Aiming towards a better weld
January 1st 2004

Kemppis continual investment in R&D means that its products are technically very advanced. Here IP&E spoke to John Frost to find out more of what the company has to offer I n the words of John Frost, Kemppi (UK)s director, sales and marketing, Kemppi manufactures and markets High performance welding systems and equipment that meet the needs of customers over a wide range of industries. Kemppi is a Finnish company started in 1949 and has a continuous history of technical innovation and development in welding products. Welding is the companys business and its approach and how it feels about its business is clearly seen in the companys slogan The Joy of welding. In the Summer of 2003, Kemppi opened its new, purpose-built, UK headquarters in Bedford an impressive investment that reflects a little piece of Finland even having its own sauna! The welding equipment marketplace is very competitive with a number of companies producing basic technology, inexpensive welding equipment. Kemppis approach though is the antithesis of this pile it high and sell it cheap formula, evidenced in the technical sophistication and quality approach of its products. John Frost says that the company Always looks to technology. We are selling knowledge. This technical knowledge is demonstrated in such details as the sophistication as well as the smooth contoured styling of the Kemppi Master 2500 and 3500 MLS MMA welding machines, the Kemppi Mastertig MLS 2500 and 3500 and in the lightweight, portability of the hugely successful Kemppi Minarc 110 and 140. The Kemppi Pro Evolution digital multi process range based around its innovative welding software package, is perhaps the best example of the companys technical sophistication. Pro Evolution provides the opportunity for users to choose their own optimized equipment with welding parameters to meet their own welding requirements through its modular design (there are 100 different variations to select from). The one thing that is clearly evidenced to the welder about Kemppi welding machines, is that although they are technologically advanced they are very easy to use. Kemppis range of welding machines, their functionality and styling reflects the fact that as John Frost says: The customer today is very demanding. In order to cope with these demands Kemppi has more than 100 dealers across the UK, giving nationwide sales and service coverage. Plus, in order to ensure that its dealers are kept up to date with its products, the new facility at Bedford boasts a high-tech training facility. Here, in a comfortable, clean and technologically up-to-date environment Kemppi is able to provide both theoretical and hands-on practical learning for those who need to deal with customer enquiries every day. As John maintains Its not just about the product, its about the structures that sit around the product. This technical advancement that Kemppis products demonstrate, relates directly to the companys history of innovation. A high percentage of the Finnish based staff is dedicated to R&D as the company looks to bring something fresh to the market place every year, i.e. not just a cosmetic tinkering but genuine problem solving equipment that meet end user customer demands. A recent example of this problem- solving technology is Kemppis Weldsnake - a product that claims to revolutionise aluminium and stainless steel MIG/MAG welding. The product addresses the problems a welder faces when using a traditional 3 to 4.5m long MIG gun and hose, where his welding equipment is not close enough to his point of working or the work piece is so large that his hose and torch does not reach to the top of it. The traditional solution has been to use a Push-Pull system or to bring the equipment closer to the work using a boom system. However, these options increase the welding costs. Kemppis DL-teflon liner with its two layer construction, makes it possible to give the welder a wider operating range using 6 to 8m long Weldsnake lightweight MIG guns. This is because the DL-teflon wire reduces the force required to push wire through the feed line to about 1/6th in a process previously dependent on heavy and cumbersome motor driven Push-Pull torches. The WS MIG gun is a lightweight solution for situations where extended reach is required and the wire feeder cannot be placed or moved near to the point of welding. Weldsnake has been designed to fit the welders hand providing excellent access even in the narrowest of work spaces. There are two Weldsnake products available. The WS 30W 6/8m water cooled 300A and the WS 42W 6/8m water cooled 400A. WS MIG guns, both suitable for use with 1.2 aluminium and 1 to 1.2mm stainless steel wires. Welding Safely As well as manufacturing its range of welding machines, Kemppi also manufactures its own range of welding safety products, in the form of welding helmets and motorised respirator masks. These products are made with the same attention to detail and quality approach as the companys welding equipment and therefore what they offer also benefits from the companys large investment in R&D. The new Beta lightweight welding helmets offer greater performance and improved styling on earlier helmets. This reflects the fact that, todays generation of welders are very safety conscious and the company wanted its new helmets to offer increased head coverage and improvements in protection against radiation from the welding arc as well as weld spatter. This they have achieved without compromising the welders comfort and operating visibility. The Beta 60A, 90A and 90X helmets are fitted with auto-darkening LCD filters. The Betafresh 90 and 90X motorised respiratory units afford high levels of protection, with a 100% screening factor, meeting safety requirements covering dust, solid/liquid aerosol, smoke as well as welding fumes. The Betafresh 90 has a TH1P-class airflow mask, whose maximum total leakage allowance for particle-level impurities is 10%, while the airflow mask in the Betafresh 90X has TH2P class approval, for which the max leakage allowance is 2%. Their main filter is a P3-class filter for particle level impurities, filtering out particles larger than 0.1microns. Reader Offer Kemppi is offering readers of IP&E a chance to experience its technology with an exclusive chance to win one of five Beta lightweight welding helmets that the company is giving away. All readers have to do is tell us what is Kemppis slogan and they will be entered into the prize draw. Enter the appropriate letter alongside the reader enquiry number on your reader enquiry card. Is it? a) The Joy of the weld b) The Joy of welding c) The Joy of the welder

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