2023
Robotic Welding
2019
Find new productivity drivers from welding operations data.
WeldCloud - Esab
WeldCloud is an online management system that connects welding power supplies to a software platform that manages data to be analyzed for maximum productivity.
Every time a welder completes a pass, a trove of data is infused in the weld. That data has the power to inform future decisions, improve productivity, and provide you with the information necessary to understand how the weld was made.
Data for Productivity in Welding
As a productivity tracking platform using 3G combined with WI-FI and Ethernet, WeldCloud can plug into practically any in-house software system. WeldCloud is a secure, locked-down system that ensures your data is totally confidential.
WeldCloud offers:
Traceability. The platform can trace back to welds that have already been created and provided the details on how and when they were created.
Two-way communications. The platform can actually push settings to machines, such as a new weld parameter combo, while the machines can send data back to the platform.
Easy set up. Be up and running with WeldCloud in a couple of hours and trained in just a few days.
Alert management. WeldCloud automatically pushes out alerts when machines have issues, as needed and scheduled by the user.
Simple integration. WeldCloud has solutions that can work with existing machines and get you up and running - quickly.
User-friendly interface. WeldCloud's responsive design makes using the platform easy from wherever you are, whether that's at home on a desktop, at work on a laptop, or on the move on mobile or tablet devices.
100% scalable. Put WeldCloud to the test by adding it on one or two machines and adding it onto others over time. You'll also benefit from new features and functionality that are constantly being developed and updated on the platform.
Operations Managers.
The people in this department are constantly looking for opportunities to increase productivity while maintaining a high-quality output. WeldCloud makes that possible by equipping them with data to find new productivity drivers.
Welding Engineers.
Welders' main focus is to determine the best possible welding process for a given application and test it. Quite a bit of data is required to make that initial decision, then it has to be tested on one machine. Once proven, WeldCloud can send the process to the cloud and - when it's ready - push it out to all the machines in the shop, saving a tremendous amount of time.
http://www.esabna.com/us/en/weldcloud/index.cfm
2018
Productivity Improvement Tips for Improving Gas-Tungsten-Arc-Welding
February 20181. Use an inverter
Using an inverter to supply power will improve GTAW efficiency. Inverters operate by switching high-voltage low-amperage alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC) back and forth at a very high rate of speed—up to 50,000 times/sec. and this provides a smooth arc that provides consistent welding performance.
Inverters also have frequency controls and allow the welder to determine the length of time that it takes the unit to complete one full current cycle (the combined time spent on electrode positive electrode negative). The frequency can be adjusted from 20 to 400 Hz.
The inverter’s frequency feature can be used to narrow the focus of the arc, creating a narrow weld bead and minimal heat-affected zone (HAZ). Welders will spend less time and consume less filler metal completing each weld. A smaller HAZ minimizes the likelihood of burn through and the need for rework.
Inverters also feature a balance control, which allows the welder to adjust how long the current spends in each part of the AC cycle—particularly useful when welding aluminum. He can adjust the balance control more toward the electrode-positive portion of the cycle, which helps to remove the oxide layer on the aluminum workpiece (referred to as ‘cleaning action’), or more toward the electrode-negative portion of the cycle, which increases weld penetration and travel speed.
2. Use the right GTAW torch
Right GTAW torch for the application also can help make the process more efficient. Select a torch with good insulation. Silicon-rubber insulation, for example, protects against high-frequency leakage and cracking that can lead to premature torch failure and downtime for torch changeover.
Air- or water-cooled GTAW torch - Choice
Air-cooled models prove useful for low-amperage applications, say below 200 A, for welding materials less than 8.0 mm. thick, or for shops where welders tend to move around a lot, since these torches do not require an external cooler.
Water-cooled GTAW torch for applications in excess of 200 A. These torches help prevent overheating and allow welders to achieve faster travel speeds.
Flexible necks
Consider the angles at which the welders must weld, since maneuvering around difficult joints can be time-consuming and uncomfortable. Most GTAW-torch manufacturers offer models with flexible necks that make the job easier in awkward positions.
Some torch-body styles have a modular design, which allows the welder to add a flexible neck and different head angles to an existing torch. These kits provide good joint access and can lower downtime associated with changing over different torches for multiple applications. Plus, you can save money on extra inventory.
3. Use Gas Lens
Adding a gas lens to the GTAW torch provides for an even flow of shielding gas.
A gas lens can replace the collet body of a standard GTAW torch. A gas lens helps hold the tungsten in place and creates the electrical contact necessary for proper current transfer. It also provides two other functions that can help improve efficiency: It improves shielding-gas coverage and improves weld-joint accessibility.
The stainless-steel screens in gas lenses distribute the shielding gas evenly around the tungsten electrode and along the weld puddle and arc to help prevent oxygen contamination that could lead to weld defects. Minimizing defects and their associated rework ensures that the welder can spend more time in production and less time fixing defects.
Gas lenses also allow the welder to extend the tungsten electrode further out from the nozzle. This additional electrode extension gives the welder a clearer look at the joint and arc, allowing him to have greater torch control and achieve better weld quality, particularly on critical applications or in hard-to-reach areas such as T, K and Y joints.
