gmbh

Welding TechnologyWelding Equipment • Welding Guns • Process Control

gmbh

Company

Since 2002, the name ELMA-Tech has been inextricably linked with the most modern welding technologies on machine level as well as in the field of welding process control. Since the beginning of the 1970s, the concept of a structural arrange-ment of the welding machine in a power unit (or high-tech high-power current source) and a „virtual machine“ as a fully-digitalized control component has led to the world‘s leading process technology since the beginning of the 2000s.

In the following years, ELMA-Tech evolves as a plant engineer in the area of welding technologies into the solution provider for the most complex processes in arc, plasma and resistance spot welding.

Problem solving forcomplex welding tasks

2002 Foundation of ELMATECH AG Initially „only“ distribution of arc devices2003/2004 In cooperation with Opel development of the first spot welding system for process capable resistance welding of high-strength steels2006 Development of a lightweight construction transformer gun2007 Development of the process control Virtual Machine (VM2)2008 Invention of the „fully automatic“ spot welding process „VISION“2009 Development of the manually guided industrial welding guns (<40 kg) Implementation VM2, rotation frequency 20 kHz2010 Development of the control cabinet with 2 power units2011 Development of MIDI MIG AC/DC & ELMAconcept VISION2012 Foundation of ELMA-Tech GmbH2012 /2013 Development of a robot gun with fully automatic gun offset2014 Start of a joint venture together with ELMA-Tech Tianjing in China2015 Further development of spot welding for aluminum thin plates in connection with VM22017 Implementation VM3, rotation frequency 20 kHz

Our mission: Welding today the

materials of tomorrow!

We increase the quality of your welding processes!

Technology leadership through the welding process control Virtual Machine: Reproducible welding quality, maximum process reliability, unmatched power efficiency

Development of ELMA-Tech

BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

Process control technology

ELMA-Tech uses a world-leading and unique control technology to control the welding process - the „virtual machine“. The virtual machine is at the core of the ELMA-Tech systems and triggers with the least possible programming effort complex joining processes with maximum reproducibility.

Resistance technology All over the world, ELMA-Tech supplies advanced mul-tifunction spot welding systems for industrial applica-tions and automotive production (prototyping, pre-production, post-processing) as well as for bodywork and vehicle construction.

Plasma- / Arc technology Arc welding systems are one of the pillars in the ELMA-Tech product range and are convincing in the field of MIG / MAG inert gas welding with fully digital inverter power sources and the latest inverter hybrid technology. Various models are also designed as direct current / alternating current systems for the high quality welding of aluminum thin sheets and aluminum alloys, of galvanized and plated sheets as well as of high-speed alloys.

Electronic amplifiers At ELMA-Tech, IGBT inverters are used for arc and resistance welding machines. These inver-ters are partly implemented in quasi-resonance technology.

In co-operation with the market leader on the sector of plasma-coating, parallel switchable DC-generators with a single power-rating of 0,15 MW were produced. These can be inter-connected to generators with a power-rating up to 0,5 MW for the application with plasma spraying methods as well as for the tube and pipe manufacturing.

Spot welding guns

In recent years, ELMA-Tech has been able to place major emphasis on resistance welding in automotive and industrial applications - through the development of new spot welding technologies and due to the market launch of the self-adjusting, light-weight, manually guided welding guns in10 kHz inverter technology.

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TECHNOLOGY

Welding process control with maximum efficiency

Since 1970 Prof. Dr. Peter Puschner has de-veloped state-of-the-art control and power electronics for welding technology. The basic techniques involved have found wide acceptance in the entire welding tech-nology and mark the innovation point in electronic welding equipment. Worldwide patents underline the innovation character of the ELMA-Tech developments.

In 1997 a new control system for technological processes was implemented on the basis of these technological develop-ments: the „virtual machine“ (VM). The VM is used as a welding process control in the 3rd generation exclusively by ELMA-Tech and justifies the technologi-cal top position in the control of welding processes, which ELMA-Tech nowadays takes.

The virtual machine is at the core of the ELMA-Tech systems and triggers with the least possible programming effort complex joining processes with maximum reproducibility.

Plug & Play spot welding

thanks to fully automatic

A unique advantage is the use of the VM in resistance spot welding. The fully automatic spot welding process is a clear stand-alone feature of ELMA-Tech resistance technology: Start the machine - Select the automatic mode - Perform electrode check - welding! Sheet thicknesses and material types are automatically detected by the welding control.

WELDING GUNS

Holistic control of allgun functions and joining processwith Virtual Machine (VM)

Robot guided welding guns

Lightweight welding guns in 10 kHz inverter technology

Robust, energy-saving, eco-friendly! ELMA-Tech robot welding guns and hand welding guns offer considerable economic and ecological advantages due to their construction and control technology, which bring significant potential savings for the customer. ELMA-Tech welding guns help our customers to operate in a more energy-efficient and resource-efficient manner.

Manually guided welding guns Body shop / Car repair

Manually guided welding guns Automotive / Industry

Benefits

• Significant operating cost savings• No welding sample production• Shorter commissioning• Also unskilled personnel can be deployed• Reduction of physical stress on hand welding

guns by lightweight construction• Smaller robots can be used due to lightweight

construction

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Innovative spot welding technology at an unrivaled technology level

By means of fully automated parameter management, this technology connects, with a previously not possible quality assurance and process reliability, lightweight gun technolo-gy and simplified interface technology creating an effective and highly flexible robot manufacturing system.

