Apparatus and method for precisely aligning and welding two pieces of weldable material

A method of simultaneously aligning and welding two pieces of weldable material comprising the steps of:

• Selecting two pieces of weldable material;
• Selecting an appropriate aligning/welding apparatus, wherein said apparatus comprises:
• a high precision alignment device, comprising clamping means sized and shaped for receiving and removably clamping a first terminus of said first piece of weldable material in a first plane of spatial orientation and sized and shaped for receiving, removably clamping and aligning a first terminus of said second piece of weldable material in said first plane of spatial orientation in such a manner that said first terminus of said second piece of weldable material is substantially in alignment with and substantially abuts against said first terminus of said first piece of weldable material to form an abutment junction when said first terminus of said second piece of weldable material and said first terminus of said first piece of weldable material are fully inserted into said alignment device;
• and orbital welding means attached to said high precision alignment device and positioned for applying a weld to said abutment junction as said orbital welding means orbits said abutment junction;
• fully inserting said first piece of weldable material into said alignment device;
• fully inserting said second piece of weldable material into said alignment device until said first terminus of said first piece of weldable material and said first terminus of said second piece of weldable material form said abutment junction;
• and
• welding said abutment function by supplying said orbital welding means with electrical power;
• said clamping means comprising:
• a first jaw, having a first end, a second end, and a first alignment zone having a first section inside surface and a second section inside surface that define an alignment gap;
• a second jaw, having a first end, a second end, and a second alignment zone having an inside surface that defines a second alignment gap;
• a pre-lock clamping jaw having a first end, a second end and a third alignment zone having an inner surface that defines a third-alignment gap, said third alignment gap being of substantially the same dimensions as said second alignment gap;
• said pre-lock clamping jaw being pivotably attached and oriented to said first jaw in such a manner that said inside surface of said third alignment zone and said first section inside surface of said first alignment zone cooperatively define a first section of an alignment conduit that is sized and shaped to snugly encircle and firmly secure said first terminus of said first piece of weldable material when said first end of said first jaw is at a first separation distance from said first end of said second jaw;
• said second jaw being pivotably attached to said first jaw and being oriented to said first jaw in such a manner that said second section inside surface of said first alignment zone and said inside surface of said second alignment zone cooperatively define a second section of said alignment conduit that is at least partially contiguous with said first section of said alignment conduit and that is sized and shaped to snugly encircle and firmly secure said first terminus of said second piece of weldable material when said first end of said first jaw is at a second, closer separation distance from said first end of said second jaw.