Develops and manufactures orbital and automated TIG and plasma welding systems as well as weld overlay solutions (Weld Overlay/Cladding)
Polysoude S.A.S.
Nantes (FR) · Headquarters; subsidiaries among others in USA, China, Austria, Russia, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Brazil, IndiaNew on Amplifa
About Polysoude
Polysoude is a French company based in Nantes, specializing in the development, design and manufacture of welding solutions: orbital TIG welding systems, automated and robotic TIG and plasma welding systems, and TIGer weld overlay machines (Weld Overlay/Cladding). The portfolio includes programmable welding power sources (Smart Welding Stations) with up to six and more axes as well as enclosed and open welding heads for tube-to-tube and tube-to-tubesheet joints. Processes include TIG Cold Wire, TIG Hot Wire, plasma welding and the TIGer bi-cathode technology developed in 2013, with welding speeds exceeding 1,700 mm/min. Enclosed chamber heads handle pipe diameters from 1.6 mm up to 168 mm, open U-heads up to 275 mm. Materials processed include stainless steel, titanium, zirconium, nickel, chromium, aluminium, magnesium and copper. Customer industries include aerospace, oil & gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, heat exchanger manufacturing, power generation as well as food and beverage technology. Through subsidiaries in Europe, America, Asia and Brazil, with an export share of around 85 percent, service, calibration, spare parts and rental equipment are offered worldwide.
- Site
- Nantes, France
- Processes
- Orbital TIG welding (TIG/GTAW), TIG Cold Wire welding, TIG Hot Wire welding, Plasma welding, Weld overlay / Cladding (Weld Overlay), TIGer bi-cathode weld overlay welding (welding speed over 1,700 mm/min), Tube-to-tubesheet welding, Automated and robotic welding
- Materials
- Stainless steel, Titanium, Magnesium, Aluminium, Copper, Zirconium, Nickel, Chromium
- Certificates
- BS EN ISO 9001, BS EN ISO 17662 (calibration)
- Founded
- 1961
- Industries
- Aerospace, Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Semiconductors, Heat exchanger manufacturing
- 01
Engineering and welding parameter development
- 02
Design of welding heads and power sources
- 03
Manufacture and assembly of the systems
- 04
Testing and calibration
- 05
Sales, service, maintenance and spare parts
Materials and Processes
TIG Cold Wire / Hot Wire (GTAW)
Orbital and automated welding of critical tube and tubesheet joints in all positions.
Plasma welding
Automated welding for demanding wall thicknesses and deep weld seams.
TIGer bi-cathode weld overlay welding
Since 2013, with high deposition rate (over 1,700 mm/min) and low dilution for weld overlay.
Weld Overlay / Cladding
Weld overlay with CRA alloys on vertical and horizontal cladding RIG systems, mainly oil & gas and power generation.
Stainless steel
Main material for hygienic, chemical and semiconductor piping systems.
Titanium and zirconium
Oxidation-sensitive metals welded with enclosed chamber heads under inert gas.
Nickel and chromium
Material group for corrosion-resistant and refractory apparatus in chemical plant engineering.
Aluminium, magnesium, copper
Light and non-ferrous metals that, due to their stability, lend themselves well to automated TIG welding.
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orbital TIG welding (TIG/GTAW)Joining | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel, Titanium, Zirconium, Aluminium, Copper, Nickel, Chromium |
| TIG Cold Wire weldingJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| TIG Hot Wire weldingJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Plasma weldingJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Weld overlay / Cladding (Weld Overlay)Joining | – | – | – | – | CRA alloys |
| TIGer bi-cathode weld overlay welding (welding speed over 1,700 mm/min)Joining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tube-to-tubesheet weldingJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automated and robotic weldingJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Calibration of power sources (accredited to BS EN ISO 17662)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Welding parameter development / process supportEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
14 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enclosed orbital TIG welding heads (closed chamber, tube-to-tube) | Polysoude UHP 1000 | – | Pipe diameter 1.6 mm to 168 mm | – | – |
| Open U-shaped orbital welding heads | Polysoude | – | Pipe diameter 8 mm to 275 mm | – | – |
| Carriage welding heads (open orbital on rails) | Polysoude | – | Pipe outer diameter from 114 mm, multi-pass welding | – | – |
| Enclosed tube-to-tubesheet welding heads (without filler wire) | Polysoude | – | Min. inner diameter 9.5 mm to 33.7 mm | – | – |
| Open tube-to-tubesheet welding heads (with/without filler wire) | Polysoude | – | Inner diameter from 10 mm to max. outer diameter 60 mm | – | – |
| Portable power sources (up to 4 axes) | Polysoude | – | – | – | – |
| Medium-sized mobile power sources (up to 6 axes, AVC) | Polysoude | – | – | – | – |
| Full-format welding power sources / Smart Welding Stations (6+ axes, hot wire, oscillation) | Polysoude | – | – | – | – |
| Vertical and horizontal cladding RIG systems | Polysoude | – | – | – | – |
| SPX continuously rotating manifold welding head | Polysoude SPX | – | – | – | – |
| TIGer bi-cathode hot wire lance | Polysoude TIGer | – | – | – | – |
| MSO TIG hot wire torch | Polysoude MSO | – | – | – | – |
| Polycar 51 LRC | Polysoude Polycar 51 LRC | – | – | – | – |
| Special welding machines for the Tokamak Cryostat (ITER) | Polysoude | 2 | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Calibration
Polysoude offers calibration of welding power sources in accordance with BS EN ISO 17662 with a calibration certificate; the spare parts services work with measuring equipment accredited to BS EN ISO 9001. Every welding sequence is documented by the Smart Welding Stations via data acquisition systems.
| Evidence | Nantes |
|---|---|
| BS EN ISO 9001 | |
| BS EN ISO 17662 (calibration) |
History
- 1961
Foundation of Polysoude; development of the first systems for orbital, tube and tubesheet welding driven by the needs of power plant construction.
- 1993
Acquisition of ASTRO ARC POLYSOUDE Inc. in the USA.
- 2004
Foundation of POLYSOUDE SHANGHAI Co. Ltd. in China.
- 2005
Foundation of POLYSOUDE AUSTRIA GmbH in Austria.
- 2006
Foundation of POLYSOUDE WT 000 in Moscow and POLYSOUDE SUISSE S.A. in Switzerland.
- 2007
Foundation of POLYSOUDE ITALIA Spa in Italy.
- 2009
Opening of the Polysoude Czech Republic branch.
- 2011
Foundation of POLYSOUDE DEUTSCHLAND GmbH and the Polysoude Brazil branch.
- 2013
Development of the TIGer bi-cathode weld overlay technology (welding speed over 1,700 mm/min).
- 2020
Deployment of Polysoude TIG welding machines in the Tokamak Assembly Pit of the ITER project (Cryostat welding).
- 2024
Introduction of the UHP 1000 closed-chamber welding head.
- 2025
Introduction of the Polycar 51 LRC and foundation of the Connected Pipeshop Alliance.
- 2026
Investments in the historic Nantes site.