Gas lenses also prove particularly helpful when welding on alloys highly reactive to atmospheric contaminants or for materials used in high-temperature applications.
4. Minimize Overwelding
Taking steps to prevent overwelding will significantly improve GTAW efficiency, and save money. Overwelding is depositing more weld metal in a joint than is required to obtain the necessary weld strength. It often results from poor joint fitup or preparation, improper welding parameters or from simple overcompensation —the welder believing that he needs more weld metal to fill the joint than is necessary.
Overwelding wastes shielding gas and filler metal, and increases welding time. For example, overwelding a fillet weld by a mere 1.5 mm can increase arc-on time by as much as 30 to 40 percent for a 10.00 mm fillet weld and 80 to 90 percent for a 3.00 mm weld. In addition, overwelding increases the amount of heat input into the base material, raising the risk of burnthrough or distortion and leading to costly and time-consuming rework. It may even increase the need for grinding and finishing which again an additional operation and increases cost of weld metal by another 20 to 25 percentage and also adds time factor.
To prevent overwelding, avoid over-designing weld joints–do not use a larger joint than is necessary to gain the appropriate strength for the application. A good rule of thumb: Make the leg of a fillet weld no wider than the thickness of the thinnest workpiece, and weld accordingly. For example, when joining a 3.00 mm thick plate to a 6.00 mm plate, a 3.00 mm weld bead suffices unless, the weld is designed for a dissimilar leg size. Also, know the size of the joint being welded. When in doubt, don’t guess—use a fillet gauge.
Proper joint preparation and tight fitup provide good defenses against overwelding, as does welding in the vertical-down position on thin materials.
5. Use Pulsed TIG process with fast pulse
When welding thin metal, the main objective is to avoid warping, burn-through and excessive heat affected zones while still ensuring the weld has sufficient mechanical strength for the application. The welding processes that provide the most control over heat is pulsed MIG, pulsed TIG.
For fabricators, welding sheet metal often means a constant battle between productivity and weld problems like burn-through, warping, excessive heat affected zones (HAZ) and weld appearance. Proper techniques are to be used as a first step to win the battle.
Pulsed Gas Tungsten Arc Welding – Pulsing between a high peak current and a low background current at frequencies of 100 to 500 pulses per second (PPS)—allows operators to accomplish one or more of the following:
Reduce the bead width by up to 52 per cent
Increase penetration by up to 34 per cent
Reduce heat in-put by up to 60 per cent
Increase welding travel speed up to 35 per cent
Promote better weld quality
Pulsed TIG Waveforms: Operators set four variables when programming a pulsed TIG output: peak amperage, background amperage, pulses per second (PPS) and peak time.
DC TIG Comparisons: Slow travel speeds increase the width of heat-affected zone and can cause carbide precipitation on the backside of the weldment. Faster travel speeds, produced by high speed pulsed TIG, can alleviate weld quality issues while improving productivity.
Straight TIG, Pulsed TIG : The pulsed TIG weld bead took 30 percent less time to weld and it requires almost no clean-up. It also clearly indicates the reduced heat-affected zone.
6. Tungsten Electrode Point Issues
The type of tungsten used and the shape of the electrode tip can significantly impact process efficiency.
For AC and DC welding using an inverter power source and either a ceriated, lanthanated or thoriated tungsten electrode, grind the electrode to create a pointed or truncated tip. This provides the stable arc needed to achieve good welding performance and quality, while preventing contamination or arc wandering.
Grinding the shape: Grind the tungsten on a borazon or diamond grinding wheel specially designated for the job. Alternatively use a fine grain wheel with 100 to 120 grit size. Don't use bench grinder which has a coarse grain (grit size 40 or 60) wheel as it causes serrations and spoils the shape of taper and also consume tungsten metal. It also results in low focus of arc power on the job and diversion of current / heat. Next, grind the taper on the tungsten-electrode tip to the electrode tip to a distance no more than 2.5 times taper on the tungsten-electrode tip to a distance the electrode diameter.
For example, for 3.0 mm electrode, no more than 2.5 times the electrode diameter, grind a surface 6.00 to 8.00 mm long. The tip design will, for example, using a 3.0 mm electrode, grind a ease arc starting and help create a more focused arc surface 6.0 to 8.0 mm long. This tip design will ease when welding with low amperage on thin materials (1.00 arc starting and help create a more focused arc to 3.00mm thick) grind the tungsten to a point. Don’t grind circumferentially; grind longitudinally.
This will allows welding current to transfer in a focused arc and helps to prevent bdistortion. In particular, a pointed ceriated helps to prevent distortion.
In particular, a pointed ceriated tungsten electrode works well when welding Aluminum, as it provide 30 to 40 per cent more amperage capacity than does pure tungsten before it begins to melt. Do not use a balled tungsten electrode tip for such an application.
On higher-current applications, grinding the tungsten to a truncated tip can help improve welding performance by preventing the tungsten from balling. First grind the tungsten to a taper, then grind a 0.30 to 0.80 mm flat land on the end of the tungsten.
Source
http://www.weldfabtechtimes.com/welding-tips/tips-for-improving-gas-tungsten-arc-welding-productivity/
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