Effective October 1, 2015 Formtek will discontinue the building of Yoder Gen 2 Power Supplies (sometimes referred to as Square Wave Power Supplies) frequently seen in ERW Welding Systems. Aftermarket support will be limited, based on available supply of components, and will cease as of April 1, 2016.
This difficult decision was influenced by a number of factors, including:
- Component obsolescence and lack of modern equivalents
- Inefficiencies of updating this nearly 25 year old design
- Opportunities to align ourselves with proven industry partners and deliver greater value and service to customers
In 1992, Yoder developed their Gen 2 Power Supply which effectively replaced the motor-generator power supplies that had been used for 50+ years. Since then, components have changed rapidly and many of the previously available components have become obsolete, making it more difficult to continue to service the power supplies. In 2009, Yoder unveiled their Gen 3 Power Supply, which utilizes Pillar Inductions' proven square wave design coupled to Yoder’s welding technology. There are currently numerous of these units in service, both in new installations and as replacements for the existing Yoder Gen 2 Power Supplies.
We realize the discontinuation will cause great concern with our customer base whose machinery utilizes the ERW Welding System. Here are a few long-term alternatives you should consider:
- If you are still interested in ERW welding…Formtek has partnered with Pillar Induction, who can supply and support new Pillar power supplies which work with Formtek (Yoder) ERW transformers and welder mechanicals. Pillar Induction produces power supplies for numerous heating applications and keeps up with state of the art power supply designs. This approach is the least difficult to retrofit to existing tube mill systems.
- If you are still interested in high frequency induction welding…Formtek suggests working with Thermatool Corporation HF induction welder units. However, this change in welding type will some reconfiguration in forming mill setup in order to ensure a successful transition. Depending on your mill setup, such changes could include: weld box design, forming roll tooling design, impeder and tow rod implementation, cooling systems for impeders that do not effect the annealing process (if so equipped), etc. Formtek is committed to tube mills and will work with you to understand the changes that you will require.
If the decision is made to stay with existing the ERW welding process, you must understand that you will not be able to adopt a new power supply to increase your speed. Speed of your products is dependent on two things: power supply capacity and transformer capacity.
In all cases, Formtek (Yoder) designed the systems so that the transformer was the limiting factor (i.e. power supplies had the ability to provide more power than the transformer could handle). Going to a larger power supply will cause you to saturate the transformers, which could cause increased heat generation in your power supply cabinet leading to possible premature failure of some or all of the components. To find the right power supply, Formtek can provide assistance in determining what size power unit you will need from Pillar Induction. All service matters and spare parts for new Pillar Power Supplies will be provided directly through Pillar.
What does this mean today? Formtek will help our Customers with existing Yoder power supplies for as long as we possibly can, but we will no longer warrant any service work of components for any amount of time on Yoder Gen 2 Power supplies, which include any power supplies built before 2009. We certainly will help you to the best of our ability with this process and value your business.
FAQ
- I have an existing Yoder ERW system and want to purchase a new mill with Yoder ERW System or just a complete Yoder ERW Welding System…what are my options?
- Formtek can supply a Yoder ERW transformer and welder mechanicals with Pillar Power Supply (as a complete package).
- I have an existing Yoder ERW system and want to purchase a new power supply. Where should I get it?
- Pillar Induction will supply a new power supply directly to you and support it directly. Formtek can provide assistance to you and Pillar on power supply size selection.
- I have an existing Yoder ERW system and want to go faster…can I buy just a new power supply?
- Pillar Induction will supply a new power supply directly to you and support it directly. Line speed is based on two things: power supply capacity and transformer capacity. Formtek (Yoder) always designed the transformer to be the limiting factor so going with a bigger power supply will not increase your speeds! In fact, you could be limiting the life of your transformer, power supply or both by going much larger and turning the power higher (even when speeds are not increasing). The only way to go faster is to utilize a larger transformer with larger power supply but this is not simple to integrate to an existing mill. Call Formtek for details and to discuss your intended application in depth.
- What will Formtek continue to support?
- Formtek will continue to provide rebuilds, troubleshooting, spare parts and supply new transformers.
- Formtek will continue to provide rebuilds, troubleshooting, spare parts and supply new welder mechanicals.
- Formtek will discontinue providing rebuilding, troubleshooting, spare parts and other support for Gen 2 welder power supplies.