Flame

brazing
machinery

Flame brazing machinery

(a transition from Themis, a.s. to PP-tech, s.r.o. completed)

By Mr. Pavel PROCHÁZKA – founder, owner and CEO of

PP-tech, s.r.o., 1.máje 2633, CZ-756 61 Rožnov p.R., Czech Republic, www.pp-tech.eu

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Foreword

The paper introduces PP-tech, s.r.o. as a brazing machinery renowned

supplier, outlines background to staff and knowledge transfer from
Themis,a.s. to PP-tech, s.r.o. and, of course, presents advanced methods
of brazing process control and their recent refinements.

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Contents
2 Foreword
3 Contents
4 Transition Themis —> PP-tech
5 PP-tech in CZ/EU
6 Brazing facilities
8 Brazing machinery by PP-tech
9 Accessories to brazing machinery
10 Brazing machinery customised package philosophy
11 Flame brazing process specifics and demands
12 Flame brazing process control
13 „Intelligent“ wire feeder – fig.
14 CCD camera – fig.
15 New concept – comparison
16 Showcases
18 Conclusion

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Transition Themis —> PP-tech

In May 2006, during the 4th Alu Congress, I gave, on behalf of Themis, a.s., a paper on „Advanced
flame brazing process control“. Many things have changed since.

Themis quit from the field of brazing by spring 2009. Soon thereafter, by June, 2009, PP-tech, s.r.o.
was founded, acquired technical know-how and accommodated former technical staff of
Themis/Thevia and from 2010 has been fully back in the business of flame brazing.

Crucial to transition process was a transfer of drawings and plans archive (gathered at Themis over
the years in the field), legally and financially settled in early 2010.

Since then we at PP-tech, s.r.o. have delivered over 20 flame brazing machines of various designs,
added to some 125 Themis’s machines we now service and maintain..

www.pp-tech.eu

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 PP-tech in CZ/EU

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Brazing facilities 1/2

Design line-up Description Application ID Performance

single box blocks, valves to formed pipes, short pipes to cores up to 60 pcs
Boxes TA5049
flame heating aluminium, steel, non-ferrous metals per hour
dual/twin box blocks, valves to formed pipes, short pipes to cores up to 90 pcs
(no support motion) TA5090
flame heating aluminium, steel per hour
Shuttles 2/3-station shuttle pipes (inlet/outlet) to cores up to 60 pcs
(ex. Themis)
(linear support motion) flame heating aluminium per hour
Carrousels 4-station carrousel short pipes to cores, blocks/fittings/peanuts to up to 100 pcs
TA3790-PYB
flame heating pipes aluminium, steel, non-ferrous metals per hour
8-station carrousel pipes to adaptors, blocks/fittings/peanuts to pipes TA3525C up to 200 pcs
(indexing table) flame heating aluminium, steel, non-ferrous metals TA3790-EYC per hour
10-station carrousel short pipes to manifolds
Automated brazing 3-axis robot Fully automated process sequence (from loading up to 300 pcs
to brazing to unloading to visual check to good/NG TA4254
cell CCD visual check per hour
flame heating selection). No operator. Aluminium

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Brazing facilities 2/2

Design line-up Description Application ID Performance

drawer design concept multiple return U-bents on air-con heat exchangers

2 to 8 hairpin rows, 1 to 3 exchangers/drawer up to 40
TA4246 drawers per
acetylene/oxygen + vapourised flux hour
Flame travelling burner array copper/CuP rings
chamber chain conveyor multiple return U-bents on air-con heat exchangers
2 to 4 hairpin rows, single product/pallete up to 60 pallets
TA4387-9
propane/oxygen + vapourised flux per hour
travelling product copper/CuP rings
towel radiator brazing m/c "ladder-like" towel radiators
20 to 37 rungs 10-11 pcs per
Flame nest TA4197
acetylene/oxygen + vapourised flux hour
trolley/travelling burner array mild steel/brass filler - wire
commutator brazing AC motors commutators, revolving support approx. 6 sec
Specialties ohmic heating copper/filler strip TA3740
per lamella

burner arrays Specifically designed, reflecting requirements for misc. w.n.a.

Accessories easy and fast product model changeover. Mostly
brazing fixtures made of stainless steel AISI316. misc. w.n.a.

