Most tank shops do not need a six-figure robotic cell. They need the right carriage on the right seam — shell long seams, vertical seams and circumferential seams are where the money is, and they are also the easiest to mechanise.
Rank your welding hours by seam type. In most tank and vessel shops, the top three are the same: long longitudinal seams on shell plates, vertical seams where the welder is fighting gravity, and circumferential seams between courses. Those are the seams a carriage handles well — constant travel speed, constant torch angle, repeatable bead.
| Tank / vessel seam | Recommended machine | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shell longitudinal (long) seam, flat position | ZG series straight-track carriage | Rigid track follows the seam, no drift on long runs |
| Shell vertical seam | RG series flexible-track carriage | Magnetic adsorption holds the belt on the plate, no scaffold |
| Circumferential seam between courses | RG flexible track or CX magnetic crawler | Track follows the circle, or the crawler walks it directly |
| Nozzle and fitting welds | Manual or positioner (not cost-effective to automate) | Short, irregular and constantly changing geometry |
| Tube-to-tubesheet joints (heat exchangers) | HLGB25-108 tube-to-tubesheet machine | Hundreds of identical joints per tubesheet |
Carbon steel from 3 mm plate is what the magnetic wheels need — coated or heavily scaled plate must be cleaned along the travel path.
Seam type, plate thickness, tank diameter, weld length per tank, welding process (MIG/MAG/FCAW/SAW) and how many units per month.
Track gives the straightest long seams; a magnetic crawler is fastest to position when there is no track to lay. Most tank shops end up with one of each.
Bare, rust- and paint-free surface along the travel path, a stable power supply and a dry position for the control box. Nothing else changes in your process.
Set oscillation width, dwell time and travel speed on a scrap plate, then hand the remote to the operator. Most welders are productive the same day.
Send us your seam types, plate thickness and tank diameter — we will recommend the machine and quote within 24 hours.
