Equipment for welding PE pipes. Welding machine for polyethylene pipes: which one is better to buy and how to use it correctly Welding machine for welding PE pipes

Polyethylene pipes are a lightweight and comfortable material for laying communication systems. In order for the design to be reliable, it is necessary to use specialized equipment - a machine for welding polyethylene pipes. Before purchasing a device, you need to decide on the desired model and methods of work.

The choice of equipment for soldering pipeline systems depends on the characteristics of the planned work and the method of connecting the pipes.

There are several methods for welding HDPE pipes, which differ in technological features and the use of various equipment and tools. The most popular methods are:

• butt welding;
• electrofusion soldering method;
• socket welding

Butt method

The demand for the butt welding method is due to the low cost of work, the low cost of instruments and the wide range of pipe diameters that can be connected (5 -1200 mm).

The technology looks like this step by step:

1. Preparatory manipulations. Cutting pipes of the required size, removing chamfers (beveled edges of the pipe that prevent an even connection).
2. Selection of suitable nozzles and their installation in the soldering unit.
3. Warming up the device to the optimal temperature.
4. Placing pipe ends on nozzles and heating to the required temperature.
5. Simultaneous removal of slices and their connection to each other. It is important to ensure the smooth connection of the sections and their fixation until the material hardens.

With high-quality manipulations, the output will be a hermetically sealed plastic connection without any defects.

Socket welding

Socket welding technology is less common than butt welding, but is also reliable.

During the soldering process, pipe sections are connected using plastic couplings - pipeline connecting elements, which are necessary to strengthen the joint areas and facilitate the assembly process of the structure.

The most common pipes made of metals and alloys in the past are being replaced by products made of high-molecular compounds, that is, plastic, in particular polyethylene. Among the advantages of such products are light weight, simplicity and reliability of connecting pipe sections into a system.

One of the most common methods of fixation, which provides a homogeneous hermetic connection upon completion of the operation, is welding polyethylene pipes; Below we will talk about machines for welding plastic.

Tools for preparing pipes for welding

Before using directly the welding equipment for polyethylene pipes, it is necessary to prepare the following tools:

1. A set that includes a machine for welding polyethylene pipes and several attachments. The contents of different sets are very different: you can purchase both a professional collection for almost all occasions, and a tool with two or three attachments.
2. Pipe cutter - as the name suggests, is designed for neat and even cutting of pipes.
3. A chamfer remover is necessary for creating chamfers at the ends of pipe scraps that facilitate the joining of products (more details: " ").

The welding process itself is quick, so having all the necessary tools at hand will ensure that there are no delays during the work.

Welding options for plastic pipes

Today, there are three most common soldering techniques:

• butt;
• into the bell;
• electrofusion.

The features of each of them will be discussed below.

Butt welding

Among the advantages of the technique are the low cost of the process, due to the relatively low prices of machines for butt welding of polyethylene pipes, and a wide range of diameters of pipes that can be butt-welded - from 5 to 1200 mm.

The operation is carried out in several stages:

1. Pipe preparation. At this stage, the elements are cut to the required length using a pipe cutter and chamfered using a chamfer.
2. Selection of nozzles for pipe diameters and installation of them in a butt welding machine for polyethylene pipes.
3. Preheating the device.
4. Installing the ends of the pipes on the nozzles and heating to the required temperature.
5. Simultaneous removal of scraps and joining them together. During the connection, you need to make sure that the ends are applied to each other evenly and after contact do not move until they cool completely.

As a result, when the process is carried out carefully, a homogeneous, sealed connection without pores or other defects is obtained.

Socket welding

This technique is not so widespread, although its reliability is not inferior to the previous method. When soldering into a socket, heated scraps of polymer products are not connected directly to each other, but through couplings, also plastic.

Welding using an electrofusion coupling

As the name implies, this type of soldering of plastic products requires, in addition to a welding machine for PE pipes, the presence of special electrical couplings. The method is used when it is necessary to create long-distance pipelines, when butt soldering is technically unfeasible or in places with increased seismic activity.

For each specific purpose, you need to choose a soldering technique based on the purpose of the future pipeline, the availability of the necessary equipment at hand and financial capabilities: some methods are cheaper, others are more expensive.

Types of welding machines

In general, all devices for the corresponding purpose are divided into two classes:

• machines for butt or socket welding of polyethylene pipes;
• devices for connection via electrofusion.

