Pharmaceutical Plant Achieves 99.4% First-Pass Weld Rate on High-Purity Lines

The Challenge

A European sterile API manufacturer was facing unacceptable weld quality on its high-purity water and utility lines. Manual TIG welding produced internal discoloration (heat tint), fish-eye porosity and inconsistent root profiles, driving a first-pass acceptance rate of only 85%. Rework meant re-polishing, re-passivation and repeated contamination-risk shutdowns, and every weld had to comply with ASME BPE and SIP/sterile requirements.

The Solution

HYZONT supplied a closed-chamber orbital welding system with a dedicated high-purity welding head and automatic argon back-purging. The closed chamber fully isolates the weld zone from atmosphere, eliminating internal oxidation, while stored WPS programs guarantee a repeatable, documented weld for every joint. Operators with no prior orbital experience were fully trained in two days.

Results

First-pass acceptance climbed to 99.4% and weld cycle time dropped by 62%. The visual/internal weld finish passed ASME BPE audits with no discoloration, eliminating re-polishing entirely. Full weld-data logging (current, voltage, rotation speed, gas flow per joint) now provides complete traceability for validation dossiers.