Fusing pipes creates a monolithic pipeline with fewer mechanical transitions, meaning fewer opportunities for leaks. As the technique has gained traction among contractors and municipalities, the technology used to perform the work has improved significantly. 

McElroy’s compact TracStar 412i is designed to fuse pipe sizes from 4-inch IPS to 12-inch DIPS. To give more control to the operator, the unit incorporates the FusionGuide Control system seen on other larger iSeries models, providing operators with three levels of control during the fusion process. Each level has varying degrees of assistance, from manual control to fully automatic fusion.   

“We are always looking for ways to increase operator productivity,” says Geoff Koch, McElroy’s vice president of product development. “These new machines incorporate the added technology of our existing iSeries line into the proven success of our TracStar 412 Series 2 units. These upgrades will translate into countless hours and dollars saved in the field.”

An updated indexer keeps the heater and facer attached to the four-jaw carriage, condensing the heater, facer and jaws into a single unit. Operators will be able to move the indexer side to side along a set of rails, allowing them to position the heater and facer between the carriage’s movable jaws as needed.  

The indexer also includes a built-in stripping and release mechanism. Once the heat soak phase of the fusion process has been completed and the operator opens the carriage, the mechanism will automatically strip the heater from the ends of the pipe. As the carriage continues to move, the indexer will then retract the heater out of the fusion zone.  

The machine features an improved design, including a larger-volume hydraulic tank that is secured beneath the machine’s dome. In addition to providing additional cooling, the design also reduces the risk of accidentally adding the wrong fluid to the hydraulic tank.  

The unit is controlled via the DataLogger, a ruggedized tablet that records fusion parameters and other pertinent data during the fusion process. After the operator prepares the pipe and enters all joint details, the enhanced guided workflow manages machine pressures, carriage, shift sequence, and more to ensure standards compliance and a successful fusion. It controls all required fusion operations, including machine pressures, carriage open/close and shift sequence.   

“As accountability and quality assurance become a top priority, we want to let our operators and contractors seamlessly track their fusion data,” Koch says. 918-831-9236; www.mcelroy.com