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Welding Automation Guides

Straight answers to the questions we get asked before a quote: which seams to automate first, which machine suits which joint, what the practical limits are, and what to prepare before you buy.

Start With the Seam

Four Guides, One Idea: Match the Machine to the Joint

Welding automation is not one product — it is a series of decisions about seam type, workpiece geometry and process. These guides walk through the decisions in the order a fabricator actually meets them.

All Articles & Shop NotesApplication notes on crawler vs carriage, welding pipe without a rotator, vertical and overhead work, travel speed, plate thickness and what drives the price. How to Automate Tank & Vessel WeldingWhich shell seams pay to mechanise, track vs crawler, minimum plate thickness and a four-step setup plan. How to Weld Long Straight Seams AutomaticallyStraight track for flat plate, flexible track for anything else, plus oscillation settings and crater handling. How to Automate Fillet WeldingH-beams, box beams, columns and frames: torch angle, leg length, twin torches and intermittent welds. How to Weld Curved Tank ShellsWhy rigid track fails on curvature, how a flexible magnetic belt follows the shell, and the diameter limits. Pipe & Circumferential WeldingWalking the full circle without a turning roll — crawler selection, anti-drift fixtures and inner-shell work. Product Range OverviewFive product lines, 29 models: flexible track, straight track, fillet, magnetic crawler and tube-to-tubesheet. Which Welding Carriage Do I Need?Four questions, one recommended model — plus a side-by-side comparison of all five series.

How We Write These

Written From the Shop Floor, Not From a Keyword List

Every guide here comes from the questions buyers actually ask us — by email, on WhatsApp, and during factory visits. Where a machine is the wrong answer, we say so, because a carriage that does not fit your joint is a bad reference for both of us.

Practical limits stated plainly: plate thickness, diameter ranges, surface condition, process compatibility
Every recommendation is a real model in our range, with the reason it fits
Where manual welding still wins, we say that too
No invented case studies — ask us for test-weld videos of the model you are considering

Cannot find your question? Send it over. If it is a common one, it becomes the next guide — and you get the answer first, directly.

Ask a Welding Question

Welding carriages assembled and tested in our own workshop

Tube-to-tubesheet automatic welding head in operation

FAQ

Questions We Get Asked Before the First Quote

Which seam should we automate first?

The one that repeats most and takes the longest. In tank work that is usually shell long seams; in steel fabrication, beam fillets; in heat exchangers, tube-to-tubesheet joints. Automating a seam you weld twice a month rarely pays back, whatever the machine costs.

Do we need to buy a new welding machine as well?

No. The carriages carry your existing torch and connect to your existing power source and wire feeder. What changes is the motion: constant travel speed and a constant torch angle instead of a hand.

Can the machine be customised for our workpiece?

Yes — track length, torch bracket, oscillation parameters, dual-torch configuration and special fixtures are all built to order. Send photos and sizes of the joint and we will specify it.

How long does delivery take?

Standard models ship quickly from stock; customised configurations take longer because they are built to order. Send your joint details and we will confirm the current lead time with the quotation.

Keep Reading

Product & Application Pages

All Products Applications RG Flexible-Track ZG Straight-Track JJ / GJ Fillet CX Magnetic Crawler HLGB Tube-to-Tubesheet

Still Not Sure Which Machine Fits?

Describe the workpiece and the seam — we will tell you which carriage fits, and where manual welding is still the better answer.

Ask an Engineer