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Case Study: RTJ Groove Non-oscillation Linear Automatic Surfacing Solution

Project Background & Industry Pain Points

Conventional RTJ (Ring Type Joint) groove hardfacing operations predominantly rely on two mature industrial welding processes, which suffer from inherent technical and operational limitations:

• Manual orbital contour hardfacing: Necessitates extensive human-machine intervention throughout operation, resulting in low throughput and inconsistent weld bead formation.

• Oscillatory weaving hardfacing: Induces non-uniform thermal heat input across the fusion zone. Porosity defects frequently emerge at workpiece transition and splice junctions, triggering high component scrap rates and substantial rework expenditures.

Innovative Solution

To address the longstanding bottlenecks of RTJ groove welding, FITco developed a proprietary non-oscillatory linear fully automatic hardfacing algorithm. This engineered process enables unattended continuous welding with zero on-site manual operation, delivering consistent and homogenized thermal input during the entire cladding deposition cycle.

All clad workpieces successfully passed the client’s full-scale on-site metallurgical and dimensional quality verification. This process solution effectively minimizes post-weld remediation work, optimizes on-site production workflows, and substantially elevates overall manufacturing operational efficiency.

On-site Application Case

This tailored automatic welding program maintains full functional compatibility with FITCO ETR series hardfacing systems. Deployed at Jianhu Hongda Valve Fittings Co., Ltd., ETR series automated welding equipment has achieved full-scenario cladding coverage for critical valve components, including runner bore wall hardfacing and planar flange surface hardfacing.