FOUR YEARS AFTER the launch of Cold Metal Transfer (CMT), Fronius Australia is reporting successful implementation in numerous batch production applications.
The company claims that the more varied welding and soldering applications and special features of CMT include a faster welding speed, higher productivity and going further to bridge gaps than conventional arc welding processes. This ensures less distortion and gives uniform seams with no spatter. CMT can
be used by all sorts of bodyshops and is just as suited to a small shop with one automated welding workstation as it is for batch production in large scale industry and now also available as a manual welding system.
Fronius says German executives in the auto industry agree that the innovative CMT process makes a dramatic difference in the work done with automobiles. According to the company, German auto producers have already integrated the CMT process into production, as have their suppliers and other manufacturers of light gauge steel.
“Soldering processes are used to join sheets of galvanised bodywork on particularly conspicuous and therefore highly visible sections of automobiles,” a company spokesman said.
Light seams display excellent uniformity and this even applies to light gauge sheeting with gaps more than one mm wide. Because heat application is significantly lower-20 to 30 per cent in bodywork, soldering-distortion is dramatically reduced. Fronius says this halves sinkage of the base metal and drastically minimises the amount of manual rework. Seams are totally spatter free both when welding and soldering and the time saved in rework amounts to 90 per cent, or two hours on average in the
bodyshop.
Enquiries: 03 9466 4060.