Table or Welding Floor Turntables

Welding floor turntables range from table top models of 100 lbs to over 100 ton floor models. Even larger capacities and special requirements are manufactured to suit specific weld fabrication and other manufacturing requirements.

Most turntables are variable speed in both clock wise and counter clock wise direction. Tables most often have 4 slots cut into the table to allow tooling and fixtures to be mounted to the table's face. We are explaining here standard manual or semi automatic welding turntables. In a upcoming blog entry we will explain robot indexing tables and sweep tables for robotic welding applications. Standard Welding Floor Turntables Examples



Welding turntables do not tilt and work much like a lazy susan always rotating in the horizontal plain. The part is most often in the vertical plain and rotated while the welding torch is mounted in position by a weld head director or sub arc column boom manipulator. This allows the part to rotate for continuous welding application such as hard facing or cladding. Rapol makes some nice small size turntables


One thing to keep in mind is turntables most often have the same rating as a welding positioner using the center of gravity of either 6" or 12" from the center of the table out and away. Why this maybe important is if you are rotating a part where the weight of the part is not concentric. If you are dealing with a offset load this can cause the table to deflect or perhaps not rotate at a even speed. Most turntable face plates are designed around the suggested capacity rating of the turntable. Un-like a tilting turntable a welding floor turntable can handle more weight based on table size, but can only rotate in the horizontal position. Larger tables can be used but they either have to be thicker or use out rigger roller supports to keep the tables deflection to a minimum.

The primary function of a floor turntable is to allow the welder or operator to rotate the work piece through out 360o reposition for inspection or welding positioning. Welding turn tables can be used for polishing, painting and shot blasting. The floor turntable can also be used for different applications other than welding such as high speed turntables for metal spray coating applications in either hand held or interpreted with a spray gun holding apparatus, such as a robot. Preston - Eastin is a major manufacture of high speed turntables for non welding applications.

One growth area in recent years do to energy demands has been cladding of oil valves were the turntables are used in conjunction with a bore welder or manipulator set up to weld then index up or over. The floor turntable is placed below floor level in a pit with the face plate level to the ground. The valves are attached to the floor turntable were they are first preheated on Key Plant's specialist design slip ring assembly, incorporated into the design of our Cladding Turntables then cladded internally while the table is rotated beneath the part being weld.

It is always a good idea to ask your knowledgeable welding positioning technician for some help in sizing the proper size welding turntable. Let them know if you plan to welding while turning or if you just want to rotate in between welding. This is important for speeds and costs. We recommend North American built equipment do to quality, price and future parts availability. Ask your supplier, what country was this product made in and what is the warranty and parts lead time if needed. Bode in the UK is a quality builder of floor turntables for welding.