Welding Automation Expert - SENLISWELD

Welding Automation: The Ultimate FAQ Guide

More than half of all products we use every day are manufactured involving welding processes. There are more than 30 different methods of welding.

While the technical processes vary in these various welding processes the basic methodologies are limited to only two: Manual Welding and Welding automation.

What are the Common Welding Problems With Manual Welding?

common welding problems

Manual welding involves various manual tools and processes that are highly labor-intensive. They take a lot of time and effort in exchange for simple welding processes.

These techniques can work for lower work rate businesses but cannot perform effectively and efficiently in large-size industries.

As these are more labor-intensive than automatic welding procedures the chance of error significantly increases. Let’s take a brief look at various hiccups you can commonly face while using traditional welding methods:

1. Welding Droplets –  This problem normally occurs when droplets of melted material are constructed near the welding arc. This issue usually happens during gas metal arc welding (GMAW).

This issue is typically the result of currents that are too high, incorrect polarity, or insufficient gas shielding. Manual welding techniques only increase the difficulty for welders rather than reducing spatter in their welding.

2. Welding Holes –  Holes are produced by the consumption of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen in the hot weld pool, which is then discharged on solidification to fit in the weld metal.

Holes in a weld can be caused by the presence of moisture, rust, grease, or paint on the plate edges. It can also be caused by insufficient gas shielding and when welding is done onto small gaps with air in between.

Most of these issues are the result of a lack of close monitoring while completing extensive welding processes.

3. Welding Wear away – Undercut can happen when the arc energy is too high or the arc is too long. It can also occur with inaccurate electrode practice or an incorrect angle, as well as using an electrode that is too large for the diameter of the plate.

Using a travel speed that is too quick can also lead to an undercut. Using manual welding methods increases the chances of inaccurate electrode usage as well as inaccurate angle.

4. Welding Deformation – Deformation happens during the reduction of welded metals when chilling and solidifying. It can happen when the welding continuity is not suitable for the intended weld, there are too many thin beads, or there is insufficient clamping before welding.

The welding sequence can easily become unsuitable for the intended weld if the manual welding processes are not accurately applied.

5. Cracks – Cracks are an issue with manual welding, as they can become larger over time. Fixing a crack is not as simple as filling the gap with the material. Cracks need to be ground out and a new weld needs to be performed to correct the error.

Welding manually doesn’t do much help in reducing the occurrence of cracks in welding processes.

6. Incomplete penetration and fusion – Incomplete root fusion happens when the weld neglects to fuse on one side of the joint in the root. Unfinished root penetration occurs when both sides of the roof region of joints are not fused.

Manual welding creates more chances of incomplete fusion than automatic welding.

7. Welding Slag – Slag inclusions occur when small particles of flux become trapped inside the weld metal, preventing complete penetration of the weld. Manual welding only increases slag inclusions.

8. Incorrect Wire Delivery – This issue will commonly appear in a chattering sound with the gun cable. It is often caused by incorrect setup of equipment, incorrect maintenance, or welders using tips too extensive for application.

Like all other problems mentioned on the list, manual welding increases the chances of incorrect setup and needs more maintenance.

9. Loose Welds – Another common issue with welding is the creation of loose welds that do not hold up. Manual welding again is not efficient enough to decrease the chances of loose welds.

What is Welding Automation Integration?

Welding Automation Integration

All the above-mentioned problems occur mainly because of more human intervention than machines. All welding processes from major to minor occur due to a lack of control over the entire welding procedure.

From the increased slag left after manual welding to intensive human effort, manual welding needed a desperate technological update like the rest of several other industries.

However, things have changed for the good. Now several machines have automated entire welding processes helping in improving the welding process. These machines have made life easy for welders as they require less effort.

They have also made life easy for industrialists as welding automation helps in reducing slags and improving operational efficiency.

How Does Welding Automation Work?

Welding is one of the most complex manufacturing processes and is generally the slightest comprehended. Many assemblers are integrating automated welding operations to improve quality, productivity, and profitability.

Welding automation can be split into two basic classifications:

Semi-Automatic – In semiautomatic welding, an operator manually loads the parts into the welding fixture. A weld controller then keeps the welding process, the movement of the flare, and the tranquillity of the elements to preset parameters.

After the weld is performed, the operator pushes the completed assembly out and the process begins again.

Fully Automatic – In fully automatic welding, a custom machine, or group of machines, place the workpiece, catalogs the part or torch into location, performs the weld, monitors the quality of the joint, and discharges the finalized product.

