Thick Plate & Multi-Pass Welding Experts
Welding 10mm steel plate is entirely different from welding a 150mm thick section for a massive offshore rig leg or pressure vessel. Heavy structural welding introduces intense heat input challenges, extreme residual stresses, and the need for flawless penetration profiles to pass UT and X-Ray inspections.
At Openex, our 180-acre facility is purposefully engineered for extreme-scale fabrication. Supported by 55 heavy-lifting gantry cranes up to 250-tons in capacity, we can manipulate colossal weldments. This allows our certified master welders to lay massive, multi-pass continuous beads in optimal flat (1G/2G) positions.
Primary Heavy Welding Techniques
🔥 Submerged Arc (SAW)
Our absolute workhorse for massive components. Deployed on column and boom manipulators for huge continuous seams on thick cylinders, pipe casings, and deep girders.
- ✔ Extreme deposition rates
- ✔ Ultimate x-ray cleanliness
- ✔ Excellent for thick pressure vessels
🔥 FCAW / MCAW
Flux-Cored and Metal-Cored arc welding provide superior deep penetration for heavy, complex structures like machine beds and massive excavator arms where out-of-position welding is required.
- ✔ High all-position efficiency
- ✔ Deep weld penetration profiles
- ✔ Excellent slag coverage and control
🔥 Deep Groove Welding
For extremely thick plates (up to 200mm+), our narrow gap/deep groove capabilities dramatically reduce weld volume, significantly minimizing total heat input, distortion, and production time.
- ✔ Reduces required filler metal
- ✔ Minimizes thermal distortion
- ✔ High joint toughness
🔥 Overlay & Cladding
Used primarily in Oil & Gas and mining applications, we can precisely weld-overlay thick layers of Inconel, stainless, or extreme wear-resistant alloys over massive carbon steel bases.
- ✔ Inconel and exotic cladding
- ✔ Hardfacing for extreme wear
- ✔ Automated overlay processing
The Positioning Advantage
When making heavy continuous weld passes, gravity plays a massive role in bead appearance and structural strength. Because we possess an expansive inventory of head-tailstock positioners, massive turning rolls, and rotators, our welders never have to compromise. We physically rotate 150+ ton structures seamlessly to ensure gravity feeds the molten pool identically from start to finish.
| Capability Specifications | Operational Capacity |
|---|---|
| Max Weldment Lifting Limit | 250 Tons per unit indoors. |
| Thickness & Multi-Pass Limit | Can perform structural 100% full-penetration welding on sections exceeding 150mm. |
| Primary Governing Codes | ASME Section VIII, ASME Section IX, AWS D1.1, DNV-OS-C401. |
| Rotators / Positioning limits | Turning Rolls capacity: 150 Tons | Welding Boom manipulator reach: 6 meters height x 5 meters extended. |
| Alloy Proficiency | Carbon Structural Steels, Chromoly Steels, Wear Resistant (Hardox), Duplex Stainless. |
