes of movement
andmotionperipheralsaredesignedon
a case-by-case basis to transform the
robot to achievemore suitable control.
Moreover, the robot can accom-
modate all types of torch, depending
on whether cold-wire, hot-wire TIG or
plasmawelding processes are adopted
– and standard and narrow gap joints
can be accommodated.
This approach has resulted in the
acquisition of new programming skills
within the company’s Applications
Department for the development of
welding procedures. At the Polysoude
headquarters in Nantes, the company,
whichboasts 50 years of experience in
welding and cladding techniques, has
invested in a robot to develop specific
tools and to study these applications.
This opens up channels where tech-
nological solutions can be optimised
to ensure that perfect integration can
be achieved.
The synergy between knowledge
of welding and cladding techniques
and robot integration represents a
technological support vision to provide
best-possible solutions to industrial
manufacturers’ specific needs.
Polysoude on the robotics road
Robots are particularly well suited
to welding if attention is directed to
the torch, a differentiating Polysoude
component.
Polysoude robots can accommodate all types of torch, depending onwhether cold-wire,
hot-wire TIG or plasma welding processes are adopted.
Today's technology
ProbrazeMetals.....................................................39
SAIW......................................................................2
SpecialityMetals....................................................22
Thermamax...........................................................28
voestalpine BöhlerWelding SA.................................34
Yaskawa Southern Africa.........................................26