Additional “part in place” and last product condition checks may also be created into the machine if needed. Depending on the service, a machine operator may be required.

Utilizations benefit most from automation when the quality or function of the weld is significant. If repetitious welds need to be made on identical parts or if the parts have accumulated meaningful value earlier to welding.

Companies that gather limited quantities of products asking for accurate or significant welds benefit from a semi-automatic welding system.

How Automatic Welding Improves the Efficiency, Economy, and Effectiveness of Your Welding Operations?

Automated welding systems offer four main advantages:

• Enhanced weld characteristic
• Enhanced production
• Decreased scrap
• Reduced unsteady labor expenses

Weld quality consists of two factors: weld quality and repeatability. Automated welding systems guarantee weld quality through electric weld process controllers.

Combining mechanized torch and part changes with an electric recall of welding parameters results in a higher feature weld than it can be performed manually.

This offers immediate quality control. Moreover, because a weld is performed only once, defects are immediately apparent and detectable. People tend to “ease over” a mistake with the torch, ducking lack of penetration, or a likely flawed weld.

In some cases, leak examination and vision systems can be blended into fully automated systems to provide supplementary quality control.

Repeatability is a role of the character of the weld process controller and the architecture of the machine movements. Mechanized welding gives repeatable input parameters for more repeatable production.

Considering the controller is functioning correctly, the question grows: Can the tools of the machine, but the parts of the torch be within the defined thresholds for welding? The response to this problem will attest to the quality of the system acquired.

welding automation system

Semiautomatic and fully automatic systems boost production by reducing the human part from the welding manner. Product weld speeds are fixed at a rate of maximum by the device, not by an engineer.

With minimum composition time and more leading weld activities, a mechanized welding system can comfortably outpace a skilled manual welder.

Automating the torch or part motions, and part employment overcome the probability of individual mistakes. A weld takes place when all conditions are fulfilled. With manual welding, reject welds usually grow when welders become fatigued.

Depending on the importance of the components at the welding station, the expense economies in scrap singly explain the acquisition of an automated welding system. Automation should also be recognized when assemblers need to reduce the risk of sending a bad part to a client.

Dependence on individual welders can dramatically expand a manufacturer’s labor charges. When proposing labor expenses, businesses must analyze the extent that welders waste manufacturing constructions.

Commonly a semiautomatic system has at least twice the production of a skilled welder. A fully automatic system can be established with twin welding positioners on an automated shuttle.

Such a system can place and discharge parts at one station while welding happens at the other. In this way, a thoroughly automatic system can operate at four times the speed of the semi-automatic system or eight times the speed of a skilled welder.

Wasted opportunity costs are also vital. If a skilled welder neglects to arrive at production, the business variable expenses increase. Eight hours of rendering time is wasted.

The availability of skilled labor for manual welding may also profess a difficulty. Conversely, common machine operators are more promptly available and more affordable than skilled labor.

What are Common Welding Automation Machines?

When it came to holding, lifting, placing, rotating, and adjusting Heavyweight objects, manual welding used to be a nightmare for welders.

Not only they had to struggle a lot doing their job but also the job itself was not so much efficient. Thanks to the introduction of various welding automation machines, welding has changed for good.

Welding automation has revolutionized various manufacturing industries. These automation machines, as their name suggests, automate welding processes to their fullest capacities.

Whether it’s large cylindrical objects or flat surfaces, these machines help engineers in all ways possible.

Processing large-scale batches are now a quick and accurate operation in the welding industry. Welding automation allows performing repetitive tasks with ease and efficiency while improving the learning curve of the engaged engineers as well.

Once these repetitive tasks are performed regularly, the accuracy and effectiveness of the welding performances increase gradually as well.

Welding automation doesn’t require extensive training for operators as manual welding usually does. Welding automation reduces human involvement in various technical aspects and takes control of welding performances.

Therefore, brief and quick training is required for the operators so that they can familiarize themselves with the machines.

Welding Automation Machines in Various Industries

Various welding machines are commonly used to become a part of the overall welding automation procedures. However, three machines are essential to almost all welding requirements.

These include pipe rotators, welding positioners, and welding manipulators. These machines provide various key welding performances individually.

If integrated, these machines become a complete package and assist in the entire welding process from start to finish. Let’s take a look at these three machines and find out what these have to offer to your specific welding projects.

How Pipe Rotators Perform In Welding Automation?

Pipe rotators are highly effective machines to assist welding operators to improve accuracy while performing welds on large cylindrical objects.

