Technical expertise makes the difference in welding

Welding is craftsmanship, but finding qualified personnel today is no easy task. Abicor Binzel wants to support its customers in this in every possible way. Since its inception, the manufacturer of welding and cutting torches has maintained its independence in order to provide sound advice and share technical knowledge. Abicor Binzel also keeps its finger on the pulse of new developments solutions for cobots, fume extraction and e-mobility that in turn bear witness to that expertise. Because whatever hypes may promise, basic knowledge will remain the prerequisite for achieving a beautiful end result.

It is always a compromise between extracting as efficiently as possible at the source and allowing the welder to work as comfortably as possible Abicor Binzel has already invested and continues to invest heavily to make that compromise as good as possible.

Abicor Binzel began its international expansion in the 1970s with the development of the Euroconnector. Technical knowledge was what made the difference back then. In 1980, it was Abicor Binzel Benelux's turn. "Our founding then coincided with the first edition of a welding fair. An excellent moment to show what we had to offer in order to support welders," remembers Jan Laerte. In the meantime, Abicor Binzel is present on all continents and can call itself the market leader in welding and cutting torches. On the one hand due to the strength in the breadth of the range that was supplemented by the necessary welding accessories and robotic periphery systems. On the other by its independent position in the market. Laerte: "That gives us a unique position, against the current market trend. A necessary one to fulfill our role of technical support. We can steer developments ourselves from R&D."

Abicor Binzel's technology also allows the hair pins on the head of copper rods in electric motors to be connected.

Safe cobot welding

One of the hypes of the moment are welding robots, collaborative robots for welding that have the advantage over their big brothers of intuitive programming and lower cost. Especially for smaller workpieces, they can add value. "Safety, however, is crucial. A cobot may be inherently safe, but that does not make the application safe," indicates product manager Jean-Paul Depessemier. "Especially with welding that involves additional hazards due to spatter, UV light, protruding wire ... That's why an integrated control that can influence all welding parameters is the only safe option. After all, if the cobot stops because it may represent a danger, you have to be sure that the welding process also stops. This can only be done by integrated control. It is the only way to be able to get CE marking for your application after going through a risk analysis. And that's what Abicor Binzel can provide."

Developments focus on lighter, more comfortable and better to use. (Image: Photo Studio Wiegand)

Efficient and convenient spot extraction

A second topic around which a lot is happening is fume extraction. "When the standards tighten, we always see a rush, as is happening now in Britain," Laerte says. "However, it is always a compromise between extracting as efficiently as possible at the source and allowing the welder to work as comfortably as possible. You can't avoid the fact that volume around the torch will be added and weight will increase. Abicor Binzel has already invested and continues to invest heavily to make that compromise as good as possible." Developments focus on lighter, more comfortable and better to use. "A great example of this are our air-cooled MB EVO PRO welding guns with the innovative lightweight BIKOX LW that can save up to 34% in weight," Depessemier adds. "That guarantees optimum user comfort in all welding positions and will therefore also be a very interesting technology for welding torches with spot extraction."

Solutions for E-mobility

The fact that Abicor Binzel is no stranger to major automobile manufacturers is partly due to the intense cooperation with Scansonic. Together they market a system to make automatic laser welding much easier. To follow the weld, the welding wire serves as a guide. In other words, no additional sensors or cameras are needed for positioning the laser head and adjusting the parameters. Abicor Binzel guarantees with its MASTER FEEDER that the wire feeding is particularly fast and extremely precise. For electric cars, the welding seam will become even more crucial. They are a lot heavier, due to components such as the battery, so manufacturers want to save weight elsewhere, without sacrificing strength. This makes Scansonic and Abicor Binzel's solutions all the more desirable. "Our optics and wire feeders also help raise capacity because of their speed," Depessemier remembers. "We can also connect the hair pins on the head of the copper rods in the electric motor with our technology. However, the challenges are not minus. They are minuscule, super conductive and there is often insulation material nearby. Again, technical expertise makes all the difference in achieving a working solution."