Multi-wire weld processes for

more economical welding of

plates and sheets
Greater control in tandem welding

Simultaneous welding with several electrodes has long been established as an economically
efficient method of high-performance welding. In practice, however, it has become apparent that
users have difficulty identifying the correct parameters. The reason lies in the complexity of the
welding systems and processes that have been available until now. The new CMT Twin tandem
process from Fronius makes matters much easier in this regard: right from welding start-up, this
process works in a much more controlled manner, and the characteristics provided by the
manufacturer, for various welding-tasks, make it far easier to work with. In this way, better
welding results can be achieved with this tandem process, as well as efficient welding of light-
gauge sheets.

The development of new weld processes for use in mechanical engineering, shipbuilding and vehicle
manufacturing has always centred on the need to boost productivity. In the past, particular attention
has been paid to shortening the welding times by increasing the welding speed, and/or to minimising
the amount of post-weld machining and straightening work needed in the welding of large cross-
sections of thick-walled plates. Alongside single-wire processes with higher deposition rates, such as
submerged-arc and electroslag welding, efforts have focused on developing systems for welding with
several electrodes simultaneously.

A distinction is made here between double-wire and tandem welding processes. The greatest
advantage of both types of two-wire process lies in their significantly higher deposition rate and
welding speed, and resultant lower thermal input. A further advantage of welding with two wires in a
shared weld-pool is that the weld-pool is larger, and solidifies later. Also, two-wire processes make it
possible to increase the gap-bridging ability by turning the welding torch sideways, allowing broad
wetting to sidewalls in the top pass with no need for oscillation.