Berlin is knorke: Floating weld seams
Berlin, 28.07.2025 – When the tower of a wind turbine is manufactured, around 700 metres of weld seam are created. The welding itself takes about 95 working hours using the standard submerged arc welding technique. With the help of the “WeldMagnet”, the working time is reduced to around eleven hours. The innovative welding technology was developed by WeldNova GmbH and is based on extensive, industry-related basic research. The company is a spin-off of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). Since November 2023, the founders have been building a competent team around them and presenting their technology to industry partners. And they have done so successfully. Not only is the company establishing itself step by step on the market – it has also been awarded the prestigious Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Prize 2024.
The jury of the Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Prize recognised the development of the “WeldMagnet” with the award. The special electromagnet helps industrial companies to increase productivity by making the welding process for large steel structures both faster and more resource-efficient: This reduces working time, resulting in cost savings of up to 90 per cent. In addition, CO2 emissions are reduced by a factor of 16. In the specific case of the production of towers for wind turbines, the “WeldMagnet” makes it possible for the first time to process the approximately 30 millimetre thick sheets using laser beam hybrid welding.
This is because the electromagnetic weld pool support was specially developed and tested for the laser steel hybrid welding process as part of an Industrial Collective Research (IGF) project. The project carried out at BAM enabled the WeldNova team to conduct research close to industry and ultimately establish the company in November 2023. The system, which was designed in collaboration with research and industry partners, offers a decisive advantage: This means that the electromagnetic weld pool support does not have to be mounted directly on the workpiece or attached in a complex manner. It is used much more flexibly and can be switched between different components as required. A process that is suitable not only for the production of steel structures, but also for shipbuilding, the wind industry, the construction of pipelines, hydrogen pipelines and LNG terminals.
WeldNova was only founded in November 2023. However, the team led by Managing Director Christian Brunner-Schwer can look back on almost a decade of scientific work and research. Their now patented technology has received a consistently positive response from industry partners and initial requests for collaboration. The next logical step? The spin-off. The company continues to receive funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the European Social Fund as part of the EXIST programme. WeldNova is currently focussing on networking with potential industrial partners and the further development of innovative welding technology. The four-person team from Berlin-Steglitz still has a lot planned – and is happy to visit customers directly on site to demonstrate personally how innovative thick sheet welding can work
