Practical Welding Today®editor recaps AWS: New technologies, new optimism

According to Practical Welding Today®Associate Editor Stephanie Vaughan, equipmentmakers typically display new equipment and technologies at tradeshows, but at the 2004 AWS Show in Chicago in April, they also displayed optimism. Some was based on sales increases, while some came from productivity increases they hope to offer customers through their products.

Robotics and Automation

Several companies based their new automation equipment on recent industry trends. For example, because floor space is a premium for most fabricators, Motoman Inc., West Carrollton, Ohio, offered overhead-mounted robots. The company also reported new requirements for light curtain protection around a robotic welding workcell; the need for more reliable arc monitoring for higher-quality welds and to increase productivity; and steel prices as a hindrance to some fabricators' purchasing flexibility as other customer trends.

In last two to three years, the use of digital control has increased, according to Panasonic Factory Automation, Elgin, Ill. But for robotic systems, interaction has been limited by one-way communication. Today's digital control allows for two-way communication, the company said.

At the show, Panasonic offered a power source with a 32-bit processor that the company said makes communication 30 percent faster. The technology used in this power source also helps produce better uniformity in the wire tip, which is important because the shape of the wire is important to starting the arc again.

In other automation-related news at the show, The Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, showcased its pre-engineered and custom workcells. LASAG, Arlington Heights, Ill., reported more customers using tax initiatives for purchasing. The company reported orders last year that resulted directly from these initiatives. Lasers are gaining attention, according to Air Liquide, Houston, possibly because of a newly published book on laser cutting technologies.

Safety

Mauritzon, Chicago, offered flame-retardant materials, the most of which are carbon-based and suitable for automotive welding. The company said this new technology is becoming more affordable.

Chicago Protective Apparel, Skokie, Ill., noted an increase in protective equipment use as safety standards cause more companies to start safety programs addressing fire hazards in welding.

Productivity and Exotic Materials Welding

Like many other exhibitors at the show, Miller Electric Mfg. Co., Appleton, Wis., emphasized the importance of weld quality as it relates to productivity. Its Maxstar 150 STH, a SMAW/GTAW machine that offers a noncontact arc start and 115- to 230-volt single-phase power, is suitable for repair work and mechanical contractors.

The newest product at the show for Mathey Dearman, Tulsa, Okla., was a magnetic machine for cutting coated pipes. With the different types of materials, alloys, and coatings being used, especially in pipeline work, such machines that counter the magnetics in certain coatings are necessary to help welders join these types of materials, the company said.

Lincoln Electric reported an increased demand for filler metals to be used with unusual alloys. The company offers filler metals in the U.S. that previously had been sold only in Europe for duplex, superduplex, and piping applications. The company also reported that customers are pushing for arc enhancement and more control in the arc so they can create better welds more quickly.

For more on products offered by these and other AWS Show exhibitors, please refer to the Product Highlights and Product Update departments of this and subsequent issues of Practical Welding Today®, The FABRICATOR®, and TPJ—The Tube & Pipe Journal®and to the Latest Products on thefabricator.com.