Patent ID: 7028882

Claim:
An apparatus for depositing an overlay weld on a boiler tube panel comprising a plurality of tubes with adjacent tubes joined together with membranes therebetween, the apparatus comprising: means for supporting the boiler tube panel during overlay welding thereof, the supporting means comprising a frame adapted to support the boiler tube panel by contacting a first surface thereof, at least one welding carriage mounted adjacent the frame and adapted for travel along the frame, and an overlay welding head mounted to the welding carriage and adapted for depositing an overlay weld on a second surface of the boiler tube panel oppositely disposed from the first surface of the boiler tube panel; and means for straightening the boiler tube panel following deposition of the overlay weld on the second surface of the boiler tube panel, the straightening means comprising a first member having a contact surface with a profile that is complementary to the first surface of the boiler tube panel, a second member having a contact surface with a profile that is complementary to the second surface of the boiler tube panel, means for causing the first and second members to move toward each other to press a portion of the boiler tube panel therebetween and for causing the first and second members to move away from each other to release the boiler tube panel, and means for positioning the boiler tube panel between the first and second members.