SPOT WELDING TECHNOLOGY ... ... FOR BODY REPAIR, AUTOMOTIVE & INDUSTRY

Mobile spot welding machines for thebodywork and car body construction

• VM3-process control• Fully automatic welding process• Complete software package (depending on type)• Quality assurance system• Welding aluminum thin plates up to 3 mm• Active internal cooling• Low gun weights

Body repair easier than ever before!Quality welding without manualsettings:

Automatic control of the energy yieldAutomatic detection of total sheet thicknessAutomatic detection of material typeAutomatic parallel resistance detectionAutomatic energy tracking

Easy robot programming by handshakebetween robot and VM-control!

The ELMATECH control with VM integrally takes over the function control of all the gun components. This includes the measuring technology for the detection of the total sheet thickness, the electrical process control, the displacement and force control of the master cylinder and the balance control of the compensating cylinder.For this purpose, main and compensating cylinders were equipped with measu-ring systems, so that both cylinders form pneumatic servo-systems together with the control. For the main cylinder this means the point-accurate positio-ning before and after welding in the shortest possible time. Due to the special mechanical design of the main cylinder a pre-stroke does no longer exist. The cylinder thus has become simple and safe to operate.

Robot welding system with lightweight robot welding guns

for automotive & industry

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ARC TECHNOLOGY

MIG AC pulse weldingMIG DC pulse weldingMIG / MAG pulsed arc weldingMIG / MAG DUAL pulse weldingMIG / MAG high speed weldingMIG brazingMIG AC (cold)TIG DCTIG AC / DCTIG pulse and rod electrodes Microplasma / Plasma / Plasma WIG Submerged arc welding WIG cold and hot wire

Process control via Virtual Machine (VM)

• Optimal energy efficiency• Minimum heat input• Perfect arc• Low emissions• Deep fusion penetration• Secure root formation

First prototype of a transistorized generator for arc welding processes60 V, 600 A (Max. power 1.200 A)

Built 1970 at the ISF of RWTH Aachen University Conception P. Puschner

The characteristic of the current source (current or voltage source) can be selected freely depending on the process state and can be changed with a frequency of 20 kHz. This is made possible by an advanced design of the current source, which has no conventional resistors, but merely simulate them as they correspond to the shape of the current and voltage characteristics.

A comprehensive arc program ...

MIG-AC welding / brazing

• Best gap bridging• High welding speeds• Extremely spatter-free• Low-warpage• Minimum heat input:

Heat input in AC pulse welding is lower than in other known methods, e.g. CMT, ColdMIG, etc. Ideal for welding thin aluminum sheets (<1 mm)

cold elmaarc vision

ELMA ARC VISION stands for a whole bundle of arc processes that have been optimized over years by ELMA-Tech and guarantee a per-fect and superiore welding quality.

When welding aluminum and stainless steels, absolutely high-quality seams are the rule. For this reason, MIG / MAG AC systems are represented in the production lines of renowned automotive manufacturers.

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The ELMA-Tech concept for arc coating

Instead of the use of fixed, invariable characteristic curves, ELMA-Tech current sources focus on freely changeable current / voltage curves. This allows very flexible settings of spray pa-rameters for optimized adhesion and extremely fine injection structures, which lead to coatings of high quality and overall high coating thicknesses.

The process control

The ELMA-Tech process control Virtual Machine is also used in the wire arc spraying for

• the control of user / machine communication• the specification of the respective „machine character“• the provision of processes and process types as purely

physical parameters (as synergy tables in the database)• the reproducibility of the spraying values in combination

with the power set in hybrid technology

Perfect arc and spray quality

The VM process control ensures excellent arc and spray quality - both in manual and machine spraying. By means of novel software-supported ignition and spraying methods results have been realised which have hitherto not been achieved, in particular in the case of machine spraying.

In order to avoid too high layer thickness during slow tra-versing processes, a stable, constant arc is guaranteed even at low power and current in the range of 10 amperes. The outstanding layer quality has also been confirmed to ELMA-Tech by independent institutes (compared to conventional sources).

HIGH POWER CURRENT SOURCES FOR PLASMA & ARC SPRAYING, SUB MERGED WELDING ...

Photo background: Coating, © Gebr. Heller Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Nürtingen Photo foreground: Submerged Arc Welding, ©2005/Author: NearEMPTiness (on Wikimedia Commons, under Licence CC BY-SA 3.0)

Characteristic of power source (MAG / Submerged arc welding)

• Significantly higher control frequency of over 5 kHz compared to conventional current sources with max. 300 Hz

• Digital adjustable process parameters with regard to dyna-mics and throttling during different process phases (ignition, welding)

• Digital selection of the current source characteristic CC or CV• (Constant current or constant voltage)

• Unrestricted automation capability with respect to the communication with a PLC

• High efficiency (> 90%) and thus up to 30% lower energy con-sumption compared to conventional power sources

• Excellent welding properties both in the MAG operation as well as in the range of submerged arc welding

• Flexible performance (1000 A, 1500 A, 3000 A)

• Residual ripple at submerged arc welding operation (Constant current < 0,1 %)

High power current sources for submerged arc welding

Pure efficiency

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gmbh Wisseraue 1 Fon +49 (0) 2294 9990-0 info@elmatech.de D-51597 Morsbach Fax +49 (0) 2294 9990-55 www.elmatech-gmbh.de

Technology leadership through unique process control Virtual Machine (VM)

Fully automatic spot welding without any parameter presettingAluminum welding for aluminum thin plates up to 3 mm

Cold MIG AC welding with COLD ELMA ARC VISIONAluminum thin plates <1 mm

Fully flexible adjustment of spray parameters for optimized adhesion and extremely fine injection molding in arc spraying

elmaarc visionelmaSPOT vision Reproducible welding quality

Maximum process reliabilityHighest energy efficiency

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