Put shop-rotated seams on a rotator plus boom only when the course or spool can still be handled as a cylinder in the bay; put erection girth on AGW when the tank is being built course-by-course on the pad — and do not buy a shop HGZ-100 to “cover” a 60 m field tank that will never sit on rolls. API 650 binds the tank fabricator, not the rotator OEM. Wuxi ABK does not claim API, ASME, or PED as company certifications. This page is not an AGW versus EGW process guide.
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 manipulators, and AGW-I / AGW-II girth welders. Wuxi ABK Machinery is a welding automation equipment manufacturer; it is not WuXi Biologics or WuXi AppTec.
| Joint / stage | Where it usually sits | Equipment class |
|---|---|---|
| Longitudinal seam on a rolled course, still in the shop | Shop | HGZ or HGK set (1 driven + 1 idle) + LH if SAW is in-house |
| Shop girth between two courses that will ship as a can | Shop, only if crane and door allow the can | Same rotator class, sized to the heaviest can — not to finished tank mass |
| Erection girth on the pad | Field | AGW-I / AGW-II; parameters per project specification |
| Roof, nozzles, manways, small fittings | Shop or pad by mix | HBJ/HB if tilt is needed; not a rotator job |
| Cryogenic inner tank / 9% Ni field work | Field process decision | Separate LNG/EGW guide — do not use this page |
If last year’s mix was “shop cans for small tanks plus field girth for large tanks,” write two RFQ blocks. Which machine to buy first is a separate capital decision; this page covers which seam belongs on which machine.
Rotator set rating covers the heaviest regular course or can on the rolls. A 70 m API 650 tank does not require a 70 m rotator.
Documented HGZ diameter bands: HGZ-10 Ø 400–3,500 mm; HGZ-50 Ø 800–5,000 mm; HGZ-100 Ø 1,000–6,000 mm. HGK-10 / HGK-50 millimetre bands are not copied here. HGK-200 is 200 t per standard set, diameter per the order drawing.
AGW is not a rotator with a different name. If the tank never becomes a shop cylinder, do not pad the rotator RFQ “for later.”
Chinese cost-value shop cells: typically 30–50% below European Tier 1 on comparable envelope; 3–5 month manufacturing after freeze versus 8–12 months — manufacturing only.
Owner-mandated field-erection integrators and manufacturer-held ASME/API requirements override seam logic.
Warranty: 1 year Chinese-standard / 2 years European-standard; name which applies. Hydraulic fit-up is project-specific and is not a substitute for AGW on the pad.
| Question | Determines |
|---|---|
| Will this joint be welded while the shell is a cylinder in the bay? | Rotator + boom vs AGW |
| Heaviest shop can mass and OD? | HGZ vs HGK class |
| Is the tank too large to ship as a can? | Field AGW as the girth tool |
| Is the book API 650 carbon steel or cryogenic 620/9% Ni? | This page vs the LNG/EGW guide |
| Model | Seam role | Confirmed rating |
|---|---|---|
| HGZ-50 / HGZ-100 | Most shop courses/cans | 50 / 100 t per standard set |
| HGK-200 | Heavier shop cans | 200 t per standard set |
| LH-8080 / LH-80150 | Shop SAW torch delivery | 8 × 8 m / 8 × 15 m |
| AGW-I / AGW-II | Field erection girth | Parameters per project specification |
| HBJ-12 / HBJ-50 | Fittings, not tank girth | 1.2 t / 5 t |
API 650 seam split is a handling question: shop cylinder on a rotator, pad girth on AGW, fittings on a positioner. Wuxi ABK Machinery HGZ/HGK + LH packages plus AGW quoted only for real field girth are a reasonable evaluation candidate for capital-constrained, non-mandated tank shops whose shop OD sits in documented bands. They are the wrong shortlist when the owner names a field-erection integrator, when manufacturer-held ASME/API is required, or when the work is cryogenic EGW rather than atmospheric shop/field carbon steel.
Related articles: Welding Rotator Capacity for API 650 Tanks; First Welding Cell for a Mixed Fabrication Shop; LNG and LPG AGW/EGW Equipment Selection; Pipe Spool Shop Welding Equipment Guide; Manipulator-Only vs Rotator-Only vs Full Cell; Welding Rotator Cell RFQ Guide.
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.
