Plasma keyhole (PAW)

Plasma Keyhole (= automatic welding of longitudinal and circular seams)

1. Plasma Keyhole installation for vertical assembly of circular seams and special parts
   This PAW (Plasma Arc Welding) installation is ideally suited for the vertical assembly of large pressure vessels and atmospheric stainless-steel tanks, as well as smaller tanks.

The Plasma Keyhole welding process is particularly suitable for:

• stainless steel from 2 to 10 mm thick

• full penetration in a single pass without joint preparation

• welding of large and small stainless-steel tanks, also ideal for vertical tank assembly

• butt welds (flat seams – with almost no distortion) and fillet welds

In plasma keyhole welding, plates are not beveled but clamped tightly together. The process typically requires no filler material. Simply put, the material is fused together at extremely high temperatures. No expensive weld preparation is required, reducing total welding costs. This process is suitable for welding sheets or pipes up to 10 mm.

Plasma keyhole welding is a high-speed process that delivers excellent weld quality, with deep penetration and minimal risk of weld defects — provided the parts fit together precisely.

2. Plasma Keyhole installation with clamping bench for longitudinal seams
   Our second setup, a plasma keyhole system with clamping bench, is the ideal solution for welding longitudinal seams of shells. The shell ends are clamped precisely, the weld zone is protected with backing gas, and the fully automated process produces a high-speed full-penetration weld in one pass.

The cost lies mainly in the handling of the parts — the welding itself is extremely fast. Thanks to start-stop tabs, both the beginning and end of the weld are flawless. The result: virtually zero risk of defects and a consistent, high-quality finish.

Suitable for shells from diameter 350 to… theoretically infinite.