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Today’s simplified welding technology designed to boost welding performance

Welders find power sources easier to use, while gaining greater arc control

Figure 1
Some welding power sources are designed for easy setup in just a few steps. With available technologies, operators can simply input the thickness of the material being welded, and the machine automatically sets the proper voltage and wire feed speed.

Welding power sources are evolving from the heavy, analog machines with dial-in knobs that used to dominate the industrial landscape. Today’s power sources are lighter, more powerful machines with digital screens. Thanks to features such as simplified interfaces and automatic parameter adjustments, these machines are becoming easier than ever for operators to use.

That’s good news as the industry struggles with a skilled welder shortage and many companies seek ways to improve productivity and do more with fewer workers. When a power source delivers greater ease of use and improved arc control, it’s easier for welders of various skill levels to produce high-quality welds and reduce mistakes.

As machines become easier to use on the outside, their simplified interfaces and improved arc quality are due to increasingly advanced technology on the inside. Investing in power sources designed to help welders easily set correct parameters can help companies save time and money in training and rework.

Welding Technology Advancements

Just as all technologies advance—from cell phones to televisions—welding power sources also are evolving as innovations result in smarter equipment with more capabilities. In many cases, these power sources even provide greater capabilities in smaller and lighter packages. These welding technology advancements help address several challenges in the industry:

Experienced Welders Are Leaving the Workforce. As more experienced welders reach retirement age, younger welders are taking their place, and they have different expectations about their work environment. They expect to use welding power sources that are more reflective of the technology around them, such as smart phones. Fabricating shops that use this advanced welding technology are able to keep the interest of younger welders and get them up and running faster than a previous generation of welders that had to rely on their own skills and not technology.

The Push for Greater Productivity Continues. Greater competition is pushing many companies to increase output and productivity while maintaining or decreasing costs. That’s why advanced processes, such as pulsed gas metal arc welding (GMAW-P), are being used more. GMAW-P is a modified spray transfer process in which the power source switches between a high peak current or voltage and a low background current or voltage between 30 to 400 times per second. During this switch, the peak current pinches off a droplet of wire and propels it to the weld joint. At the same time, the background current maintains the arc but produces such a low heat input that metal transfer can’t occur, allowing the weld puddle to freeze slightly and help prevent burn-through. This action differs from a traditional spray transfer process, which continuously transfers tiny droplets of molten metal into the weld joint. Because of this arc activity, GMAW-P reduces the need for postweld cleanup when compared to more traditional constant-voltage GMAW.

Older welding power sources often require more steps and effort to set up pulsed welding; newer machines are designed to make the pulsed welding process easier. This allows more companies to adopt advanced processes, even with less experienced or fewer welders.

More Manufacturers Are Working with Thin Materials. In a variety of industries, many manufacturers are making the transition to the use of lighter and thinner materials that still provide necessary strength. This is another factor driving more companies to use advanced processes like pulsed welding, which introduce less heat into the material, reducing the chance of burn-through and warping on thinner metals.

What Does “Simplified” Mean?

It’s one thing to say that a modern welding power source is “simplified” compared to older technology, but what does that really mean? Let’s walk through it.

Setting up the Machine. Some manufacturers provide all the equipment and accessories needed to start welding—including the power source, wire feeder, weld and control cables, gas flow regulator, and GMAW gun—in one package to significantly shorten setup time. Sometimes much of the equipment is preassembled as well. This simplifies preparation of the machine for welding.

Figure 2
Many newer welding power sources use digital screens with push-button simplicity. This saves time in setting and adjusting processes and makes it easier to set the proper parameters to achieve high-quality welds.

Interfacing with the Machine. Newer welding power sources often are designed for easy setup in just a few steps. With some technologies, operators simply can select the thickness of the material they are welding, and the machine automatically sets all other parameters. If one of the parameters is adjusted, the machine automatically adjusts the others as well. Eliminating the need to set voltage and wire feed speed manually helps make setup faster and operation less intimidating. From a quality control perspective, it ensures that proper parameters are being used.

Traditionally when using advanced processes, the welder must input more information to produce a good arc. On some power sources, dozens of parameters can be adjusted to fine-tune arc quality and puddle control when pulse welding. This makes the process more complicated.

Take the GMAW-P process, for example. Most new to the process assume the arc length is the same as the voltage. However, with this process, the arc length is a function of the voltage, but the actual number is arbitrary. A power source might have a -10 to 10 scale, and 0 is the starting point typically for a welder to make adjustments. If the welder wants to adjust the power, he adjusts the control below 0 for less power and above 0 for more power. This adjustment is avoided on modern power sources that make the decision for the welder; a GMAW-P program delivers certain attributes with a simple control setting.

A simplified interface helps remove these types of complications when using advanced processes. When the interface uses just a few buttons and has no hidden menus, it’s easier for less-experienced welders to input the additional parameters required to achieve success.

Speeding up Communication. Pulsed welding is not new, but it has become more reliable and easier to use over time as the process—and the power sources used for it—have advanced.

One reason for this is the technology used to connect the power source and wire feeder. Previous analog technology that allowed the welder and feeder to communicate was limited and slow, and advanced processes require high-speed communication. A pulsed welding arc is measured in milliseconds, as it reacts and adjusts to how the operator is welding and conditions in the weld. Slow communication between the power source and feeder limit the quality of the pulsed arc.

The high-speed, digital communication in today’s power sources delivers improved arc quality because data exchange is almost instantaneous and the arc can be changed quickly. Some power sources also offer an arc control knob, allowing operators to fine-tune the arc to their preferences without changing key parameters.

The faster digital communication also allows the operator to control parameters and get feedback at the wire feeder—rather than having to walk back to the power source—for improved productivity and weld quality.

In addition, technology improvements have resulted in more advanced types of pulsed welding processes that offer a more forgiving arc, delivering a wider operating window than conventional constant-voltage GMAW. This makes it easier for welders of all skill levels to complete high-quality welds.

Monitoring the Weld Digitally. Monitoring weld data also is easier with new welding technologies. The ability to gather information digitally rather than by hand helps companies track and measure productivity, quality, and costs.

Welding intelligence tools help identify potential problems in welding operations. They can improve productivity and quality by providing an in-depth look at arc-on time and detecting missed or defective welds. As a result, rework is reduced in the welding department, and more parts get out the door faster.

As welding power sources have been simplified over the years, machine capabilities have advanced. This combination is especially beneficial in helping less-experienced welders produce high-quality welds—even when using advanced processes like pulsed welding—so they can be trained and on the job faster.

Brian Hammers is engineering manager, Miller Electric Mfg. Co., 1635 W. Spencer St., P.O. Box 1079, Appleton, WI 54912-1079, 920-734-9821, www.millerwelds.com.