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Brazing machinery by PP-tech

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Accessories to brazing machinery

Burner array (2x4 burners)

Brazing fixture (valve to pipe brazing)

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Brazing machinery customised package
philosophy

Client‘s requirements (as to the process features, characteristics, specifications,

particularities and limitations) are always carefully consulted, evaluated and
followed throughout all design stages (i.e. from conceptual sketches through 3D
modelling to manufacturing drawings), thus resulting in a unique, customised
machine, nonetheless typically built upon our „standard-modularized“ line-up of
boxes and carrousels.

We always aim to deliver a turn-key package to our Clients, i.e. customised

machine with fitted accessory and functional process settings (set and verified
during brazing trials preceeding a machine overhaul).

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Flame brazing process specifics and demands

Flame brazing alternates and/or substitutes brazing in furnaces when:

• Brazed parts are of complicated shape
(e.g. heat exchangers and pipe manifolds for car air-con systems)
• Easy and fast job-change is needed
• Small-lot production is being run (batches not justifiable for costly CABs)

But, due its principle of localised (spot) flame heating, it faces following challenges:
• Changing environment around the machine (temperature, humidity, air draught)
• Gas quality (calorific capacity) fluctuations
• Human (error) factor

Better process stability and costs/yield ratio of flame brazing can be achieved by:
• Higher level of brazing process control
• Reduction of human error

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Flame brazing process control
Conventional approach
(Neither long-time process stability nor adaptability to local and
current fluctuations granted.)
Timer
Based on trial and experience "normal" heating and brazing cycle
timings are set, likely to guarantee an acceptable process stability
and repeatability.
However no industrial environment is free from fluctuation. Thus any
Timer controlled process sooner or later becomes instable and
unreliable - and re-adjustment of Timer settings is needed.
Spot temperature detection (infrapyrometer)
Spot surface temperature is remotely detected:
• either on brazed product itself (a convenient spot close to the joint
(inapplicable to heated Alu surfaces due their indefinable Al2O3
surface layer emissivity – „dirty mirror“ phenomenon)
• or supporting structure of brazing jig.
Either way, the spot temperature (closer or farther to brazed joint)
shows neither an actual filler status (i.e. if it is already melted or only
begins to melt) nor its actual behaviour.
7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012
Advanced process control
(Developed in Themis, transferred and refined/upgraded in PP-tech)
Intelligent wire feeder
Principle:
The feeder itself monitors the wire tip behaviour, recognises beginning
and rate of its meltdown.The read-outs self-control wire feeding rate and
flame intensity interaction.
Main advantages of the self-controlling system:
Punctual start of the wire feeding
Real-time control of brazing process
Proper filler penetration into the joint
Instant abortion of both wire feed and heating if a non-standard brazing
condition occurs.
Punctual termination of properly concluded brazing process
CCD camera
Principle:
A dynamic image of the joint is taken and digitally processed; compared
with pre-set template and differences are looked for. A signal generated
triggers flame intensity modulation.
Main advantages of the self-controlling system:
Prevention of the human error (costs saving effect)
Heat input correlated to filler actual status and behaviour
Process data storage capability, thus easy statistical evaluation
 „Intelligent“ wire feeder – fig.

a) temperature test b) start of wire feeding

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 CCD camera – fig.

The areas marked with red rectangle and circles are monitored

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Conventional approach vs.advanced process control –
comparison

Conventional Advanced
Feature approach process control

Filler status detection (meltdown

no yes
recognition)

Active (adaptive) flame

no yes
modulation

Human error elimination no yes

Overheating and burning

no yes
prevention

Real-time process control no yes

Instant process abortion if

no yes
irregularity occurs

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Showcase – intelligent wire feeder

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Showcase – CCD camera unit

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012

 Conclusion

Three years into my own business (nonethleless preceeded by a decade in the field
under the flag of Themis) I dare to believe PP-tech, s.r.o. already established its position
on the market.

We not only simply go on with the machine designs inherited from Themis, surely we
cultivate them, reflecting latest developments in legislation as well as design trends,
nevertheless always bearing in mind the golden „KISS“ design principle.

Both advanced methods of flame brazing process control mentioned have been proved in
long-time industrial environment in brazing of Aluminum components of HVAC
applications as well as domestic Air-conditioning units.

At PP-tech, we turned the single-purpose custom made unique applications of CCD camera
and Intelligent wire feeder into widely used versatile tools based on common industrial-
grade systems such as Omron, Siemens, Allen Bradley etc.

7th International Aluminium Brazing Congress, Düsseldorf, May 2012