PRODUCT REVIEWS
20th anniversary of CMT welding process
Fronius, a specialist in arc welding, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Cold Metal Transfer( CMT) welding process.
“ The CMT process is based on a reversing wire movement that enables controlled droplet detachment. This movement ensures a stable arc and minimises heat input, resulting in almost spatter-free, clean welds that have high quality and aesthetics. Another advantage of the CMT process is the low thermal load on the workpiece. This reduces distortion and deformation, which is an enormous advantage especially when working with sheets as thin as 0.3mm and temperature-sensitive materials,” explained Fronius.
“ CMT unlocks the possibility of joining different materials together. For example, galvanized steel and aluminium can be welded safely and reliably. This creates scope for creative solutions in the production process,” it continued.
Over the last two decades, CMT has established itself as a versatile welding process that is used in numerous industries. The automotive industry, for example, uses CMT to join thin sheets and lightweight materials, such as aluminium, for vehicle frames and components. CMT is also used
in the aerospace industry, where the process enables the welding of high-strength and lightweight materials for the construction of aircraft and spacecraft. CMT is also employed in 3D printing or in the electronics industry, where it is used to braze components.
CMT’ s back-and-forth movement of the wire has also enhanced robotic welding with the WireSense intelligent assistance system. This is designed to significantly improve seam quality and efficiency by detecting inaccuracies and deviations in industrial production and avoiding them by using the CMT welding process. The welding wire determines the position of the weld and dynamically adjusts it. This, said Fronius, saves material, time and costs as rework and rejects can be reduced.
CMT can be retrofitted to all intelligent Fronius devices. Over the years, the manufacturer has continued to perfect the process and develop application-specific optimised welding characteristics such as CMT Mix, CMT Cycle Step, CMT Cladding and CMT Braze. LaserHybrid CMT combines the advantages of laser welding with CMT technology. CMT Additive Pro characteristics are designed for metal 3D printing.
The Fronius team will be demonstrating CMT and other innovations at the SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN trade show in Essen( stand 3B55) and at FABTECH in Chicago( stand B29001). n
www
. fronius. com
AP & T incorporates new press controls
Swedish press specialist, AP & T, is introducing two new control systems, one for presses and one for automation and furnaces, with improved integration into its turnkey production lines. The controls are designed to meet increasing demands for performance, safety and flexibility in the sheet metal forming industry.
“ The previous control system, Siemens Simotion, has been in operation since 2006 and has undergone several updates to meet changing needs over the years. We therefore decided to implement a completely new system with a modern and intelligently planned architecture,” AP & T told ISMR.
“ It feels great to start afresh by laying down a new and carefully prepared basic structure before we start coding,” said Christer Bäckdahl, Chief Technology Officer, AP & T.“ The new systems will help our customers to achieve improved performance and flexibility.”
AP & T’ s development of servo presses places high demands on precision throughout the forming process, while safety and responsiveness are crucial( especially for smaller presses, where the operator works
Christer Bäckdahl, Chief Technology Officer, AP & T.
in close proximity to the moving parts of the machine). To meet these requirements, the company is switching controls from Siemens Simotion to Beckhoff enabling, it said, more precise control of force, speed and rpm.
“ In addition to improved control, the new system offers advanced diagnostics. The machine can identify where a breakdown occurred and why, reducing downtime and providing faster restarts. The new system is also more modular and flexible, making it easier to adapt to specific customer needs and different types of presses,” added AP & T.
AP & T also chose to upgrade to Siemens Simatic TF-CPU, a solution that also optimises
control in AP & T’ s line integrations and complete production lines.
A future-proof process
“ Development [ evolves ] through an agile working method, where the team works with a coach. This has led to more reliable decisions, improved documentation and a quality-assured end result. The result is a faster, simpler and more robust control system adapted to the needs of the future,” explained AP & T.
“ Both new control systems are futureproof in that they are already prepared for IoT and machine learning. It will allow for easy future integration of AI applications such as automated status monitoring, self-analysis and early anomaly detection. This will allow proactive measures to be taken well before any limit values are exceeded,” concluded the press specialist.
The new control systems are expected to be available to AP & T’ s customers in 2026. n
https:// aptgroup. com /
52 | ismr. net | ISMR July / August 2025