Products : Wheel & Rim Machines :
DC Butt Welding System

The DC Butt Welding System continues the process of rim manufacturing by taking the prepared strips from the Uncoil Cut-to-Length System. The stacker/destacker feeds the Rim Band Coiler which coils the strip into a hoop then automatically ejecting the coiled hoop onto the flattener, which is mounted to the front of the coiler. The flattener incorporates a gap bar that sets the gap between the two ends of the coiled band. The flattener then flattens the ends of the band on each side of the gap. This flattening is done to insure the critical alignment of the band end edges for the welding process.

Once the flattening is complete an overhead or undercarriage transfer grips the band and transfers it into the DC Butt Welder. The DC Butt Welder clamps the part between the upper and lower electrodes and the transfer releases the band and retracts to retrieve the next coiled band. The DC Butt Welder welds the band and another overhead or horizontal swingarm transfer grips the welded band and removes it from the machine to transfer it into either a Combination Longitudinal Trimmer Planisher, Edge Nip Machine or a Longitudinal Trimmer. If the welded band is processed with a Longitudinal Trimmer only, then it is transferred via an overhead transfer or horizontal swingarm into a Longitudinal Planisher.

After Planishing the rim is again transferred using the overhead or horizontal swingarm transfer into a Edge Nip Machine where the weld upset material is trimmed from the band. After trimming the weld upset material, the band is transferred into a Rerounding Machine where the prepared weld area is pressed between upper and lower tooling to remove the flat area of the band. The band is then ejected into an exit conveyor where it proceeds to and optional elevator/band cooler, and then onto the Profiling System.

Hess D.C. Butt Welding System