Everything changes when you find yourself faced with unusual proportions: points of view, sensations, even time seems to flow differently.
These are the first sensations once I arrived in Bahrain on a construction site with large diameter pipes that saw a DELTA 1600 HDR in use: a welding machine with hydraulic clamp movement and a working range of 800 to 1600 mm.
Here, we have thought about the future, with the construction of a modern and welcoming residential neighborhood on the artificial island of Al Madina Al Shamaliya.
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I’m greeted by a mild winter climate, but above all by a steady sea breeze, bringing with it fine sand and humid air. Around me, a landscape that at times seems lunar, made even more fantastical…by a long, mysterious black snake.
Here they weld km and km of PE100 pipe Ø 1200 mm with SDR 26 intended to collect water from offshore and subject it to desalination and treatment.
I walk around the welding machine, looking at it over and over again, and most of all, I remember it, when my colleagues were setting it up in the department months before. Seeing it now in this strange environment, it almost seems small, despite it being a massive 5-ton welding machine.
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On the construction site, a supervisor pays utmost attention to everyone’s safety; after all, only large-scale equipment is used here. And in terms of safety, the Delta 1600 offers multiple advantages. The raised workstation provides protection for the operator while also acting as the area’s director, thanks to his or her clear view of the construction site and the welding machine.
A crane is always available to move the pipes for welding. The site coordinator sets the pace and takes notes to avoid downtime. The key is to avoid wasting time.
The Ritmo welding machine, with its powerful hydraulic clamps, is equipped with a significant saving in working hours. In just a few minutes, all the clamps are open without the need for mechanical equipment. Suddenly, the DELTA 1600 becomes majestic and imposing, creating a contrast between « giant and light. »
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The hydraulic clamp offers a further advantage in terms of “grip” on the pipe, avoiding annoying slipping during the pushing phases of the cylinders, which can happen with an incorrect manual closure.
The welding section is still long, with 4 km to go before completion, and as the days go by, temperatures will begin to rise sharply. But this won’t worry the welder, as it’s equipped with a heat exchanger for the hydraulic circuit.
On the job site, ensuring the Delta 1600’s welds are always perfect, we find « The Inspector, » Ritmo’s data logger that monitors and records the welder’s entire work cycle. The device is equipped with an internal memory for 1,000 work cycles and a GPS module. This is further proof of a « Ritmo system » designed and focused on quality work on the job site.
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This day has flown by and is now over.
I can tell by the colors that light up the sky as I watch yet another weld come together perfectly, with a smooth, symmetrical bead.
As evening falls, the floodlights illuminate the construction site; the machine is retooled for the following day, ready to immediately begin a new welding sequence.
I observe everything, and suddenly I feel like I’m in a movie; inside… a film set, where all the spotlight is on the protagonist: the welder.
Pleasantly amazed, I think back to the first sensation: “Everything changes when you find yourself faced with unusual proportions: points of view, sensations, even time seems to flow differently… like when you experience certain emotions while watching a film.”