Both those and other devices consist of the following elements:

1. Transformer.
2. Power block.
3. Heating control unit.

Any welding machine is designed to operate from a standard electrical network with an output voltage of about 220 V.

Butt soldering equipment

Devices are classified according to the quality of the connection obtained:

1. Handheld devices. Used to connect pipes with small cross-sections. The joining of scraps after heating is done manually.
2. Semi-automatic devices. Suitable for products with large diameters, the soldering quality is better than in the first case. The pipes are laid manually and connected automatically using a hydraulic unit. In this case, the centering of the pipes occurs much more accurately.
3. Automatic devices. The process is fully automated, including selection of the required welding mode. The only thing that is required from a person is to indicate several initial parameters.

The highest quality seams are ensured, as you might guess, by automatic devices that practically prevent defects.

Devices for electrofusion connection

Welding devices for soldering polyethylene pipes using the electrofusion method are more complex in design and use.

On the surface of any electric coupling there is a barcode containing the data required for welding. Before starting the process, you must enter this information into the device. This is done in two modes: manual or automatic.

Some machines offer the user the opportunity to copy previously entered data, for example, to a flash card, or save it in the device’s memory. This allows you not to re-enter information each time, and therefore further speeds up the work.

The device’s screen usually displays data on temperature readings, soldering time and power used. After fastening the pipe pieces, the device gives a corresponding sound signal.

The price of the machine for electrofusion welding and the couplings themselves are very high, so only professionals who make money by creating pipelines use them.

A regular welding machine is quite suitable for a home craftsman.

Hello, dear guest! Today I will give you a great idea for easy money. You can make money by welding, but not iron, but polyethylene.

Nowadays they are extremely popular. Consequently, someone installs and repairs them, earning good money from it. And a machine for welding polyethylene pipes helps with this.

I’ll tell you what it is and how to buy the right unit in today’s article.

They work like a soldering iron and are conventionally divided into 2 types - manual and mechanical.

Manual apparatus

It is a heating plate with tips for the ends of the pipes and a handle. The principle of operation is similar to an iron and an electric soldering iron.

Requires human effort to compress the connected products. Suitable for PE pipes with a diameter of no more than 12.5 cm. Accordingly, it is not suitable for large volumes of work, and you should choose it for home use;

Mechanical

The mechanical soldering apparatus consists of a support frame with disks for fastening pipes and an instrument block. A heating element with heating elements inside heats up the ends of the connected pipes, and the mechanics provide strong compression of these places.

Used for welding products subject to high operational load. The diameter of the products is unlimited.

This option should be chosen by professionals.

If you want to make money by welding pipes, you need to purchase both units.

Helpful tips for making the right choice:

• Pay attention to the package

A device with a key for nozzles - suitable for working with one, maximum two diameters. If the scope of work is larger, choose equipment with nozzles of different diameters;

• Unit power

The professionals have one secret. The minimum power of the equipment is calculated using a simple formula - the largest pipe diameter that will have to be worked with is multiplied by 10.

For example, if you are going to weld pipes with a diameter of 50 mm at home, then the minimum power of the unit = 50 × 10 = 500 W;

• Which manufacturer should you choose?

The highest ratings are for products from Czech companies (for example, TM Daytron). But the price of the products is steep. Therefore - as an alternative - Turkish manufacturers. There are quite good models of domestic production.

In my opinion, you shouldn’t chase cheapness and buy the simplest Chinese devices - you don’t know what will happen in the end.

Methods and technology for welding butt joints

The joint is carried out using a welding mirror - equipment that heats the ends of the joined products until melting and joint diffusion of materials.

At first glance, the method is simple and does not require additional products or fittings. But there are a number of certain nuances. For example, butt welding requires mandatory alignment, alignment, and assessment of the ellipsoidality of pipes. Therefore, without a special centralizer, it is impossible to weld parts of large diameters.

Manual devices

Manual butt welding machines are used when working with small diameters, but there are also separate models with a 300mm welding ring. It consists of a centralizer for aligning the workpieces to be joined, a trimmer and a heating element for the ends of the pipes.

