At ARC Specialties we are big advocates for video monitoring of the welding process. We add cameras to most of our systems. The late Don Alexander once told me that he could see 100 different things in the leading edge of the weld puddle. I’m only up to 86 😉 but I agree that much can be learned by watching the weld.
I’m a long time advocate of narrow gap welding. The advantages are tremendous, but the challenges are too.
In manufacturing, these are your only choices. Fortunately, there is still a place in the world for people. Some things humans do best.
Thanks for the comments & questions regarding Additive Manufacturing (AM) and material properties. Our motto, see below, really is our mission statement. We learn when you send us problems.
Our Additive Manufacturing (AM) posts on high deposition welding processes have generated a lot of interest. I was even invited to submit a paper for consideration at Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium.
Additive Manufacturing with High Strength Steel
or Tensile Testing the Texas Way
We decided to build a truss to see just how strong Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) built aluminum parts really are. Mike Willey created a truss design and used FEA to estimate that it would support over 1000 lbs. Kevin Sevcik then imported the model into Robotmaster offline programming software to create the robot path. Then using Lincoln Electric R350 Power Wave with Advanced Module running in AC pulse mode Jim Walker built a 5356 aluminum truss using the ARC-06 robot in our laboratory. Total build time was around 3 hours and for an 8 pound part. Finally, we tested the part in our own special Texan way to over 1,200 pounds WITHOUT FAILURE.
Watch the video for the whole story:
ARC Specialties thrives on problems, send us yours!
We have received requests for aluminum AM parts. Last week we developed the technology to build 3D aluminum parts using a FANUC America Corporation robot and a Lincoln Electric R350 Power Wave with Advanced Module running in AC pulse mode.
As we refined the process parameters we were pleasantly surprised to find that the best results coincided with higher wire and travel speeds. As productivity increased so did build quality. My professor once taught me that a small weld puddle has sufficient surface tension to negate the force of gravity. He was right. We are able to build horizontal just as well as vertical!
After welding & motion control the final piece of the AM puzzle is programming. We are working with Gregory Culp and the Robotmaster team to slice cad models and generate torch path and orientation to build complex 3D parts. Being able to build horizontal complicates programming but greatly expands feature build capacity.
The build parts have passed Liquid Penetrant (LP), side and face bend tests. UTS and YS, R of A and %Elong are typical for 5356 alloys.
If you have an aluminum part you would like to build with AM, contact me.
ARC Specialties thrives on problems, send us yours!
Dan Allford
On Wednesday, October 16th at 7:00 pm, Dan Allford lead a session at AWS Welding Houston.
Collaborative robots or cobots are designed to be safe to work near people.
This unique feature opens up new applications for robots. One of these areas is welding and plasma cutting. Using case studies, Dan discusses where cobots might be applied and where they should not.
On Thursday, August 30th at 11:00 am, Dan Allford lead a session at AWS Welding Summit 2019.
“When correctly applied robots save money and improve quality. When misapplied the robot becomes an expensive dust collector. Using case histories Dan will discuss how to determine when and if a project is economical to automate. Topics include initial robot cost, programming costs, filler material savings, safety, part accuracy, joint configuration, production volumes and technological competency necessary to succeed.”
