Should You Upgrade to a Longitudinal Seam Welder?
If you are currently using a manual process to do your linear welding then this article is for you. We have highlighted the benefits of upgrading to a Bancroft longitudinal seam welder and show you how it can improve your welding process. No matter what type of parts you are seam welding, automation can help you to increase your productivity while decreasing welding errors.
For many industrial applications, it is necessary to form the material into cylinders or rectangular tubes within the part production process. The edges are then welded together to form a rigid structure. Instead of holding the edges in alignment and manually tack welding, longitudinal seamers provide the aide of automation.
Automated longitudinal seam welders offer many benefits and also help to eliminate common problems such as:
- Leaks around tack weld areas
- Uniformly chilling of the joint to prevent distortion and oxidation
- Dimensional accuracy and repeatability problems
Welded linear seams are uniform across the entire length and can be done using a variety of welding methods:
- MIG
- TIG
- Submerged Arc
- Plasma
- Laser
A longitudinal seam welder gives the operator repeatability with the touch of a button. Seamers increase production while providing consistent quality welds from piece to piece. These machines are cantilevered from one end to allow loading and unloading of open and closed sections directly to the mandrel arm.
Seam welders can be used for external or internal welding applications. Below is a photo example of an internal process:
There are many ways to weld a seam. Browse our website for more information and give one of our engineering experts a call. We can walk you through the options and help you decide what equipment will improve your welding process the most.
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Looking to Automate Your Welding Process?
Pondering between fully or semi-automatic welding systems?
Fully automated robotic welding strives to completely remove the need for skilled labor to produce welds. Everything is done by the machine itself from setup to production—all the way down to the cleaning of the welding torch. While the initial equipment investment tends to be higher, there are many advantages to fully automatic welding over manual welding:
- Produces more consistent welds
- Ideal for large volume production
- Higher quality welds
- Improves worker safety
- Reduces production cost
A popular alternative to fully automatic welding is semi-automatic welding systems. These machines generally require an operator to load and unload product. Depending on the job, semi-automatic systems can be as efficient and many times easier to operate than a robotic system.
Bancroft offers a wide variety of equipment for both fully-automatic and semi-automatic welding. Both types of equipment offer processes that are much quicker and more effective than manual welding. It also produces better, more consistent welds than welding by hand. There is an even greater benefit if larger welds are involved, multiple passes are needed, or higher part quantities are being produced. Automated equipment is also ideal for industries where weld strength plays an important factor, as the welds are of higher quality.
Bancroft is always ready to start a completely custom machine design and also has a variety of standard semi-automatic welding equipment in stock including welding positioners, Welda-rounds, and weld-lathes.
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Rebuilding Your Aging Welding Equipment
Using outdated or broken welding equipment can be hurting your company’s productivity, quality, ROI and more. The cutting-edge technology that was out 5-10 years ago is far behind the welding equipment of today. Rebuilding your current, outdated machines can improve welding performance and give you the reliability your company needs.
Bancroft does more than offer new welding equipment—we can rebuild and update your old and worn out machinery, whether you purchased it from us to begin with or not.
Benefits of Rebuilding Your Aging Welding Equipment:
- Saves money
- Extends equipment life
- Decreases downtime
- Increase welding quality
- Optimizes power efficiency
- Decrease training time
- Expands machine’s versatility
During the rebuilding process, Bancroft will make aesthetic improvements, replace any worn parts, inspect the machine for future problems and update all welding components that may have become obsolete.
Featured below are the before pictures of our 300 Welda-Round that has been in use for many years. This machine has just been updated by Bancroft.
The photos below are what it looks like after the upgrade was completed.
How old is your welding equipment? Today’s state-of-the-art welding technology will make your equipment run more efficiently and create an immediate payback.
Give us a call and we can help you make your welding equipment look and function like it’s brand-new!
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Take Advantage of Section 179 Expensing in 2018
If you’re in the market for automated welding equipment of any kind, there has never been a better time to invest in innovation from Bancroft Engineering. There is still time to order and have your machine delivered by the end of the year. Our schedule is filling up quickly, so act now!
We would like to remind our customers that Section 179 of the United States Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 179) has been restored to a write-off of up to $1,000,000 for 2018. To qualify, the equipment must be:
- Installed and placed in service during the same tax year
- More than 50% of the use of the equipment must be used for the business
In addition, a bonus depreciation is extended through 2018 for all businesses who have purchased over $2.5 million in equipment. This bonus depreciation is 100% in 2018!
