Bayswater Tubes and Sections Limited, Bridgend, South Wales, produces HF welded aluminium alloy tube for a range of sectors including medical products and leisure. The largest tubing produced is around 20mm outside diameter, with a wall thickness of 1.2mm.
The company is involved with an exacting application which demands maintaining a particularly high level of weld quality in production. Under the Joining Forces Wales technology transfer programme, Bayswater's General Manager was able to seek advice on the most cost-effective means of achieving this.
TWI's HF and resistance welding specialist Steve Westgate visited the company to carry out a Product and Process Review. This involved shop-floor discussions with those directly involved with welding, as well as close examination of welding equipment set-up, production procedures and routine destructive testing of sample welds.
To enable the surface of untested and tested welds to be studied in greater detail, samples were taken back to TWI's laboratories for examination in the scanning electron microscope.
Based on information gathered, recommendations were made concerning control of welding operations. It was also suggested that an alternative destructive test method (the drift expanding test to BS EN 10234) be adopted, along with refinements to the quality system.
Bayswater Tubes and Sections Limited now has the additional know-how to attain the high standard it sets in all its manufacturing activities.
For more information, please contact us.
Joining Forces Wales is part-financed by the Welsh Assembly Government