Mechanical apparatus

Consist of several main parts:

1. Centralizer is a machine element made in the form of a frame with four metal clamps for clamping parts;
2. A trimmer is a unit for creating a section strictly perpendicular to the axis and machining it. It is a disk device with an electric motor and knives sharpened on both sides.
3. Welding mirror - heating element. Melts the ends of welded pipes. Coated with Teflon to prevent polyethylene sticking
4. Mechanical device for providing compression.

Hydraulic

They consist of the same set of mechanisms as mechanical ones, but the compressive element is a hydraulic drive. It ensures uniform compression of the joined products. The pressure on some models is adjustable.

There are 3 types of hydraulic devices:

• Manual. Used for laying low and medium pressure pipelines. The temperature of the heating element and the hydraulic control are manually selected by the operator in accordance with special tables;
• Semi-automatic. Used for medium and large diameter pipes. Equipped with an electronic unit. recording data on the oil pressure in the drive and the temperature of the welding plate, compares them with the installed program and transmits signals to a special display.
• Automatic.
• The most modern and high-tech welding equipment system.

The process is fully automated, does not require operator intervention during the operation and is controlled by special electronic modules. The operator only enters the product data, and the machine selects the welding mode independently. At the end of the work, the machine issues a welding report.

Which one is better?

It is necessary to choose one or another unit based on the characteristics of the required installation. If you need to weld a couple of flat areas at home, choose a cheap, mobile and convenient manual mechanism.

If the pipe diameter is from 250mm, a mechanic is needed. Again, there is no point in spending money on expensive complete products if there is no need to work with welding constantly.

In this case, it is necessary to choose units with hydraulic drive. A fully automated device is the most expensive, but also the most convenient. It all depends on your financial capabilities.

Methods and technology of socket welding

Socket welding of plastic pipes is a more reliable way to connect structures. It is socket welding that is used in the installation of communication lines and repairs in apartments and residential buildings. This method is suitable for connecting parts of any diameter, but it is easier to work with small ones.

Socket welding is the connection of a pipe with a fitting (bend, tee, transition). Using a special tool with a heating panel, the ends of the connected products are melted and inserted into each other.

The apparatus for this method is a device with a handle and a wedge-shaped heating panel, on both sides of which there are nozzles in the form of rollers for the ends of the pipe and fitting.

The pipe is inserted into a coupling, which heats its outer part and slightly reduces the wall thickness, and the fitting is put on a mandrel, which melts its inner layer. After reaching the desired temperature (260C), the parts are connected.

There is a variant of the device with a heating element made in the form of a rod.

In addition to the tool itself, couplings and mandrels, the kit may include a trimmer, calibrator, chamfer, cutting scissors and other additional equipment.

Important! The outer diameter of polyethylene pipes is always slightly larger than the declared diameter, and the inner diameter of the connecting fitting is slightly smaller. The dimensions of the couplings and mandrels correspond to the nominal ones, so it is impossible to connect them with pipes and fittings without heating.

During the welding process, the outer layer of the pipe when putting on the coupling is heated and squeezed out in the form of a flash. Afterwards, the pipe is combined with a heated fitting and their connected layers are “tightly” fused.

Electrofusion welding

If you have to work in a limited space, or weld already laid sections of communications, welding is used with a machine with special electric couplings.

Before starting work, parts are degreased and cleaned

Important! Do not use sandpaper or other similar abrasive materials for cleaning; this will damage the surface of the polyethylene and lead to damage to the integrity of the seam.

The workpieces are placed in a centralizer for perfect alignment, then their ends are connected using a special coupling. Inside this fitting there are conductive elements, which, after combining with the parts, heat up and the coupling fuses with the ends of the pipes.

Manual welding machine

Consists of:

1. Power supply;
2. Transformer;
3. Control unit.
4. Fittings for electric welded couplings.

All settings in this equipment option are entered manually by the operator in accordance with special tables.

Machine

The same components, but the selection of welding parameters occurs automatically. The operator only needs to enter the data of the products to be connected, the machine will do the rest.

Which device is better?

An automatic device is simpler and more convenient, but many times more expensive than a manual one. Moreover, the latter is more compact and in case of breakdown, it is much easier to repair it automatically.

Still, it is better for a professional welder to purchase an automatic thermistor unit for sleeve welding.

