FOCUS ON WELDING
MATISA has specialised in bespoke machines for the construction , maintenance and renewal of railway tracks since 1945 .
We have approved various processes such as spray arc , dip transfer arc and pulsed arc for our production process for metal plates from 5mm thick
Even for relatively simple products , such as transport wagons , hundreds of metres of weld seams are needed
“ Our track construction machines are therefore in high demand . We began manufacturing construction and maintenance machines on the banks of Lake Geneva in 1945 and have become a respected name in the industry thanks to the reliability of our machines . In some German-speaking countries , ‘ matisern ’ ( or ‘ matising ’) has even become a synonym for ballast bed tamping . Although we pride ourselves on the reliability of our machines , we believe that customer satisfaction is every bit as important . Customers from around the world can be sure that they will find a receptive ear when it comes to their special requests ,” MATISA told ISMR .
“ Each of the 300 machines that we currently have in the field is unique ,” said Rony Chiavone , who is responsible for non-destructive weld testing at MATISA . “ This is not just because there are different track gauges and other regional variations , but also because we consider the supposedly smaller customer requirements . For example , installing a washroom could radically change construction due to the closely-packed design of the train and altered weight distribution .”
Rony Chiavone , welding coordinator at MATISA .
This is particularly true if the machine needs to adapt to a customer ’ s specific workflows . For this reason , MATISA is rarely able to use standard components on any of its passenger or freight trains , meaning that the Swiss manufacturer produces all of the important parts it needs , including bogies .
Diverse welding operations
MATISA has kitted out its construction and production departments with the latest equipment it can find . Out of a total 500 employees , 100 are engineers who look after the different levels of electrical and mechanical structures in the trains . Of the 400 staff in the production department , 50 are fitters and welders .
MATISA is EN 15085-certified and processes metal sheets and profiles made from conventional construction steel ( S355 ), with thicknesses of between 10 and 200 millimetres , to construct the trucks , bogies and superstructures . Its welding operations are diverse and comprehensive , accounting
A MATISA bespoke machine for the construction , maintenance and renewal of railway tracks .
for around one-third of the time needed to build a tamper . Even for relatively simple products , such as transport wagons , hundreds of metres of weld seams are needed . These wagons are 25 metres long , made out of metal plates with different widths and are welded together from prefabricated 5 x 5m-long box sections .
Each truck must comply with a geometrical dimensional record with extremely tight tolerances . Joining of the box sections with a 25mm penetration depth is monitored through ultrasound and magnetic testing . Specialists manually weld these and all other weld seams up to two metres long using conventional filler metal ( 1.2m Böhler EMK 8 solid wire electrode ). Welding is mostly carried out using the spray arc welding process ( with plate thicknesses starting at 5mm ) but with longer longitudinal seams , the company uses a type FDV 22 MF battery-powered longitudinal chassis instead , which has a permanent magnet and optional oscillation . The MAG power sources used for manual welding at MATISA are also a Fronius solution .
The five parts of the trucks for the transport wagons are clamped on a positioning device to prevent out-of-position welding and to ensure that specified tolerances are met . The welders can then start welding the box sections together . So that the frame does not buckle or become warped , specific welding sequences must be followed and the frame is turned around regularly to prevent deformation . Finally , the weld seams are
22 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR February 2021