General Main Battle Tank Technology Thread:

I just came across this image. It seems that the Germans are welding tanks without changing the angle of the weldment to be in the flat position. This would require either properly trained and skilled welders or result in substandard welds.

The Soviets would usually position the whole hull so that the welds were always in a flat position.

Let's start with the fact that they are not welding but grinding.
Those are not new hulls but refurbished, after sandblasting.

Nope.
They are cutting those open - all the parts there are being replaced with upgraded ones.
You are seeing old baseline A4 in the process of upgrades.
A whole frontal section is cut off as well, it will be rebuilt brand new with new armor and strengthened construction of tows. Otherwise, the tank is too heavy for towing after the upgrades.
All hydraulics are cut off and replaced with cable wiring.
They will install the fire fighting system and a new electric generator.
It is the easiest method and is being done the same way by Bumar here.

The image source said new builds.

And I would like to see evidence that they have positioners for the hull and turret rather than the old "the Germans do it best". Germany has fallen very far and even earlier they produced crap like the Tiger 2, Ferdinand and Maus.

Deutsche Qualitat everyone.

You are dancing around a nothing burger.
This is the way it is being done.
Here is Bumar again, and the line for the modernization of T-72. You can see some hulls cut open the same way.



It is one plate only and makes things much easier.
All the fuel tanks, shirts, etc are add-ons. You take them away.
For L2, the same applies to the turret - it is a steel core with 4 add-on elements - two frontal boxes with an armor package, the one on the right goes off with PERIR. And two on the back, the left one being the ammo magazine and the right one being the hydraulic section with pump, fluid tanks, and piping. It all goes out with every modernization, starting with A5.

Just as an example, A5 and on have the driver's hatch reconstructed brand new, with different dimensional, shapes and operation. You need to make a new shape of the hatch hole in the frontal top plate. How do you think it is easier to make?

With L2, the case is that Germans made thousands of those, and from the very beginning, the modernization program was running alongside the production.
People tend to forget that when we talk L2, we deal with a tank that started with an optical rangefinder. All those tanks were converted in the meantime. In theory, the base used for reconstruction can be a tank that is 50 years old and has already been reconstructed multiple times. I know the specific pieces that were owned by four different armies in their lifetime.
KMW has not constructed a new tank for at least two decades, all being refurbished - the same way as muricans do with M1.

On the other hand, I would seriously reconsider the competency level of someone who can't distinguish welding from grinding seeing one.
And how serious it makes all the discussion of the quality level of the welds?

On the other hand, I would seriously reconsider the competency level of someone who can't distinguish welding from grinding seeing one. And how serious it makes all the discussion of the quality level of the welds? wrote:

It looked like they were grinding in preparation for welding.

I was merely speculating that they do not use proper welding positioners as that would explain the way their tanks burst wide open at the seams when there is an ammunition fire.

But of course they do.

Fifth hull on the left, counting down up.
And the one on the right, next to the container assisted by steps for mounting pod.
But feel free to see better, I only visit this plant 3-4 times a year.