Weld IT Ltd has its eye on up skilling welders and improving workshop productivity

Auckland-based welding equipment and consumables supplier Weld IT Ltd has been helping hundreds of welders progress their qualifications for a decade. Welding supervisor Jeff Meale says the company customises hands-on training to meet the requirements of clients.

Weld IT Ltd has been supplying equipment, consumables and services to the welding industry for more than 10 years. It has made a name in the welding industry for the range of quality and often unique products that it makes available to the New Zealand market, and the technical and customer services it delivers.

Kiswel and HTW MIG welding wires, flux cored wires and electrodes are among the products Weld IT imports. It is also the North Island importer for high-quality, Italian-made SAIT abrasives. It does welding machine and gas equipment repairs and has specialist equipment and consumables to increase productivity in the welding workshop.

One unique piece of equipment that Weld IT Ltd has been importing for 18 months is the ETAL630, a portable 630 amp arc welder that only weighs 17kg. Normally, a machine of the same output capability would be physically large and in the order of 200kg.

One of the ETAL630’s primary uses is in carbon arc gouging. This process has a lot of productivity potential in fabrication shops and in the structural steel sector. Currently it is underutilised by many potential users. Many people associate the process only for repair (which it does do a very good job of) but there are more potential savings available when also used as a preparation tool. It can save enormous amounts of time for metal removal compared to grinding or gas cutting and can be used where other processes just can’t get in. This little unit can handle up to 9.5mm gouging carbons.

“Traditionally, to do carbon arc gouging, a very large and expensive machine was required. For a large number of workshops it was prohibitive to buy many of them to put around the workshop for that one process,” Mr Meale says.

Ideally, it should be as available as a large angle grinder. Each work station should have easy access to the process.

Because of the ETAL 630’s portability, one shop may only need one or two units. They can be easily moved to work stations that require arc gouging and very quickly set up and used. It is easy to courier and can be put it in the boot of the car or carried around the workshop as required.

“The ETAL630 has changed everything. We can just take this little machine to the job and start the process in a minute. It’s a digital machine, which means it is software driven. As a result, there is only 1 small control PCB which means there are far less electronic components to go wrong.
“The ETAL630 has turned out to be extremely successful and we have supplied most of the units with gouging torches which we set up in a special way to be quicker and easier to use than normal,” Mr Meale says.

There are some other impressive models in the range such as the ETAL400 which can still be used for carbon arc gouging up to 6.4mm rods and weighs 13kg and the ETAL270 amp model (at 100 percent duty cycle) which weighs 8kg.

One of Weld IT’s points of difference is its technical expertise and ability to work alongside the customers in their workshops to achieve improvements in their productivity and effectiveness. Often this is just utilising the equipment they have already got.

When a product is supplied it is important that the customer knows how to get the most from it. It is one thing to know how to use the machine but it is another to be able to maximise the process.

Weld IT welding supervisors can work with the customer to develop welding procedures and supervise the operator's weld test to achieve qualifications for higher level jobs such as ASME IX and AS1554. They also go on-site to demonstrate their products and provide hands-on instruction on better ways to use them.

Over the last decade, Mr Meale and operations manager Shannon White have been doing hundreds of welding qualification tests and welding procedures with their clients in Auckland and outlying areas. Weld IT manager Liz Frost with Shannon, Dave, Roger and Ray are focused on the running of the business and repair works. Last year, Jason Twemlow joined the team as a technical sales representative.

Air hydraulic torque wrench pumps cut delay - enhance safety

A new air-hydraulic torque wrench pump from Enerpac has been introduced for reliable high performance, ease of use and safety in challenging and potentially hazardous environments including oil and gas, energy, mining and onshore and offshore infrastructure projects.

The ZA4 series ZA4208TX-QE100 pump - which is ATEX 95 certified for use in potentially explosive atmospheres - features a high efficiency pump design with higher oil flow and bypass pressure and enhanced two speed operation to reduce cycle time for improved productivity.

The new ZA4 modular pump is custom engineered for extended operation in its first stage, to deliver extended performance in ranges required by users working on maintenance and fabrication applications such as pipelines, pressure vessels, tanks, metal structures, rigs and onshore and offshore machinery.
ZA4 pumps are part of Enerpac’s advanced ranges of safety-oriented, energy saving and labour-saving technologies including lifting, pumping, fastening, bolting and maintenance tools.

"Wilkerson reclassifer exhaust technology has been employed to prevent motors freezing and reduce exhaust noise, while a larger air motor piston allows the pump to operate with air input as low as two bar (40 PSI)," says Enerpac manager, oil and gas industry, Slade Greenaway.
“The great advantage of lower operating pressures is that multiple torque wrenches can be operated from the one source of compressed air," he says.

Further efficiency and durability features of the new pumps include:
* Simplified air logic circuit to increase efficiency and reduce redundant components
* Pressure gauges that can be re-calibrated on site, rather than sent away for periodic maintenance
* Enhanced oil mist lubricator to help prevent adjusting screw failure
* Stainless steel relief adjuster valve and plated bolts for durability
* Roll frame permits crow’s foot connector to be screwed directly into the air outlet
* Air pressure gauge mounted on 45 deg fitting for easy reading

The new ZA4208TX-QE100 model pump is part of the ongoing development of the broader ZA4 series, which is available in reservoir capacities from 4-40 litres.