PITEC develops and supplies HFMI systems (PIT) for the reproducible increase of the fatigue strength of welded structures.
PITEC Deutschland GmbH
Duisburg · KerpenNew on Amplifa
About PITEC
Since 2008, PITEC Deutschland GmbH has specialized in the PIT process (Pneumatic Impact Treatment), an HFMI process (High Frequency Mechanical Impact) for the post-treatment of weld seams. It introduces targeted compressive residual stresses, rounds off the weld toe and strengthens the near-surface region, thereby significantly increasing the fatigue strength and fatigue life of dynamically loaded structures. The company develops and distributes its own PIT systems, including the handheld Weld Line 10 device for manual and robot-based use as well as an underwater device, and additionally offers application consulting, operator training, rental equipment, on-site treatment, quality monitoring as a third party, plus accessories and spare parts. Treated materials include steel, higher-strength steels, aluminium and titanium; fields of application lie in mechanical and heavy machinery engineering, steel and crane construction, presses, power plant installations and offshore/underwater applications. Customers include, among others, SMS Group, OTTO FUCHS, Stadtwerke München, ArcelorMittal and TÜV Süd. In 2018, PITEC was acquired by Hermann Fliess & Co. GmbH, a manufacturer of welding filler materials with expertise in higher-strength steels. The commercial head office is located in Duisburg, while sales and technology are based in Kerpen; services are offered worldwide.
- Site
- Duisburg
- Processes
- PIT (Pneumatic Impact Treatment) – HFMI weld seam post-treatment (higher-frequency peening), Automated PIT treatment on robots (scan component, generate robot path, perform PIT treatment), PIT treatment underwater (HFMI application underwater), PIT services (treatment worldwide by the PITEC team), PIT quality monitoring as a third, PIT application consulting, PIT system sales, PIT accessories and spare parts, PIT operator training
- Materials
- Steel, Higher-strength steels, Aluminium, Titanium, PIT (Pneumatic Impact Treatment) / HFMI, PIT treatment underwater, Automated PIT treatment on robots
- Certificates
- HFMI in regulatory frameworks (IIW, DASt 026, Eurocode 3), PIT-Intensity-Kit (Almen test), PIT-QS gauge according to IIW, Third-party quality monitoring
- Founded
- 2008
- Industries
- Mechanical and plant engineering, Heavy machinery engineering (presses), Steel construction, Crane construction, Power plant operators, Offshore/underwater applications
- 01
PIT application consulting
- 02
PIT system sales (Weld Line 10, underwater device)
- 03
PIT operator training
- 04
PIT treatment on-site / automated on robots
- 05
PIT quality monitoring (third party)
- 06
Accessory and spare parts distribution as well as rental equipment
Materials & Processes
PIT (Pneumatic Impact Treatment) / HFMI
Reproducible higher-frequency peening for weld seam post-treatment: rounding of the weld toe, near-surface strengthening and targeted introduction of compressive residual stresses.
Steel
Base material for dynamically loaded structures in steel construction, crane construction and heavy machinery engineering.
Higher-strength steels
PIT makes the use of higher-strength steels sensible even under fatigue loading; synergy with parent company Fliess as a manufacturer of welding filler materials.
Aluminium
Treatable thanks to a controlled process window without the risk of over-treatment, e.g. for lightweight construction applications.
Titanium
A sensitive material that benefits from the floating-mounted impact tool and regulated impact intensity.
PIT treatment underwater
HFMI application with a special underwater handheld device including air filter unit, e.g. for offshore and underwater applications.
Automated PIT treatment on robots
Scan the component, generate the robot path, perform the PIT treatment – with a decoupled impact tool and the PIT-RHR robot holder for process-reliable results.
Locations
Duisburg
DEHead office (commercial)
- Materials
- Steel, higher-strength steels, aluminium, titanium
Kerpen
DESales and technology
- Materials
- Steel, higher-strength steels, aluminium, titanium
- PIT system "Weld Line 10" (handheld device with 10-stroke striker incl. control unit)
- PIT system "Weld Line 10" underwater device incl. control unit and air filter unit
- PIT-Intensity-Kit (PIT-IK-01, measuring device with digital dial gauge, Almen test)
- PIT-RHR robot holder for automated PIT treatment
Components & Applications
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT (Pneumatic Impact Treatment) – HFMI weld seam post-treatment (higher-frequency peening)Surface | – | – | – | – | Steel, Higher-strength steels, Aluminium, Titanium, Metal |
| Automated PIT treatment on robots (scan component, generate robot path, perform PIT treatment)Surface | – | – | – | – | Steel, Aluminium, Titanium |
| PIT treatment underwater (HFMI application underwater)Surface | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| PIT services (treatment worldwide by the PITEC team), PIT quality monitoring as a thirdSurface | – | – | – | – | Steel, Metal |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT system "Weld Line 10" – PIT handheld device with 10-stroke striker incl. control unit (manual | PITEC Weld Line 10 | – | – | – | Sales and technology: Siemensstraße 1b, 50170 Kerpen; head office: |
| PIT system "Weld Line 10" – underwater handheld device with 10-stroke striker incl. control unit and | PITEC Weld Line 10 underwater device | – | – | – | Sales and technology: Siemensstraße 1b, 50170 Kerpen |
| PIT-Intensity-Kit – measuring device with digital dial gauge for verifying the device intensity | PITEC PIT-IK-01 | – | – | – | – |
| Automated PIT treatment on robots with decoupled impact tool and robot holder | PITEC PIT-RHR (holder for robots) | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Quality assurance includes the PIT-Intensity-Kit for metrological verification of the device intensity (Almen test) as well as the PIT-QS gauge for checking pin radii and minimum travel depth according to IIW. In addition, PITEC offers quality monitoring as a third party and documents the treatment intensity traceably for inspection reports.
| Evidence | Kerpen | Duisburg |
|---|---|---|
| HFMI in regulatory frameworks (IIW, DASt 026, Eurocode 3) | ||
| PIT-Intensity-Kit (Almen test) | ||
| PIT-QS gauge according to IIW | ||
| Third-party quality monitoring |
History
- 2008
Founded; through years of experience and continuous development, PITEC has become a leading provider in the field of HFMI, i.e. higher-frequency peening.
- 2011
PIT treatment of the internal circumferential welds of two steam drums at the cogeneration plant of Stadtwerke München together with TÜV Süd; no new cracks in the treated area up to 2020.
- 2012
Maintenance project at ArcelorMittal in Ghent: 8,000 detected cracks in crane installations; after the introduction of PIT in 2019, only 700 cracks remained (a reduction of over 90%).
- 2018
Acquisition of PITEC by Hermann Fliess & Co. GmbH, a manufacturer of welding filler materials with expertise in higher-strength steels.
- 2024
PIT is used on the world's largest underground press (540 MN, SMS Group for OTTO FUCHS/Weber Metals, USA) to achieve the required strength values according to FKM.