12 Orbital Welding

Orbital welding involves mechanically rotating a welding arc 360˚ around a pipe or tube joint to produce a continuous weld. The first orbital systems were developed over 50 years ago to replace fittings on fluid lines in aircraft with welded joints.

On thin-wall tube, a simple right angle saw cut is sufficient edge preparation, and welding can often be performed without filler metal. For thick-wall material, a U-groove joint is the preferred joint preparation. Orbital systems can also be set up for use with GMAW and FCAW.