Bridging the gaps of the welding world

By Emma Peterson. 

Leister has been revolutionizing welding for decades, learn about the enhancements to their VARIMAT product line! 

One of the most exciting parts of exploring the trade show floor of roofing conventions and expos is hearing about all of the new products and technology that are coming to market. While at the 2024 International Roofing Expo, Megan Ellsworth of the RoofersCoffeeShop® crew got to stop by the Leister booth to talk to Dave Nordentoft and see what they had to share!  

The biggest highlight was their release of the VARIMAT 300, 500 and 700. This line of products helps workers reliably weld thermoplastic membranes on low-slope roofs. Dave explained a bit of the background to this product, “We've had the VARIMAT V2 in the marketplace for a really long time, so this has been much anticipated. There were a lot of things that contributed to the development of this new product, including feedback from the field and from the marketplace.” This feedback helped create this line of incredible machines.  

While all VARIMAT versions feature high contact pressure, an innovative nozzle engagement mechanism, and adjustable transport axle to allow for precise tracking and positioning, the 700 introduces a powerful addition — the Leister Quality System (LQS). This system allows the user to collect data, such as temperature, speed, airflow, and welding pressure, among other data, while enabling them to record test welds in the machine. All this information is then presented in an accessible data report and becomes part of the project archive.  

In addition to showcasing their VARIMAT line, Dave made sure to point out a few of their other products, such as the UNIDRIVE 500. This tool is a semi-automatic welding machine that weighs under ten pounds. It’s ideal for working with thermoplastic membranes due to its powerful overlap welding technology. Dave explained why he wanted to point to this tool, “This kind of a semi-automatic detail welder bridges the gap between traditional hand welding and fully automatic walk behind welding.” 

Watch the full interview to learn more about Leister products!