How does all this work? Our accountants have provided us with the following examples to help explain it:
Section 179 deduction is not a complicated tax code, it is one of the few government incentives available to small business. When a company buys equipment, whether by a cash purchase or by financing it, the company typically spreads the expense over several years through depreciation. For example, if a company buys a machine for $100,000, the company can expense about $20,000 per year through depreciation for 5 years. Section 179 allows that company to expense the entire $100,000 during the current tax year if there is sufficient income to offset the expense, thereby accelerating the tax savings.
Section 179 Expensing Example:
- Cost of Equipment After All Bancroft Discounts: $150,000.00
- Section 179 Deduction: $150,000.00
- Total First Year Deduction: $150,000.00
- 35% Savings on Equipment Purchase: $52,500.00
- Lowered Cost of Equipment After Tax Savings: $97,500.00
Remember! Our calendar is almost full for 2018. Contact us today to get your welding machine shipped by the end of the year so you can take advantage of Section 179 expensing. Visit www.section179.org for more details.
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Is it Time to Automate your Welding Process?
Bancroft Engineering offers both semi-automated machines and fully-automated systems to help with all your welding needs. From our Welda-Rounds and Weld-Lathes to vision-guided robotic systems, we have the equipment to improve your process. When you automate your welding process, it can improve quality, productivity, lower your labor costs, and increase the reliability and consistency of your operation.
How repeatable are the welds you are making?
If your weld process is repeatable, a semi-automated system would be perfect for you. It produces at least 2 times the output as a skilled welder, which can drastically reduce labor costs. Making the switch can eliminate mistakes and there are also tremendous savings in scrap material.
What is the value of the product before the weld?
If the value of the product is very high before the weld is made, considering either a semi or fully automated system could prevent costly mistakes. Both systems eliminate mistakes caused by human error. They produce the highest quality weld every single time and offer much faster speeds.
What is your budget?
Prices for both semi and fully automated systems have dropped significantly in recent years. Robotic systems now have a lower initial investment, increase productivity and can produce an ROI in less than a year. Set up times are minimal, and mistakes are non-existent.
Are you better than the competition?
As technology advances, so do our competitors. Are they using automated systems? If you want to beat out your competition, you can easily become more productive and profitable by having the best equipment in the industry.
Next Step?
Contact the knowledgeable sales team at Bancroft Engineering to see how our products can benefit you!
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Samples, Prototypes, Production Welding & Fabrication
Video Above of a Model 300 Welda-Round Producing a Customer Sample
At Bancroft Engineering, LLC we pride ourselves on our knowledge and experience in all aspects of welding. Along with specializing in the manufacturing of customized automated welding machinery, we utilize our in-house equipment to work on everything from prototypes and samples, to small and large production runs.
Prototyping and samples can be overwhelming and time-consuming. From selecting the correct gas and wire to dialing in the correct parameters. Let one of our weld engineers do the work for you. With the manufacturing of samples, we provide a cycle time study and return on investment numbers to assist your engineering and purchasing department.
If you already have your process and part design figured out but you don’t have the volume for your own welding machinery or production welding just isn’t in your business plan, Bancroft always has Welda-rounds and Weld-Lathes powered up and production ready. Let Bancroft create an innovative solution for you.
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Welding Equipment Upgrades and Retrofits
Your welding equipment’s performance decreases and starts to deteriorate from many years of operation, breakdowns, lack of operation, and just simply being outdated. Any of the following can take a toll on the equipment making it inoperable and a risk to productivity. A solution to this is to, retrofit your current machine with updated controls or to completely rebuild the older machine. Bancroft Engineering offers these services on all of your arc welding systems and on all other OEM’s, whether that is on-site or at our manufacturing location.
Bancroft’s Engineering Service Team provides onsite services that consist of: evaluations of the equipment, troubleshooting, repairs, and developing procedures. We also specialize in on-site or in-house retrofits, as well as in-house rebuilds of your machines. These techniques help your company stay productive and upgrade your arc welding equipment to prevent losing any further productivity.
Some benefits to having your machines upgraded and retrofitted are:
- Improves machine productivity
- Improves equipment reliability
- Reduces future maintenance costs
- Modernizes and extends the life of the equipment
Our team is dedicated to helping your company stay productive and bring your equipment up to speed. If the retrofit takes longer than expected, our team can ship your machine to our manufacturing location where we have access to our extensive inventory. If retrofitting is not what you need, but instead decide to have it rebuilt, Bancroft’s Engineering Service Team will build it at our location, ship it to you, and install the machine.
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Preventative Maintenance for Welding Equipment
When is the last time you performed preventative maintenance on your welding equipment? Companies with well-planned preventive maintenance (PM) programs enjoy:
- Minimal unplanned downtime
- Minimal spare parts cost
- Minimal manufacturing interruptions from breakdowns
- Maximum manufacturing times
- Maximum product quality
- Prolonged machine lifespan
At Bancroft, we understand that even the most dedicated preventive maintenance team can’t predict and prevent 100% of issues.
