Page 83 - MetalForming October 2016

50 to 1000 or more of a product, we needed to somehow quicken the process while maintaining quality and keeping the welders from burning out.”
Wave-Pulse GMAW Quicker to Set Up and Use
One possibility: Switch from GTAW to wave-pulse gas-metal-arc welding (GMAW ) of the aluminum compo- nents. In the past, Skinz had tried pulsed-GTAW technology but had less- than-satisfactory results, according to Hawksworth. In addition, welders com- plained that dialing in this process along with maintaining consistent results and managing an awkward-to- use welding torch was difficult and time-consuming.
Mindful of this, Hawksworth took the problem to Brian Henrickson of distributor Minneapolis Oxygen, who recommended an OTC Welbee WB- P400 Pulse GMAW system from Daihen Inc., Tipp City, OH.
“Skinz’ parts are too complex and
difficult to handle with robotic weld- ing,” Henrickson explains, “but the wave-pulse system produces excellent welds that look like the hand-held GTA welds the company was used to, yet are much easier to set up and change. Once the welders discovered the increased speed and ease of this process, they more than doubled their output.”
OTC wave-pulse technology debuted in 1982 and today’s power supplies and guns enable welders to achieve rapid, spatter-free results based on the wire type, wire diameter and shielding gas used, say Daihen officials. The system, they note, is particularly effective at reducing porosity in alu- minum–resulting from a degassing effect created by agitating the weld puddle at low frequencies.
“Moving to this GMAW system for about 90 percent of our welding tasks not only cut production time in half and reduced labor costs, but has been a real morale boost for our welders,”
explains Hawksworth. “GTAW requires constant attention and can be a slow, tedious process that wears on people when they’re trying to keep up with the number of parts we weld every day. The welders particularly like how easy it is to change settings for different parts, and that the gun is easy to artic- ulate. The quality of the welds is unbe- lievable, whether we’re doing butt welds or overlaps, and on inside and outside angles.
“Because of our previous experience with GMAW, we thought that pulse tech- nology was just too finicky to be practi- cal,” he continues. “It took a lot of time to dial in for a 3-in. weld on a part that needed 30 in. of various welds, each one of which would need similar adjusting. The OTC system works however and wherever we need it, and the welds look every bit as good as GTAW. We still use GTAW for about 10 percent of our weld- ing work, but the Wave Pulse system is a workhorse that enables us to maintain volume and part quality.” MF
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