Apparatus and method of heating an area of a workpiece prior to welding said area of the workpiece and/or after welding the workpiece, and welding system comprising such an apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus and method for heating an area of a workpiece prior to welding said area of the workpiece and/or after welding the workpiece, the apparatus comprising a torch holder unit and a multitude of arc torches, wherein each arc torch of the multitude of arc torches is configured to be arranged at a predetermined torch position at the torch holder unit and in a predetermined torch distance relative to a reference point in a longitudinal direction of the corresponding arc torch, particularly to a reference point on the workpiece, and wherein each arc torch of the multitude of arc torches is configured to be controlled to ignite an arc between the corresponding arc torch and the workpiece and to heat the area of the workpiece by means of the corresponding arc to a predetermined temperature below a melting temperature of a material of the workpiece.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.