Bancroft’s Inventory Room
Bancroft offers the highest quality, advanced, and innovative arc automated welding and cutting systems. Along with those systems comes the service and support that you expect. Bancroft’s team is dedicated to helping your company succeed by providing full service support for every machine we manufacture and install.
Our service starts with a real person and not an automated machine. We know throughout the process there are going to be questions. With us, you have access to over 50 years of knowledge and expertise. Our team understands the importance of keeping a productive system running.
If your machine goes down, Bancroft’s team will provide timely and cost-effective services at your location. These services include performing on-site evaluations, repairs, and even upgrades to the machine when needed. With the combination of our maintenance staff and our large in-house spare parts inventory, we will have your system up and running as soon as possible.
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LEAVE MANUAL WELDING IN THE PAST & WELCOME AUTOMATION
Welding is a fundamental part of almost every manufacturing industry and metal product production today. The process of welding dates back to the 19th century, where manual welding was first introduced. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that the first robot was used in a spot welding application for the automotive industry. And later, in the 1980’s where robotic welding started to gain popularity in many manufacturing facilities around the world.
Today, the benefits of welding automation have become more widely recognized. Even more advancements in robotic welding technology are being used that are allowing manufacturers in every industry to increase production, cut costs, increase worker safety, conserve material, and much more.
Manual welding has become a process of the past! Automation has taken over and here’s why:
Programming Ease: Robotic welding systems have simple interactive interfaces on a teach pendant making programming a breeze for anyone willing to learn.
Multiple Tasks: Robots can easily be programmed to weld a variety of different parts. It’s even possible that a robotic cell can move from one part to another very quickly.
Operator Ease: Learning the manual welding trade takes years of practice and training. On top of that, it’s a dangerous and taxing job. Automation systems remove the hazards of the process. Robotic welding operators only have to load parts and press the correct button to run the job.
Increase ROI: The cost of a robotic welding system has dropped greatly over the last 10 years. Not only has cost gone down, but also system accuracy, speed, and software technology have been improved, making a robotic system purchase a fast return on investment.
Any Part Size: Whether your parts are large, small, or have complex geometries, robots have the ability to weld with accuracy.
Increase Production: Unlike people, robots don’t require breaks. Robotic welding systems can run without interruption, therefore, increasing your productivity and throughput.
Fewer Mistakes: Even the most experienced welder makes mistakes. Robotic systems are highly accurate, meaning there will be less wasted time and material.
Bancroft Engineering has extensive experience in metal fabrication and can customize a robotic welding system to fit your requirements.
Our team of engineers works with you every step of the way to provide a fully or semi-automated solution. Our industrial welding experience provides us with the ability to engineer the best possible solution for almost any welding application.
To discuss your specific needs, contact the Bancroft team today.
Quality Welding Fixtures
Our team understands welding. It’s a difficult and physically demanding job. Aside from the physical complications of precision welding, complications can also result from poor placement of the parts. Taking shortcuts when fixturing a job can cause severe quality problems down the line, making your welder’s job more difficult and less accurate. To ensure your welder is performing to the best of their ability, it is imperative that they have “THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB.”
When beginning a new project, many things must be considered in the fixture design:
- Choose your fixture material wisely
- Orient the fixture maximize deposition rates
- Strive for quality, durability, accuracy, and repeatability
- Consider alternatives when designs are cost prohibitive
Bancroft’s team can design a custom holding solution for your manual welding or automatic process that is both durable and cost-efficient. From designing and building multi-step robotic applications, durable tack stations, or intricate rotating jigs and fixtures, our team has the experience to “MAKE IT HAPPEN.”
Anyone who’s ever struggled to get a weldment out of a poorly designed fixture will attest to the importance of fixture design. At Bancroft Engineering, we understand the amount of detail required to design and build the simplest and most complicated weld fixtures. A good welding fixture must have it all: quality, durability, accuracy, and repeatability.
Bancroft Engineering designs and builds welding fixtures for a wide range of manufacturers. Our engineer’s 3D model every fixture design in SOLIDWORKS® for your review and approval followed by managing the complete project including fabrication, assembly, and final testing.
Whether its cycle time reduction, improved accuracy and precision or both; we invite you to share your unique challenges with us. Let one of our engineers get started on a custom welding fixture for you. We pride ourselves on face to face meetings and give personal attention to every customer. Whether you want to communicate by phone or email or visit us in person for a tour and hands-on demonstration, we look forward to working with you on your next fixturing project.