SATFX: New range of orbital closed welding heads for perfect butt welding

May 19, 2026

SATFX: New range of orbital closed welding heads for perfect butt welding

Big news to kick off the year 2021: AXXAIR is launching a new range of orbital welding machines, the SATFX closed heads.

Entirely redesigned by the engineers in our design office, which is integrated into the company’s headquarters, this range of orbital machines incorporates some of the characteristics of the former SATF generation, while proposing technical innovations that continuously improve the operator’s experience as well as the final welding result.

Do you still remember AXXAIR’s closed welding heads from the early 2000s? We situated that model on the right here.

Its successor generation was the SATF-NDHX (depicted on the left). This model, which validated AXXAIR’s expertise in orbital welding on the market, now gives way to the brand-new models, the SATFX (here represented by the SATFX-115 positioned in the center).

What a long way these three heads have come and what a great amount of innovation and technical improvements along the

journey!

Nonetheless, one thing remains unchanged since the company’s foundation in 1997: all our machines are designed in-house by our engineers and produced in France at the company’s headquarter in the Drôme. A team of experts oversees the assembly and our carefully selected local partners carry out the production of the individual parts. This provides you as our customer with a guaranteed quality, assuring that you get reliable machines and that we preserve employment.

These three new heads now replace the old SATF range in our portfolio in order to offer you a range with clearer lines. The SATFX heads benefit from an aesthetically pleasing, modern design through the addition of AXXAIR’s long-standing signature color: red.

This is the perfect occasion for us to present our new closed heads with all of their characteristics to you!

These three new heads now replace the old SATF range in our portfolio in order to offer you a range with clearer lines. The SATFX heads benefit from an aesthetically pleasing, modern design through the addition of AXXAIR’s long-standing signature color: red.

This is the perfect occasion for us to present our new closed heads with all of their characteristics to you!

SATFX, welding small tubes
with outer diameters of 6 to 115mm / ¼” to 4.5”

With the ambition to continuously improve the operator’s experience, we have revisited and developed a number of technical features on these machines. Our new SATFX range now includes 3 new heads covering tube diameters ranging from 6mm to 115mm (0,25” to 4.5”):

SATFX-52
ø6-ø52mm
¼” to 2”

SATFX-76
ø6-ø77mm
¼” to 3”

SATFX-115
ø12-ø115mm
½” to 4.5”

Among the technical novelties, we can observe a significant advance in ergonomics, handling, cleaning, design as well as optional extras. All these new features of the SATFX range serve to improve both the performance of the machine and the operator’s comfort.

We are excited to unveil these new features in a little more detail now!

Reduced Weight and Easier Handling

We opted for a lighter casing to offer the operator an unmatched amount of handling comfort through several different aspects:

  • New handle design
    We added an ergonomic handle with soft touch inserts so that the head can be operated and carried with one single hand, rather than the two that were necessary to operate the old ranges. The opening of the handle brings the hand closer to the machine’s center of gravity which further facilitates the handling.
  • The remote control keypad for operating the welding power supply
    Th is has already been included in older versions but has now been redesigned and improved. It is now positioned just below the handle to prevent the operator from touching the buttons by mistake. Instead of a uniform keyboard, it is now equipped with 4 real stainless steel buttons with extra functionality. The On and Off switch is now the same button. A new button has been added to trigger the purge gas and two more buttons were added to rotate the rotor in either direction. The purge function allows you to do an additional purge (e.g. on a daily or weekly basis). It does not however cancel the pre-gas phase before each weld. Regardless of the position during welding, the rotor automatically returns to the open position of the rotor in order to facilitate taking out the welded pieces.
  • New support beam
    The supporting beam has been toughened for even more safety. It is now black in color and measures 8 meters as standard, with the possibility of adding optional extensions to adapt the machine to your most complex projects.
  • Adjustable clamping system: no tools required
    This clamping system enables on the one hand to precisely adjust the jaw’s clamping force onto the tubes to be welded and, on the other hand, it facilitates opening the jaws after welding by eliminating the need to touch the welding head.

Improved Design and Optimized Connectivity

  • Illuminated AXXAIR logo
    We added a luminous logo to the center of each side of the head. As the head is directly connected to the welding power source, the logo indicates whether the machine is on or off and if the machine is in the middle of performing a welding cycle or not. When the logo is illuminated, the head is connected to the power supply. When the logo is flashing, the welding cycle is in progress. The light flashes from the start to the finish of the welding cycle, including the pre- and post-gas time.
  • Large pivoting window

This pivoting welding window permits to control the electrode alignment after tightening the two flaps. It is equipped with a grade 10 welding window that allows the operator to observe the proper course of the weld, while protecting his eyes at the same time.

Easy maintenance and cleaning

  • Operating without grease:

These new heads are grease-free, making them compatible with cleanroom standards and the most demanding environments. They can still be greased if your company is used to doing so and wishes to maintain it.

  • Maintenance:

All rotation axes and toggle clamps can easily be changed. A single hexagonal wrench allows the machine to be disassembled in a few minutes to clean the interior, without having to empty the head’s coolant circuit.

  • Water cooling
    The integral water cooling of the heads and new treatment of the aluminium parts offer a better electrical and thermal conductivity.

The optimized double cooling of the rotor and the head body is essential to guarantee a good lifespan of the parts and guarantee a high welding rate.

Optimized Gas Diffusion

Gas protection is excellent thanks to the closed chamber and a perfect management of the gas protection in the entire welding head. This ensures welds with very limited discoloration. The gas supply is considerably more direct through two bronze half-moons. Even with a high gas flow, this enables an uninterrupted distribution and flow without blowing out the arc.

Optional Extras and the Global Process: A 2 in 1 machine

  • Electrode offset
    The optional electrode offset support offers the possibility to weld short bends, which is indispensable in certain configurations and thus broadens the versatility of the machine. The inclined electrode support is also available as an option for angle welding.

Global process 2 in 1

A major novelty of this SATFX range is the ability to use cassettes. These can be purchased directly with the head or at a later date to complete your set according to your needs on site.

The SATFX closed welding heads can easily be converted into a cassette machine. The cassette allows for easy placement on the parts to be welded in tight or confined areas. It allows you to visualize the weld joint more easily and to install your equipment effortlessly once the cassette is fixed on the parts to be welded. With a lightweight cassette, you get more visibility and precision to facilitate repeatable welding on your job sites.

Click on the picture below to download our catalog and discover all the technical data and options available for our SATFX heads.

As you can see, all these new features make the SATFX heads the ideal machines for welding thin walled tubes.

In combination with our SAXX welding power supplies and their continuous monitoring of the welding parameters, these machines are a guarantee for repeatable welds. Create high-quality welds on thin tubes in the smallest of spaces.

Would you like to discover the new SATFX? Participate in a videoconference demonstration or make an appointment with one of our experts now!

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