Above: The WP360 LRW-18P boom arm has a 10-ft. primary and an 8-ft. secondary arm with double articulation for semicircular coverage.
October, 2025- In high-mix, large-part welding, seconds lost to walking, repositioning and chasing cables quickly add up. That’s the problem Steve Andersen set out to solve. As the lead engineer behind the WeldPro 360 line, Andersen, president of Andersen Industries Inc. in Adelanto, California, has spent years refining a boom arm system that keeps operators welding— safely and efficiently—across big work envelopes.
“Everybody is looking to speed up their operations,” Andersen says. “A weld boom is a great tool for that because it shortens the time people spend walking back and forth to make adjustments or moving from weld to weld.”
Andersen notes that not every MIG application needs a boom arm. Bench work on small parts? Probably not. But for trailer frames, agricultural equipment components, tanks or any cell with multiple fixtures, he emphasizes that a purpose-built arm transforms productivity. He’s seen plenty of improvised solutions over the years—everything from “crude barndoor tracks” to rigid hangers for wire feeders. “Everyone sees the value of getting out to a farther reach,” he says. The difference is how you get there without dead zones, trip hazards or constant cable wrangling.
A WeldPro 360 LRW-18 boom arm from Andersen Industries is used to weld a trailer.
COVERAGE WITHOUT DEAD ZONES
According to the company, the heart of the flagship WP360 LRW-18 and its sibling, the LRW-18P, is a double-articulated design in which the arm pivots at the base and again midway, folding back on itself to reach around fixtures and large weldments. That geometry provides complete coverage within a semicircular welding zone 56 ft. in diameter, as the primary arm rotates 192 degrees around the main pivot point.
“With a normal straight arm, you are tethered to the end of the wire feeder and you can’t reach certain areas,” Andersen explains. “The double articulation removes those dead spots.”
The LRW-18 adds powered vertical motion to its secondary arm, expanding the effective work envelope from floor level up to over-height weldments. With push-button control, the secondary arm raises 73 in. and can stop anywhere in its travel. At a standard mounting height, that yields a wire feeder height range from about 60 in. for easy access to weld controls up to 133 in. for tall weldments.
Andersen says his design philosophy centers on minimizing non-value-added movement. Welding parameters should be adjusted close to the operator and not back at a machine 20 steps away. The WeldPro 360 platform positions needed controls at the point of use and routes all cabling, hoses and wires through the arm interior. Nothing drapes from the arm or tangles on the floor.
“It’s a neat and tidy assembly,” Andersen says. “Nothing gets snagged as you rotate.” A side benefit is fewer trip hazards and a cleaner cell.
For equipment integration, customers supply their preferred welding power source and feeder; Andersen recommends a wire feeder with controls in the feeder itself. “It’s much more efficient,” he notes.
Andersen Industries offer three boom arm models:
• WP360 LRW-10ML offers a 10-ft. reach and is purpose-built for smaller cells.
• WP360 LRW-18P has a 10-ft. primary and an 8-ft. secondary arm with double articulation for semicircular coverage.
• WP360 LRW-18 provides the same reach and articulation as the 18P plus powered vertical motion on the secondary arm for floor-to-over-height work.
Across the line, the goals are consistent: maximize usable coverage, minimize motion waste and keep the welder welding.
"A weld boom shortens the time people spend walking back and forth to make adjustments." Steve Andersen, Andersen Industries
MOUNTING OPTIONS
Recognizing that no two welding shop floors are the same, Andersen says his team engineered five mounting approaches:
• The existing building column is customer-engineered and common in fab shops.
• Tapered-column mounts, such as I-beam structures.
• Straight-column mounts, such as a round pipe or square tube.
• A floor-mounted column, which is factory-built and is bolted down anywhere a customer needs it.
• A freestanding column with adjustable feet and a counterweight that includes forklift pockets and a crane hook to relocate as cells change
The WP360 LRW-18 arm provides the same reach and articulation as the LRW-18P plus powered vertical motion on the secondary arm for floor-to-over-height work.
Most customers install their booms themselves, which is a shift from early days when full equipment packages were bundled, Andersen says. "Many already had the welding equipment and didn't want to repurchase it. So, we redesigned the product line so the customer could install it themselves and utilize existing power sources and wire feeders."
To round out the system, the platform includes equipment mounts compatible with major brands, secure gas-cylinder mounts, bulk wire-drum and box mounts, and enclosures for weld wire spools up to 60 lbs. There’s also an optional fume-extraction solution that pairs with the MIG gun to provide fume extraction over a large area. “It goes right along with the welder,” Andersen explains. “[There is] no dragging a separate extractor from point to point on a large weldment.”
Weld shops are “rough and tumble,” Andersen notes, so the arms are built for high duty and minimal maintenance, and the company provides support when replacement parts are needed.
He emphasizes that the boom arm design focus returns to increased productivity: clean routing, robust joints, intuitive controls and a reach envelope that removes the friction between the welder and the weld. The result is more arc-on time, less wasted motion and a safer, cleaner cell—by design.
Andersen Industries Inc., 760/246-8766, andersenmp.com.