To create a durable monolithic pipe connection unit, you must avoid the following mistakes:

• Failure to bring the parts to be connected all the way when warming up. This will lead to the impossibility of heating to the full depth and to a decrease in the quality of the weld;
• Exceeding the depth of immersion of parts due to too much force. The end of the pipe bends and forms a burr, which reduces the area of ​​the elements being welded;
• Overheating and underheating of parts;
• Increased cooling time;
• Incorrect (non-perpendicular) cutting;
• Misalignment.

To avoid making these mistakes, it is necessary to carefully prepare for the process.

Products must be cut smoothly, trimmed, aligned along axes, and when working with any welding machine for pipes, strictly follow the operating instructions.

It would be useful to watch several videos of soldering machines in operation.

Top 11 devices on the market

To simplify your choice when purchasing a machine, let’s take a look at the top 11 equipment for HDPE welding (electric soldering irons, welding machines, welding machines).

1. Daytron, Czech Republic.
2. "Candan", Türkiye;
3. "REMS", Germany;
4. "Valtek", Russia-Italy;
5. Protva, Russia;
6. Bosch, Germany;
7. "Gerat Weld", Germany;
8. "Sturm", Russia;
9. "Rotorica", Russia.
10. "Aqua Prom", Russia.
11. "SSPT", Russia.

Currently, polyethylene pipes are most often used for various types of pipelines, which have a number of significant advantages over metal ones. Welding is considered the most reliable method of joining polyethylene pipes. This process will require a special machine for welding polyethylene pipes.

Pipe welding equipment

Before installing the system, you should purchase special equipment for welding polyethylene pipes:

• A set consisting of a device for welding PE pipes and various nozzles.
• Pipe cutter - designed for cutting pipes to the required size.
• A chamfer is a tool used to chamfer the ends of welded pipes.

If all the necessary equipment is prepared, the welding process will be easy and fast.

Welding methods

Professional installers of pipeline systems distinguish several types of welding of PE pipes:

1. butt welding;
2. socket welding;
3. electrofusion welding.

Butt welding

This welding method is considered the most common type of pipe connection. This is due to the relative cheapness of the method (a soldering iron for butt welding has a low cost) and the ability to connect pipes of various diameters from 0.5 cm to 120 cm.

For butt welding you will need to go through several stages:

1. prepare the pipes: cut to size and chamfer the ends;
2. heat up the machine for welding PE pipes;
3. insert the ends of the pipes into the prepared equipment and heat to the desired temperature;
4. simultaneously remove both joints and connect them together;
5. hold until the connection cools.

This welding method is not widespread, although the pipe connection is reliable. Socket welding involves connecting a pipe not directly to another pipe, as with butt welding, but welding with a coupling. Since additional fittings are required, the process consequently becomes more expensive.

Most often, this method is used for installing a pipeline indoors and in the presence of a large number of different bends and branches.

Electrofusion welding

Electrofusion or electrofusion welding is performed using a welding machine and special electrofusion couplings. This method of connecting pipes is mainly used for the installation of long pipelines, when butt welding is impossible and in areas of seismic activity.

A coupling is put on the pipe connection, which is connected to a welding machine and heated together with the ends of the pipes.

The choice of the most suitable method for welding polyethylene pipes is determined by the design of the system and the influence of external factors.

Types of devices

For various pipeline installation methods, it is necessary to select a special welding machine for PE pipes. All devices can be divided into two groups:

1. devices for butt welding and socket connections;
2. devices for electrofusion connection.

Both types of welding equipment consist of:

• transformer;
• power block;
• control unit.

All devices can operate from an ordinary electrical network with a voltage of 220 W.

Welding machines for butt welding

Based on the diameter of polyethylene pipes and the required quality of their connections, they are distinguished:

• Manual welding machines. This machine can be used to connect small diameter pipes. The welding process occurs using the heating of the device and the applied effort of the installer.

• Semi-automatic welding machine for PE pipes. A more advanced design that allows welding pipes of sufficiently large diameters. Moreover, the quality of the welding seam is much better than that of a manual machine. Semi-automation involves manually setting the parameters necessary for welding and hydraulically carrying out the process of joining pipes. Using an automatic system, pipes are fed to each other completely centered, which absolutely eliminates shifts and the formation of poor-quality seams.

• Automatic equipment. When using automatic equipment, the entire pipe welding process occurs automatically. Before starting the connection, all the necessary parameters are set to the equipment via a computer. The machine will select the required welding mode itself and then carry out the necessary actions without human intervention.

