UNIQUE MODULAR LEGIO FRICTION STIR WELDING EQUIPMENT
19 December 2003 - ESAB Group

With the launch of the LEGIO modular friction stir welding machine concept ESAB is making the FSW process applicable to a much wider industrial base. Use of FSW has hitherto demanded substantial investment in a custom-engineered machine. By contrast, a LEGIO machine is built from standard modules capable of satisfying most applications. The system is capable of welding materials from 1.2 mm thickness to 65 mm thickness from one side.

ESAB has been the world's leading developer of FSW equipment since the process was first commercialised in 1992. A large number of SuperStir machines are now in service worldwide. The LEGIO FSW machine concept retains the same level of functionality but modular construction allows faster delivery at significantly lower cost.

In essence, the customer determines the working area, the bed configuration, the clamping arrangement, and the number of heads. Several options are then available to satisfy the application requirements, whilst the control system has been developed specifically to handle the FSW process.

The potential market is very large as the process is extremely versatile and requires no special surface preparation. As well as welding two components of the same grade of aluminium, the FSW process can join dissimilar alloys or even join two completely different metals. In many cases FSW can be used to join materials that cannot be welded by any other means.

The relatively modest cost of LEGIO machines will allow fabricators to consider FSW for small batches of products. Industries likely to benefit from the equipment include automotive, aerospace, marine, architectural, construction and general engineering.

http://www.esab.co.uk

More News:
  • For December 2003
  • From ESAB Group
  • For Welding equipment and consumables