FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY
‘ cradle-to-grave ’ approach starts with procurement of the raw materials , includes the production of the welding machines and transport as well as years of use in industrial shifts ( including wear parts ) and also examines what happens when the welding machine has reached the end of its life cycle after a long service life .
Every component and every welding application is individual and influenced by many factors such as the base material , seam geometry and the welding parameters used . That is why Fronius chose a framework that allows the results to be presented clearly so that they are easy to understand .
“ We translate the CO₂ proportion of the relevant parameters over to one metre of weld , because it quickly shows us where our starting point should be ,” Schönmayr explained .
“ For the CO₂ proportion in use , we have based our calculations upon the welds of robot series production with a typical duty cycle of eight years . We did this by referring to actual customer examples , which consisted of an automotive supplier that uses the TPS 400i in its robot configuration for steel welding and a vehicle manufacturer that welds that welds aluminium with the TPS 3201 CMT .”
According to the manufacturer , in the life- cycle of a Fronius TPS / i welding system , only around 0.5 % of the total CO₂ equivalents comes down to the production , repair and disposal of the welding machine . The rest is split between the filler metal , the shielding gas and the energy consumed which highlights the importance of making efficient use of these resources in particular .
“ The good news is that we have already been working for many years to keep our material and energy consumption during welding as low as possible . To this end , we have built up almost 75 years of expertise and have developed innovative , and sometimes groundbreaking , technologies . When it comes to efficiency , we believe that digitalisation continues to present tremendous potential ,” affirmed Scherleitner .
“ By using the WeldCube Premium welding data management and analysis tool , many of our customers have already succeeded in optimising their production . Thanks to the high quality of the results , they are now also boosting their time and material savings ,” he continued .
Economic and environmental benefits
Reproducible , highquality welded joints protect both the bottom line and the environment , which is why taking a holistic view of production at component level ( TCOP : total cost of production ) can have a huge impact .
“ However , we also offer solutions that are very easy to implement ( such as the OPT / i Gas digital gas controller ) which can reduce shielding gas use by an average of 40 %. If there are lots of short welds , the savings ’ potential is even higher ,” said the manufacturer .
“ Sustainability in joining is at the top of our agenda . Our experts in research and development follow the ‘ Sustainability by Design ’ approach . In this way , we create environmentally inspired innovations combined with our understanding of the challenges faced by our customers . However , the best way to save material , time and money while gradually reducing the carbon footprint is by working together . Our LCA is only the starting point for a series of tips that we ’ ll be sharing with our customers ,” summarised Scherleitner .
Fronius can also provide targeted support to help its customers identify carbon savings ’ potential in production . For example , Fronius outlined to ISMR , this could be by using the OPT / i Gas digital gas controller or the WeldCube Premium monitoring and analysis tool in their operations . n
Harald Scherleitner , Global Director of Sales and Marketing , Business Unit Perfect Welding , Fronius International GmbH .
David Schönmayr , Team Leader for Product Sustainability , Fronius International GmbH .
The results of the life cycle analysis ( LCA ) are translated over to one metre of weld . The proportion that can be attributed to production of the welding machine is very low , so the focus is on optimising the use of gas , filler metal and energy .
Above : Fronius LaserHybrid welding cell .
About Fronius
Fronius has over 8,000 employees worldwide , a current export share of 87 per cent and 1446 active patents .
Founded in 1945 in Austria as a regional one-man operation , it is now a global player with 37 international subsidiaries and a network of sales partners in over 60 countries . The family-owned company is active in photovoltaics , welding and batterycharging technology . It offers customers an all-in-one package from advance planning and consultancy to ongoing monitoring and a repair service tailored to specific needs .
Fronius Perfect Welding is a specialist in arc welding and robot-assisted welding with customised , automated complete systems and digital welding solutions for Industry 5.0 . Its portfolio includes intuitive welding systems for manual welding applications , welding accessories and protective products .
www . fronius . com / pw-sustainability
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