Welding together

CEA’s origin dates back to 1936 when Alessandro Annettoni, an expert creative electrician, together with his son Ezio started to build workmanlike electric welding equipment.

Ezio Annettoni established CEA, Costruzioni Elettromeccaniche Annettoni S.p.A., setting up a factory in Lecco, via G.B. Vico. The production range, including arc welders and resistance spot and butt welding equipment, already contained in essence many of the future concepts which CEA would introduce the following years innovation, quality components, accurate and purpose-built assembly, reliability and keen attention to quality/price ratio.

Only a few years after the Company’s settlement in via G.B. Vico, due to necessary expansion, CEA began construction at part of the present location in Corso Emanuele Filiberto.

In 1956 came the welcome introduction of the new SELEN model – a DC static welder with three phase transformer and selenium rectifier. This was an important technological breakthrough to solve noise and frequent need of maintenance typical of the rotary machines built in 1953.

By the end of the 1950’s, CEA recognized the huge potential of exporting. An outstanding export sales activity was started together with an adequate promotional campaign with a participation to the main worldwide exhibitions.

CEA’s growth continued and a larger facility was again required. This further factory expansion provided a better production environment together with a vast and well assorted warehouse, able to quickly satisfy the needs of the worldwide distributors.

A milestone in CEA history marking an outstanding progress in quality. Ezio Annettoni signed in the United States an agreement with P/H Chemetron of Chicago, which allowed him to build under licence MIG/MAG welding equipment for worldwide distribution. Such extremely high quality product, incorporating a top level innovative technology already worldwide known and appreciated, significantly opened the doors to a huge market in a promising further expansion.

CEA’s aim was to satisfy a wider scope of its customers’ needs, which led to a steady effort in broadening the range. TIG welding power source production started.

A further range expansion with the introduction of a new series of thyristor controlled electronic adjustment arc welders.

The keen attention to market demand led CEA to complete the range of resistance machines with a new series of three phase DC output welding equipment. Such new products were capable of guaranteeing high quality performances with far lower energy consumption than traditional ones.

The industrial need of cutting in a quicker, easier and safer way, besides carbon steel, also noble metals such as stainless steel and aluminium, instigated the development of a totally new CEA line with the introduction of plasma cutting equipment.

CEA’s constant dedication to research led the introduction into the CEA range of the first IGBT inverter welding machine, new technology which will be brought forward and integrated in the coming years into the whole arc and resistance range. CEA range growth continued with the introduction of the first synergic adjustment, microprocessor controlled, pulsed MIG/MAG machine.

CEA, first among the italian welding equipment manufacturers, on 29th June 1994 reached the ISO 9001 quality system certification.

CEA range was enriched by new path breaking design high technology RAINBOW range machines for MMA and TIG, among which RAINBOW 150, 150 A in 4 Kg only, an innovative MMA product, equipped with 100 KHz IGBT inverter. Thanks to its innovative and attractive design, RAINBOW 150 was included into the restricted and prestigious list of products that, after the XIX°COMPASSO D’ORO ADI Exhibition held in Milan, are being shown in the permanent exhibition collection. Quality, welding performance, manufacturing care and also aesthetics are the new CEA project philosophy which will be reflected in all new machines coming after the “revolutionary” innovative chassis of the Rainbow range.

CEA has launched in this and subsequent year innovative design digital inverter novelties among which Multifunction “Dual Pulsed Mig” synergic DIGITECH 300, 400 and 500 and AC/DC Tig MATRIX series, technologically advanced, which allow high precision and repeatability of the achieved results. Fully digital controlled, they grant premium welding quality on all materials and particularly on aluminium and stainless steel. Resistance welding range was renewed thanks to new Medium Frequency inverter MF models (1000 Hz) also utilized in the VOYAGER range, CNC robotized systems working on more axis, the best reply to latest market need for quality, flexibility and high level welding performance.

Range design renovation was completed by launching new COMPACT, MAXI and ECHO Mig’s, new PLASMA PLUS and PLASMA CUT equipment and, last but not least, the new Multifunction DIGISTAR 250, judged a “star performer” in the automotive industry due to its excellent welding joints mostly on aluminium and galvanized steel.

In ESSEN 2009 CEA has launched a great number of modern design, technologically ahead, easy-to-use power sources, result of 60 years’ experience in the welding field, such as the new 1ph MATRIX 2200 range fitted with PFC, MATRIX 2700 and 420 range, CONVEX BASIC and VISION ranges and 1 ph TREO 1600 portable multifunction and others as shown in CEA website. We draw yr attention on the new fully colour display CONVEX VISION MIG/MAG multifunction synergic range, which, thanks to the innovative VISION.ARC software, fully meets the needs of combining synergy with the total control of the welding parameters in a user friendly way as requested by the clients, because total customer satisfaction is a must for CEA as it has been in 60 years of activity in “welding together”.

Top performance MIG/MAG arc control software:

• vision.PIPE for first root pass and open gap
• vision.COLD for low heat transfer
• vision.ULTRASPEED for increased welding speed
• vision.POWER for high penetration

CEA decides to give the right commercial importance to two ranges of products that have always been in the company production. For this reason the CEA PLASMATECH and CEA RESTECH division brands are born in order to further specialize their respective ranges and to refer to the experts of these specific markets with the awareness of being able to compare with the most qualified competitors.

CEA renovate the product line by entering a group of important new welding solution as:

• QUBOX
• New HT 5 feeder with kit of Double Feeder
• New HS 5, SWF and SHS feeders
• New ULTRAFAST software for TIG’s
• MATRIX 3000 DC & AC/DC TIG’s with new wave forms
• TREO 1800 SYNERGIC
• DIGISTAR 2000 PULSE

CEA officially launch in the market the first group of synergic mig/pulse special process:

• vision.PULSE-UP for a quicker and more precise vertical up welding
• vision.PULSE-RUN for a colder and faster pulsed welding
• vision.PULSE-POWER for a more penetrated and smoothly shaped welding on medium large thickness

In SCHWEISSEN&SCHNEIDEN exhibition CEA breaking again into the welding world by presenting a complete new line of products. Driven by the usual industrial mentality and quality addiction, CEA launch DOGMA, SMARTCAR, DIGITECH VP3, MAXI I and many other interesting minor update.