Hello, I'm a newbie to the forum and was hoping to get some input from the members here on your choice of orbital welder brand. We currently use the Swagelok brand D75 welder for mostly 1/4" stainless steel semiconductor process lines here at the University of California Berkeley, but are now in the market for a replacement welder. I'm doing the research and didn't even really know all the players in the orbital welder market. I think I've now gotten most of the brands down, but don't really know which I should consider before others. Can I get some advice on which brands might be the leaders in the industry and any other things I should consider before making a decision on which to purchase? I've been pretty happy with the Swagelok, but with ARC, Liburdi, AMI, Weld Logic among others being available I want to hear what others think of those brands as well. We're looking for a lightweight, relatively compact package that can be used for bench welding as well as in tight confines and that can be used to weld to the Swagelok Microfit fittings in 1/4" - 1/2" O.D. sizes. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Mike Linan
We just bought two AMI 307's. They have one of the most if not thee most advanced controls on the markert. We are currently running Windows XP. The price is fair for what you get. If you are on a budget, there are good low cost units made by others.
We have had Liburdi's before too. The Liburdi Orbitigs we have now are no longer supported in terms of spare parts. That is the downside for those people. After 6-8 years, they will just tell you to buy a new system if your old one poops out. AMI has supported some of their old units for 20 years or so. The old Hobart weld heads on our Liburdi's have ceramic insulators. If the head on our system is opened when the electrode is not in the home position, the insulators break and replacements are $400 each. It happens often too. The AMI weld heads are made from indestructable plastic resins. We have crashed them many times and so far have zero damage.
I would have to agree the AMI's are the better machines and that's what the UA promotes and most of there training for orbitals are on AMI's.
Everywhere I've been AMI is the industry standard. However I've run Swagelocks machines and I like them, but due to the availability of parts etc. if I was buying I'd go with AMI.
AMI model 207, with a 500 and 750 head and associated collets and cassettes. This is a workhorse of a machine. Its way more durable than what I've used from Dimetrics and is a standard in the high purity market. Great product support and parts availability. Buy a 500 head for your micro work and a 750 for better fit up and productive repeatability ( the 500 requires greater operator skill with regards to tube alignment and purge fitting selection and is much more delicate ).
Thanks to everyone who replied. You've confirmed the conclusion I was leaning towards and that is we should purchase an AMI welder. Our Swagelok D75 welder has given us good service for 15 years, but it has had it's problems and the micro head fixtures have proven to be prone to damage more than I'd like them to be. Again, thanks.
Hello Mike,
I'm also doing research for a new orbital welder. Do you still have the research you made? It would be great if I could see your research.
Yours sincerely,
Randall van Haarst
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