Smarter Fabrication, More Capacity

For Manufacturing Month, TransTech Fabrication is highlighting a $1.2 million automation investment designed to reduce production time, expand capacity and keep skilled welders focused on higher-value work.

Manufacturing Day is a chance to celebrate the people, processes, and technology that keeps American manufacturing moving forward.

At TransTech Fabrication's McGregor, Texas facility, that progress is taking shape in a new robotic Growing Line designed to automate one of the most labor-intensive steps in pressure vessel fabrication.

The $1.2 million investment automatically aligns, fits up, tack-welds and completes the internal weld on the cylindrical shell cans that form the body of large pressure vessels. On its first production vessel, the system is already delivering nearly the labor savings engineers projected for a fully ramped-up operation.

For customers, the value goes beyond automation for automation's sake. The new equipment is helping TransTech Fabrication increase production capacity, reduce time spent on repetitive fabrication steps and create more flexibility to support growing demand.

Reducing a 10-Hour Process to About One Hour

Before the Growing Line was installed, fitting and completing the internal weld on a shell-can joint typically required two to three skilled welders working with a manual turning-roll setup.

The McGregor facility averaged approximately 10 labor-hours per shell-can fit-up and internal weld.

The new PEMA Growing Line, paired with a Lincoln Electric robotic Sub-Arc welding station, is designed to allow a single operator to complete the same step in roughly one hour, reducing direct labor on that portion of the fabrication process by about 90 percent.

And the early results are already close to that target.

The original project goal was to save approximately nine labor-hours per shell can. On the first production vessel, the system is already saving around eight hours per can, even before operators have completed the full learning curve on the new equipment.

That means less time spent on a repetitive fabrication step and more skilled labor available elsewhere in the shop.

 

More Capacity Without Sacrificing Skilled Labor

Automation is sometimes framed as a way to replace people. That is not the goal at TransTech Fabrication.

Instead, the Growing Line allows experienced welders to spend less time on repetitive fit-up and internal welding and more time on other critical fabrication work throughout the facility.

At a single 10-hour shift, the system has capacity for up to 2,600 shell-can fit-ups and internal welds per year, well above the plant's current production requirements even with continued growth.

That additional headroom matters to customers.

It gives TransTech Fabrication more ability to absorb increasing production volume while making better use of the skilled workforce already in place. As demand grows, the shop can increase output without relying entirely on adding more skilled welding headcount.

The result is a manufacturing operation designed to be more flexible when schedules tighten and production needs increase.

The Equipment Is Only Part of the Improvement

The team is also looking beyond the Growing Line itself.

TransTech engineers are implementing a k-bevel weld joint design for the shell cans that is expected to reduce both weld material and weld time by more than 50 percent per joint.

The redesigned joint is also expected to eliminate the back-gouging step from the process, potentially saving an additional four to six hours per weld joint on top of the gains already delivered by the Growing Line.

That combination of new equipment and process improvement is an important part of the investment.

The goal is not simply to automate an old process. It is to rethink how the work is done so the equipment, weld design and skilled workforce all work together more efficiently.

 

What Manufacturing Innovation Means for Customers

For customers ordering large pressure vessels, manufacturing improvements ultimately matter when they help the shop respond more effectively to project demand.

• Increase fabrication capacity as production volume grows

• Reduce labor time on shell-can fit-up and internal welding

• Free experienced welders for other critical fabrication work

• Create additional production flexibility during periods of high demand

• Support future growth without requiring equivalent increases in skilled welding headcount

Those benefits are already beginning to show on the line's first production vessel.

TransTech Fabrication continues to invest in automation, workforce development and process improvement at its McGregor facility, with the goal of building manufacturing capacity before customers need it.

For Manufacturing Month, the Growing Line is one example of what modern manufacturing looks like at TransTech: new technology supporting skilled people, stronger processes and greater capacity to serve customers.

Frequently Asked Questions About TransTech Fabrication's Growing Line

What is the Growing Line used for?

The Growing Line automates the alignment, fit-up, tack welding and internal welding of cylindrical shell cans used to fabricate large pressure vessels.

How much time can the Growing Line save?

The previous process averaged about 10 labor-hours per shell-can fit-up and internal weld. The new system is designed to complete that same step in roughly one hour. Early production results are already showing approximately eight hours of labor savings per shell can.

How does this investment benefit pressure vessel customers?

The system expands production capacity and reduces labor time on a repetitive fabrication step, giving TransTech Fabrication more flexibility to support increased production demand while allowing skilled welders to focus on other critical work.

Is TransTech Fabrication replacing welders with automation?

No. The investment is designed to redeploy skilled labor rather than reduce headcount. By automating repetitive portions of the fabrication process, experienced welders can focus on other value-added work across the plant. 

Where is the Growing Line located?

The system is installed at TransTech Fabrication's pressure vessel manufacturing facility in McGregor, Texas.