Normally rotating these objects while performing welding is a near-impossible task. Both outer and inner welds require constant monitoring to improve the end welding performance.

conventional pipe rotator widely used

Pipe rotators provide a great helping hand to welding operators. Let’s take a brief look at a few of the key functions provided by pipe rotators to become part of the overall welding automation procedure:

• Flexible and reliable welding – Pipe rotators are very user-friendly machines. They are extremely flexible as they allow the welding operators to perform the welding in various customs welding positions.

Welders can move around the fabrication shops as well as move the entire objects as well with quite an ease.

• Precise and high-speed longitudinal welding – Longitudinal welding in huge pipes used to be a time taking task and the accuracy was also not guaranteed. However, with the introduction of pipe rotators, the entire process is transitioned into a smooth welding operation.

Various other welding machines can perform the weld inside and outside the large pipes while the pipe rotators position and rotate the object. Thus this operation not only adds speed to the process but also accuracy to the underlying welded object as well.

• External and external welding – Both internal and external weldings require extreme care and effort as welders are normally dealing with very large cylindrical objects.

Rotating the underlying object is a very viable option for the welders rather than rotating and moving themselves Pipe rotators remove this hurdle for welders as they rotate the underlying object to save them time and a lot of effort.

What are the Welding Positioner and Welding Automation Processes?

A welding positioner is a tool that can hold, move, rotate, and adjust two pieces that are being welded for better gripping and accuracy.

It is a device that does all the work of moving, rotating, and gripping two pieces and rotating them so the welder doesn’t have to move around. Welding positioners are the best machines in the market right now that let welders perform neat and complicated welds with ease.

How Welding Positioners Perform In Welding Automation?

Two types of welding positioners are used in welding automation procedures. Both of these can be effectively used in several welding positions including flat, vertical, overhead, and horizontal positions.

Both of them require low effort, create a low mess, and provide high-quality neat welds. The objects that can be using welding positioners include tubes and fittings, tanks and vessels, uneven workpieces, and many more.

Let’s take a brief look at how both of these types perform in welding automation processes:

2-axis Welding Positioners:

• The welding positioners provide continuous and adjustable speeds for welding performances.
• They have a low-voltage remote control unit for all functions.
• You can monitor and control inverter-controlled rotation speed.
• All drives are equipped with AC motors which require less maintenance, no carbon brush to change.
• These welding positioners are mechanically and electrically designed for easier maintenance with few spare parts.

3-axis Welding Positioners:

• With the 3-axis welding positioners height, angle, and speed are continuously adjustable.
• It comes with a low voltage (24V) remote control unit for all functions.
• The 3-axis includes height, tilting angle, and rotation.
• You can monitor and control inverter-controlled rotation speed.
• All drives are equipped with AC motors which require less maintenance, and no carbon brush to change.
• The hydraulics for height and tilt adjustment is equipped with built-in safety valves preventing hose failure.
• These welding positioners are mechanically and electrically designed for easier maintenance with few spare parts.

What are the Welding Manipulators and Welding Automation Processes?

Welding manipulators are machines that help by moving the weld material to the workpiece while welding positioners move the workpiece in different directions as the welders want them to be.

How Welding Manipulators Automate Welding Procedures?

Welding manipulators work by controlling and moving the head of the weld. The positioners move the workpiece for better welding while the manipulators move the welding head or torch closer to the workpiece.

The goal of manipulators is to allow welders to reach locations that are far and complex by moving the weld head close to the workpiece.

• Welding manipulators come with the ability to weld with a variable AC square wave mode offering increased welding deposition rates and control over-penetration.
• These manipulators allow data collection abilities on some products, with procedure memory recall and lockout that can help operators choose the correct weld procedure for every application.
• At a minimum, a typical welding manipulator has a control pendant for the manipulator itself, as well as one for the welding power source and perhaps the powered cross slides.
• When paired with a camera system, the HMI (Human Machine Interference) controls the system from ground level, while the manipulator is fully extended and up in the air on the top of a penstock or pressure vessel.

How to Choose the Right Welding Automation Machines For Your Business?

The importance of welding automation can not be underestimated in the modern manufacturing world. Businesses are racing towards evolution as this is the only way that leads into the future.

If you are a business owner with daily welding requirements, you have to invest in the above-mentioned welding automation machines to ensure the going concern of your future. These machines are going to be different from your counterparts in the market.

There are a ton of welding machines in the market. Each category has various subcategories with custom features. It’s almost impossible for a customer to find the best welding in the market.

We at SENLISWELD believe that the best welding is not the one that is the fastest or the one that handles the most weight, rather it’s the one that fits your business’s specific needs.