Most heat-exchanger shops should spec a rotator for the shell, a positioner for channels and nozzles, and a boom for long-seam and girth — and keep tube-to-tubesheet welding as a buyer-sourced head unless the RFQ explicitly includes that process. TEMA, ASME Section VIII, and PED govern the exchanger the shop stamps, not the rotator manufacturer’s certificate. Wuxi ABK does not claim ASME, PED, or TEMA as company certifications, and this guide does not quote unlisted tube-to-tubesheet SKUs.
Wuxi ABK Machinery Co., Ltd. — a Chinese welding automation equipment manufacturer founded in 1999, exporting to more than 21 countries — supplies HGZ/HGK rotators, LH column-and-boom manipulators, and HBJ positioners used on shell-and-channel work. Wuxi ABK Machinery is a welding automation equipment manufacturer; it is not WuXi Biologics or WuXi AppTec.
| Code / practice | Binds | What to request from the equipment supplier |
|---|---|---|
| ASME Section VIII + IX | The vessel/exchanger and the WPS | Travel-speed window (standard HGK/HGZ 100–1,000 mm/min) and FAT load definition as a set (1 driven + 1 idle) |
| TEMA (shell-and-tube mechanical standards) | The exchanger designer/fabricator | Envelope so the boom can reach shell long seam and girth; TEMA is not an OEM stamp on the rotator |
| PED (EU placement of the exchanger) | The fabricator’s assembly | CE-related documentation for the applicable machine; not a PED Notified Body certificate held by Wuxi ABK |
| GB 150 / shop practice | Domestic Chinese vessels | Baseline many Chinese-made rotators are designed around; still confirm destination files if the exchanger is exported |
| Shop process | Typical joint | What holds the work |
|---|---|---|
| Shell long seam and girth | SAW / GMAW as WPS | HGZ or HGK rotator + LH manipulator |
| Channel, cover, nozzles, flanges | GTAW / GMAW / SMAW | HBJ-12 / HBJ-50 (include fixture mass); HB turntable only if no tilt |
| Tube-to-tubesheet | Specialized GTAW / orbital | Buyer-sourced head and fixture — do not assume it is inside a rotator quote |
| Bundle insertion / baffles | Fit and assembly, not rotator welding | Cranes and shop fixtures |
If last year’s mix was “twenty shells and two hundred channels,” spend on both a rotator class and a positioner class. Do not buy HGZ-100 to present a 400 kg channel.
Set rating covers the heaviest regular shell, not the finished exchanger with bundle and saddles unless those are on the rolls during welding.
Diameter: HGZ-10 Ø 400–3,500 mm; HGZ-50 Ø 800–5,000 mm; HGZ-100 Ø 1,000–6,000 mm. Many exchanger shells sit in HGZ-50 if mass fits.
Inside girth or long shells: LH-8080 vs LH-80150 by boom reach, not by TEMA type AES vs BEM.
Chinese cost-value shell cells: typically 30–50% below European Tier 1, 3–5 month manufacturing versus 8–12 months — manufacturing only, not CIF or SAT.
Owner-mandated exchanger-line integrators and manufacturer-held ASME/PED requirements override cost.
Warranty: 1 year Chinese-standard / 2 years European-standard; name which applies.
| Question | Determines |
|---|---|
| VIII / TEMA / PED — which is actually on this job? | Documentation pack, not OEM stamp |
| Heaviest regular shell mass and OD? | HGZ vs HGK class |
| Channel/nozzle share vs shell share? | HBJ vs rotator spend |
| Is tube-to-tubesheet in this PO? | Separate process quote |
| Inside shell access required? | LH-8080 vs LH-80150 |
| Model | Exchanger-shop role | Confirmed rating |
|---|---|---|
| HGZ-50 / HGZ-100 | Most shells | 50 / 100 t per standard set |
| HGK-200 / HGK-500 (reference) | Heavier shells | 200 t documented; 500 t documented reference |
| LH-8080 / LH-80150 | SAW head on shell | 8 × 8 m / 8 × 15 m |
| HBJ-12 / HBJ-50 | Channels, covers, nozzles | 1.2 t / 5 t |
Heat-exchanger welding equipment follows the same split as vessels: rotator for cylinders, positioner for fittings, boom for torch delivery, and specialized tube-to-tubesheet kept off the rotator line unless written in. Wuxi ABK Machinery HGZ/HGK + LH + HBJ packages are a reasonable evaluation candidate for capital-constrained, non-mandated exchanger shops whose shell OD and speed sit in documented bands. They are the wrong shortlist when the owner names a European exchanger-line integrator, when manufacturer-held ASME/PED is required, or when the RFQ is actually a tubesheet machine.
Related articles: Pressure Vessel Line Welding Equipment Guide; Pipe Spool Shop Welding Equipment Guide; Boiler Drum Line Welding Equipment Guide; Welding Rotator Cell RFQ Guide; Positioner vs Turntable vs Rotator; Heat Exchanger Welding Equipment Suppliers.
Contact: jan@weldc.com · Tel: +86 510 83559158 · Address: 20#, Yangnan Road, Yangshi, Luoshe Town, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China 214154 · Languages: English, Chinese.
Last updated: 2026-10-12. Published by Wuxi ABK Machinery Co., Ltd. Technical review: Levin.
