Aussie hi-tech welder to join global defence industry
A manufacturer of hi-tech welding equipment is embarking on a joint project with a huge global player that it hopes will help it gain a foothold in the lucrative defence manufacturing sector. K-TIG Limited, based in Adelaide, South Australia, has commercialised Australian CSIRO technology to weld materials faster and stronger than traditional techniques. Until now, the publicly-listed company has focused on the pipe, tank and pressure vessel industries. But this week, K-TIG signed a Memorandum of Understanding with major Korean company Hanwha Defence Group and Hanwha Defence Australia, to develop advanced keyhole welding procedures for armoured applications. Hanwha is South Korea’s largest defence company and also operates in aerospace, fintech, mining and clean energy. It is also the preferred supplier for the Australian Army’s Land 8116 self-propelled artillery project and shortlisted for the Land400 Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle project. The K-TIG system can perform a traditional six-hour weld in less than four minutes to a quality standard and, unlike traditional welding, it requires no edged preparation or filler materials. K-TIG managing director Adrian Smith said the MOU with Hanwha would trigger a 24-week joint project to demonstrate the K-TIG technology in Adelaide on the specific defence materials at specific joint geometries to prove its “superior hardness characteristics”. “Traditionally when you weld two pieces of armour together you change the mechanical properties because you melt the metal and recrystallise it around the joint and the joint is not as hard as the base metal,” he said. “But our technology and the way we weld in a single pass involves much less degradation in the strength of the joint so our joint hardness is comparable to the base metals plus we have less defects. A Hanwha k9 self-propelled howitzer. Picture: Hanwha Defence. “Once we’ve proven the suitability then we will look […]