Anti-Slip Pad Blocks: A Practical Design Improvement on Large FX Butt Fusion Machines
In large-diameter HDPE butt fusion welding, pipe stability during clamping and positioning directly affects welding quality.
In real job-site conditions, larger pipe diameters combined with lower ambient temperatures increase the risk of pipe slippage during alignment.
To address this issue, FusingX developed an anti-slip pad block design, which is now applied to large FX series butt fusion machines, including models FX800 and above.
Improved Stability Through Increased Contact Area
The anti-slip pad blocks are installed on the machine’s inner ring and on the outer surfaces of the clamping shoes.
Compared with a smooth contact interface, this configuration increases the effective contact area between the machine and the pipe.
With greater contact area, friction is enhanced. This helps reduce pipe movement during positioning and alignment, resulting in more stable operation.
The improvement is particularly noticeable in low-temperature environments, where HDPE pipes tend to become stiffer.
Adjustable Design for Minor Pipe Size Variations
The anti-slip pad blocks are designed to allow fine adjustment.
When small deviations in pipe diameter are present, the pad blocks can be repositioned to better match the pipe surface.
This reduces clamping issues caused by minor size differences and improves adaptability under real working conditions, where pipes are not always perfectly uniform.
Applied on FX800 and Larger Models
This anti-slip pad block design is not intended for small-diameter machines.
It is developed specifically for large FX series butt fusion machines—primarily FX800 and above—where pipe size and load place higher demands on clamping stability.
At present, this design is applied only on large FX models.
Conclusion
The anti-slip pad blocks do not alter the basic butt fusion welding process.
Instead, they enhance pipe stability by improving the clamping contact interface.
This is the first time FusingX has applied such a design to large-diameter butt fusion machines, representing a practical improvement developed directly from real on-site experience.