Clearview National January 2020 - Issue 218 | Page 79
MACHINERY
FSteel windows
industry: First portable
wire feeder with ip44
protection class rating
for extreme durability
ESAB Welding & Cutting Products has introduced
the Robust Feed Pro portable wire feeder to the
steel windows industry. It is the first product in its
category with an IP44 protection class rating, which
means it is protected against water splashes from all
directions, as well as solid objects larger than 1mm.
» THE COMPLETELY-SEALED ROBUST
Feed Pro has a double-wall design with special
impact zones made from a more flexible
material to absorb more impact energy. All
controls, power and gas connections are
inside the case with a dedicated service cover,
providing easy access to the electronics.
All cable connectors are protected inside of
the feeder. There is a robust strain relief for the
interconnection cables that makes sure there is
no strain excerted on the cable connectors.
Arne Lagerkvist, Global Product Manager,
Heavy Industry Welding Equipment, ESAB
Welding and Cutting Products, says: “You can
drop this feeder and drag it through the mud
by the cable and nothing happens. There is no
strain or risk from shearing off a cable or hose
connection,” says Lagerkvist.
The Robust Feed Pro’s extreme durability,
portability and performance are particularly
suitable for industrial fabrication operations
such as marine and offshore, steel erection,
structural steel fabrication, hard surfacing and
cladding, repair and maintenance, pressure
vessels and pipeline.
The Robust Feed Pro is compatible with
ESAB’s Warrior 500i, Warrior 400i and
Warrior 400i MV power sources, allowing
operators to adjust voltage and wire feed speed
at the feeder. At outputs of 550, 500 and 400
amps, it has a duty cycle rating of 50, 60 and
100 percent, respectively.
POWERFUL DRIVE SYSTEM
The Robust Feed Pro accepts wire spools
up to 300 mm, measures 595 x 250 x 430
mm and weighs 16.8 kg. It comes equipped
with a new precision wire drive system with
enough power to handle up to 2.0 mm solid
wire and 2.4 mm cored wire. ESAB minimised
the footprint of the 4-roll drive stand while
accommodating 38 mm drive rolls, which
feature a quick change design and are color-
coded for size clarity.
The system provides a large range of wire
feed speeds (WFS), from 0.8 to 25.0 m/min,
which offers the speeds necessary for solid
wires as small as 0.6 mm solid wire and as
large as 2.4 mm cored wire.
“Our design improves accuracy at lower
speeds, has the power to feed larger cored
wires and the high speeds necessary for smaller
diameter hard wires,” says Lagerkvist. “The
Robust Feed Pro is truly an all-purpose unit.”
The front of the feeder has crisp, bright, large
LED displays that are visible in strong sunlight,
as well as backlit symbols that makes the unit
easy to operate in dimly lit conditions. The front
has control knobs for voltage and wire feed speed
buttons for wire jog and gas purge. Inside of the
unit contains controls for 2T or 4T operation,
wire inch, crafter fill and a flow meter for setting
accurate shielding gas flow rates.
The Robust Feed Pro also incorporates a
switch to optimise arc termination for solid
or cored wires. In the solid wire position, the
switch activitates Short Circuit Termination
(SCT) technology, which sharpens the end
of the solid MIG wire at the termination of
a weld. By eliminating the ball that typically
forms on the end of the wire, the feeder
optimises the wire condition to promote
a positive arc start. SCT technology also
eliminates the need for the operator to clip
the wire. In an operation with numerous weld
stops and starts, the time savings will quickly
add up. To improve arc starts when using
Flux-Cored or Metal-Cored wires, the cored
wire setting enables burnback control.
ERGONOMIC PORTABILITY
The Robust Feed Pro has three comfortable
handles — all are crane certified — and two
additional lifting points for best-in-class
portability and maneuverability. The long
top handle provides a way to lift the unit in
its center of gravity, with or without a spool
inside. Handles on the front and back make it
easier to move through manholes and smaller
spaces.
“This is the only feeder on the market
with clearly-marked crane-rated handles, an
important feature for offshore and shipyard
applications where they often lift objects into
position,” says Lagerkvist.
www.esab.com
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