Leading downstream aluminium products manufacturer Sapa is making major investments in new equipment and machinery capable of producing super-large, light panels for offshore and maritime industry, reported Aluminium International Today. The aluminium panels, measuring up to 18 metres in length and 3.5 metres in width will be produced by Sapa’s newly installed friction stir welding (FSW) machine at its plant in Finspång, Sweden.
Commenting on the latest addition, John Thuestad, executive vice president of Sapa’s extrusion organisation in Europe said, “Our ability to join thin-walled lightweight designs into large panels will make a big difference for customers in the marine and offshore industries, where such sizes are best suited, and where cost savings are key. Reducing lead time significantly is another benefit.”
Sapa’s Sweden facility with the new large-scale welding machine will yield both single-sided as well as double-sided welding of aluminium profiles of material thickness not exceeding 16 mm. Both flat and curved variety of panels can be produced. Sapa is banking on an enhanced technology that combines it with specially made alloys meant for offshore and marine use, where weight saving is one crucial factor for cost reduction. It helps reducing transportation cost while saving on time ad cost for installation and decommissioning.
Advantages of increased panel length:
An increased panel length (by nearly 30 per cent) along with added width (half-metre) helps the offshore oil and gas industry in reducing the number of components used in constructing platforms and other large structures. This in turn reduces assembly time and cost in areas including quality certification.
Sapa’s new FSW machine is the largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It is scheduled to go on stream in October.
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FSW helps in joining flush metal surfaces through the effects of a rotary tool, pressure and heat and provides better properties and less heat deformation than other forms of welding. No filling is needed in the entire process. Double-sided welding is a faster manufacturing process and yields higher quality products than single-sided welding.
Sapa was the first company globally to have introduced friction stir welding in 1996 to enable a process of solid-state joining, which enhanced the manufacturer’s production ability significantly.
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