Significant advancements have been made over the years to enhance the quality and efficiency of HDPE pipe installations.  Now, a revolutionary concept has emerged that allows meeting the pipe where it lays to improve worksite safety, boost jobsite efficiency, and minimize the amount of time spent between fusions.

Traditional fusion practices involve positioning the fusion machine at the joining location, loading pipe into the machine, fusing the pipe ends, and then lifting the pipe up and out of the machine so either the pipe or fusion machine can be repositioned for the next weld.  This method has been used due to the inherent design of legacy fusion machines which require the pipe to be loaded onto the machine from above.

This new approach allows the pipe to be positioned for fusion without requiring the machine or operator to be in place, enhancing safety and reducing the risk of damage to the machine during the loading process.  The operator can then move into position and lower the carriage onto the pipe from above for welding.  Once the weld is complete, the operator simply raises the carriage up to clear the pipe, so either the machine or the pipe can be safely and efficiently repositioned for the next weld.

This case study presents this innovative approach and explores its inherent advantages across a range of field applications, including pipelining, fuse & pull, fabrication, in-ditch, and confined space operations. It also highlights how an Australian company intends to optimize their field operations using this method and provides an update on its implementation in various locations worldwide.