Depending on the type of welding machine, its cost also changes. Manual equipment is the cheapest, semi-automatic is slightly more expensive, and automatic equipment is the most expensive.

When using automatic equipment for welding pipes, the possibility of errors and obtaining a substandard seam is completely eliminated.

Welding machines for electrofusion joints

A welding machine for polyethylene pipes, with which you can make an electrofusion joint, is a more complex device compared to equipment for butt welding.

Each coupling contains in the form of a bar code the information necessary for its installation. Before carrying out welding work, this information must be stored in the machine. This can be done, depending on the device model, manually or automatically. Most devices are equipped with both methods of inputting information.

Depending on the model and capabilities of the machines, they may or may not be able to save the necessary data and write them to a flash card. If such a function is supported by the device, then there is no need to enter information several times when using the same type of couplings.

As a rule, the device displays information about temperature conditions, welding time, and heating power. After the pipes are directly connected, the device emits an audible signal.

The cost of devices for electrofusion joints, as well as the electrofusion couplings themselves, is very high, so they are used by specialized teams or companies professionally engaged in laying various pipelines.

Connecting pipes using electric couplings is carried out only in exceptional cases when butt welding is unacceptable due to the conditions.

The choice of machines for welding polyethylene pipes is determined by the requirements for pipeline installation and surrounding natural conditions. When laying pipes indoors for domestic needs, it is enough to have a basic welding device.

PE pipes have many advantages. They are durable, environmentally friendly, not subject to corrosion processes, are resistant to chemically active environments, and their inner surface does not become overgrown over time. Among other things, polyethylene (HDPE) is a material that welds well. In the TsSP company catalog you can buy a suitable welding machine for plastic pipes and much other equipment.

The connection of pipes made of polyethylene occurs using special machines and devices. The two most popular types of welding of polyethylene pipes (HDPE): butt and electrofusion.

Electrofusion welding of polyethylene (HDPE) pipes

Compared to the butt method, this method is more expensive, since its implementation involves the use of more expensive fittings equipped with built-in heating elements. The advantage of electrofusion welding is the ability to work in confined spaces. The use of HDPE butt welding machines in cramped conditions is sometimes simply impossible, and couplings are often the only alternative.

The electrofusion welding method is as follows: a coupling (fitting), equipped with an embedded heater, is put on the joint to be welded. Welding of polyethylene pipes is carried out using a special apparatus. Voltage is applied to the heating element of the machine. When heated, it melts the surface of the pipeline and coupling, thereby forming a strong and tight connection. The main advantages of machines for welding HDPE using the sleeve method are lightness and compactness. In addition, they do not consume a lot of electricity and are easy to operate.

When creating permanent connections, this method is the most popular and universal. The resulting butt welds are practically in no way inferior in strength to neighboring areas. The pipeline itself, in terms of flexibility, tightness and reliability, is not much different from a solid product.

PE pipes are connected using the butt method in the following sequence:

1. The pipes to be welded are installed with the corresponding ends in a machine for welding polyethylene pipes.
2. The ends of the pipes are cleaned and machined using a facing tool.
3. A mirror is installed between the ends to be welded, and the ends are heated and melted, which are pressed against the HDPE welding machine.
4. The pipes are removed from the working area of ​​the mirror.
5. The molten ends are pressed against each other with a given force and held until the joint cools under a certain pressure.

The advantages of joining using a butt welding machine for polyethylene pipes (HDPE) include the following factors:

1. No more than two workers are required to complete the work.
2. There is no need to involve specialized equipment or heavy machinery.
3. Low energy costs. Laying a pipeline made of low-density polyethylene (HDPE) is easier and faster compared to installing its metal counterpart. The last factor is especially relevant when laying long pipes, which makes it possible to reduce the number of welding operations by up to 100 times.

When making a connection using the butt method, care should be taken to ensure that the following parameters are identical for the fittings and pipes: wall thickness, diameter and grade of polymer. At the same time, the quality of work largely depends on the correct choice of the HDPE welding machine and the qualifications of the welder.

You can buy equipment for welding polyethylene pipes from the Plastics Welding Center company. We offer modern and efficient machines for processing polyethylene products at the best prices. You can also order machines for making fittings, band-cutting machines, manual welding extruders, machines for welding HDPE into a socket and much other equipment for processing or welding polyethylene pipes.