TECHNOLOGY
WELL-CONSIDERED CHOICE Welds are a very important component for the strength and quality of Nooteboom trailers . Arjan Holtrop , Team Leader Construction : “ During the last few years the technology of welding processes has moved on by leaps and bounds . We wanted to leave nothing to chance and tested equipment from four different suppliers for six months . During this test period we looked first of all at the quality of the weld , but we also investigated the susceptibility of the machines to malfunctions and how easy to use they are for our welders . The Fronius equipment came out on top . EQIN BV from Groningen supplies the equipment and they also take care of the training sessions , which are tailored to suit the daily practice at Nooteboom . The training has practical and theory sessions and concludes with an examination . The supplier is directly involved in our production and they have already given us some valuable advice . The result is that we work quicker and the risk of mistakes is minimal .”
PULSE WELDING Arjan : “ An important new development is that the welding is now virtually spatter-free . This means there is less time spent on tidying up afterwards and we can use this precious time to improve the quality . The technique to achieve this is called pulse welding . With pulse welding two different currents are used . The base current is constant and keeps the welding arc going . The pulsating current causes the wire that is fed through to melt . Pulse welding transfers less heat to the material and makes it easier to work in all positions .
more and more attention is being paid in the last few years to the way in which the trailer is manufactured . Our welders receive training for the production of newly developed vehicles .”
NOT ONLY PULSE WELDING Arjan : “ Most of our welding work is done with the new pulsed system . This is not the only welding process during the production of a Nooteboom trailer . The beams are welded with two torches simultaneously by means of submerged arc welding . This process penetrates deeper and hardly ever causes any deformation . Our beams are not straight ; they are slightly arched so that they are perfectly flat when carrying a heavy load . We call it the arc radius . With submerged arc welding we can produce this arc radius very accurately without deforming the beam .”
The new welding equipment is much appreciated by the welders , especially with the improved ergonomics . But of course the quality is still based on the craftsmanship of the welders , who often have worked at Nooteboom for many years already . Most of whom have worked at Nooteboom for many years . ■
Data logging is of benefit to quality control
ERGONOMICS Arjan : “ Our welders are real specialists . With the new technology it is possible to improve the working conditions . With the older welding machines everyone had the same welding torch , but now we can adjust it to suit the welder and his task . The machine can now be operated via the torch and the cable assembly is lighter and more flexible . Together with the introduction of the new welding equipment we have also replaced all welding helmets . The new helmet is lighter and the fresh air supply is optimal . All this results in more comfortable working conditions for our welders and a shorter lead time for our customers .”
DATA LOGGING Arjan : “ With the new Fronius welding equipment we also make the move towards digital control of the work . The machines are equipped with a data logger , enabling us to monitor from a distance which settings our welders are using for their work . We can influence this , save it and analyse it afterwards .”
QUALITY CONTROL Arjan : “ In addition to analysing the data that are made available to us via data logging , we also regularly check the penetration and strength of the weld . Owing to all these measures we can guarantee the consistent quality of the welds on Nooteboom trailers . When developing new vehicles
■ Pulse welding reduces the time spent on tidying up afterwards
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