The Long and Winding Weld
Miggytrac automated tractors from ESAB are ideal for long welds and eliminating stressful welding positions for the welder. The tractor uses a magnet to hold the correct position on the workpiece, even if the workpiece is bent or angled, and its guide wheels adjust to drive the tractor against the workpiece.
Posted: June 13, 2013
Automated tractors are ideal for long welds and eliminating stressful welding positions for the welder. The tractor uses a magnet to hold the correct position on the workpiece, even if the workpiece is bent or angled, and its guide wheels adjust to drive the tractor against the workpiece.
Miggytrac automated tractors from ESAB Welding & Cutting Products (Florence, SC) are small, compact motorized tractors that attach quickly to ESAB welding torches and provide even, stable movement for superior welding performance and significant increases in welding speed, particularly when using cored wire.
The Miggytrac 1001 and 2000 models feature a start/stop function from the remote control panel that allows the user to indicate travel direction via remote control. The 1001 tractor offers travel speed settings of 6-47 ipm (150-1200 mm/min), with wire feed speed and voltage all functions of the remote control.
Both the 1001 and 2000 tractors are ideal for long welds and eliminate stressful welding positions for the welder. A magnet helps to hold each tractor in the correct position on the workpiece, even if the workpiece is bent or angled. Guide wheels adjust to allow each unit to drive itself against the workpiece.
Both tractors can be programmed for intermittent welding and feature a backfill function for crater filling at the end of the weld. Both tractors accommodate length of weld and distance between welds from 0.4 in to 39 in (1-99 cm).
High speed travel between welds on the 1001 tractor can reach 98 ipm (250 cm/min) to increase efficiency. It features an integrated wire feed and water-cooled welding torch and is designed for horizontal mechanized MIG welding of plates and beams. The four-wheel drive carriage can travel diagonally towards the flange or stiffener to be welded.
The 1001 tractor can be programmed for intermittent welding, with separate control for the carriage motion and wire feed. Other programmable features include wire feed speed, time for gas pre-flow, gas post-flow and burnback.
The 2000 tractor is ideally suited for use with ESAB semi-automatic power sources and feed units. The small, compact, motor powered tractor attaches quickly to a standard ESAB welding torch. Its four driving wheels, together with the permanent magnet which is fitted on the tractor, guarantee even, stable movement.
The 2000 tractor functions as a straightforward remote control for the feed unit; you decide on the travel direction, then start and stop welding from the panel. The panel features additional functions such as weld speed settings (15-150 cm/min), wire feed speed and voltage.
The 2000 can be programmed for intermittent welding. The length of the weld and the distance between the welds can be set to 1-99 cm. The travel between the welds are high speed 250 cm/min to increase efficiency.
It is easy to mechanize a semi-automatic welding machine using the Miggytrac 2000. The welding speed can be increased significantly, especially when cored wire is used. Simply connect the tractor to a suitable semi-automatic power source with a feed unit. Alternatively, an external transformer can be connected. The automatic welder performs the long and monotonous weld runs.
The torch holder is equipped with one manual slide (±17 mm) for fine corrections of the torch position. The torch holder also has a rotating slide which gives maximum opportunities to get the best possible torch angle. The handle is positioned to make it easy for the user to carry the machine between the welds. www.esabna.com
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