Professional Documents
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NX-4.270 12/06
SUCCESS
Robotic welding automation, who could be effective enough to favored deposition and favored
however, was not an option meet the rigorous quality standards, penetration, moving from the inside
because pressure vessels as large while also being productive. diameter welds to the outside
as 75 tons and 120 feet long were diameter welds.
simply too large to be welded in a Because of this, finding a way to
typical robotic cell. Nonetheless, increase productivity in the wake of And, while every job is different,
increased customer demand had increased demand became a welders can zero in on the precise
driven Ward’s operations into a challenge. Submerged arc welding settings for each project. The
larger Charlotte plant as well as a was one option, especially for the system allows Ward to adjust
second facility in Houston. The type of work performed, but polarity between DC+ and DC-,
company’s production space now submerged arc has limitations. allowing variable penetration or
totaled more than 60,000 square deposition rates depending on each
feet. Demand continued to rise and Traditionally, submerged arc set- specific application.
a change needed to be made. ups allowed operators to weld in
set modes that favored only shallow The choice was obvious. Ward
Analyzing the Process penetration with high deposition, or soon incorporated the power
deep penetration with low source into an automatic setup
For many of the company’s large using a Pandjiris manipulator. The
pressure vessels, the projects begin manipulator was specifically
with flat plate stainless steel that is “It’s amazing the amount designed for long continuous
square cut at the edges and then welding, such as joining both sides
placed on an 11-by-40 foot burn
of metal we are able to of the longitudinal cylinder seams
table and plasma cut to CAD deposit into these joints of Ward’s pressure vessels – similar
specifications. For material thicker now,” Besh said. to large pipe welding.
than 3/8 inch, the edges are first “Nothing compares to it.”
beveled and then the steel is plate The Results
rolled into a cylinder.
During the inside weld in the
Inside the cylinder, at the deposition. Optimizing the two was beveled joint, the welding power
longitudinal seam, workers MIG difficult and fine-tuning was often source is set for high deposition.
weld the beveled joint. Outside of nearly impossible. On the outside – where workers
the cylinder, they then gouge the previously gouged to achieve 100%
same butt weld, usually on one A New Solution penetration from both sides – the
pass, down to the filler metal settings now are adjusted for high
previously deposited on the The Lincoln Electric Company penetration, often eliminating the
opposite side. They then MIG weld recently released its Power Wave® need to gouge altogether.
the outside seam and make AC/DC 1000™, an inverter-based,
subsequent weld passes as software-driven submerged arc “This really saves us a lot of time by
needed. The initial outside gouging power source capable of producing often not having to gouge the
helps welders ensure 100 percent 1000 amps. Unlike its outside,” said Plant Manager Bob
penetration. predecessors, the built-in software Besh. “On the inside pass, we shift
allows users infinite controllability the waveform to a high DC- setting
The semi-automatic MIG work between penetration and deposition for massive deposition. Then, we
required constant concentration for each weld. look to the DC+ side for great
and a steady touch. Because of penetration on the outside.”
the high standards, any As one of the first major fabricators
imperfections were reworked, and to put the new Power Wave® Besh noted that while penetration
less qualified welders slowed AC/DC 1000TM to work, Ward was a rates have increased three to five
production. The process perfect fit. Their operations often times more than semi-automatic
demanded experienced welders required rapid switching between MIG welding, temperatures have
SUCCESS
not, helping to prevent distortion the bevels are made at just a 45- While the machine also makes
with stainless steel. degree angle, substantially reducing synergic adjustments during the
prep time. weld, a variety of operating modes
He said the deposition rates have can be used to further increase
increased 10 to 25 times more than Other productivity savings have deposition or travel speeds,
semi-automatic MIG, greatly been captured by eliminating post- depending on need.
reducing the number of passes weld clean up operations. For
needed. With this, the total cost to example: cleaning MIG welding Lessening Dependence on Labor
weld, he added, has been reduced spatter from the plate required
20 to 25 percent. significant man hours. And, while Now, with substantially increased
the company accepts no defects, productivity, more junior-level
“It’s amazing the amount of metal the percentage of welds requiring workers monitor the submerged arc
we are able to deposit into these rework has substantially decreased. process 24 hours a day. The
joints now,” Besh said. “Nothing process has yielded overall higher-
compares to it.” The improved quality is due in part quality welds, while veteran welders
to the Power Wave’s® Waveform set the Power Wave® parameters
Ward uses materials that include a Control Technology®, which gives for the appropriate arc waveform.
variety of stainless steel, both solid
and clad; nickel alloy; duplex They then can continue work on
“We’ve been very pleased
stainless; Hastelloy and carbon other specialized projects that
with this new process,”
steels – many of which range in require skilled handheld MIG
thickness from 1/4 inch to 2 3/4 Besh said. “It’s hard to look welding, such as installing the
inches. back and imagine where vessel footings, fittings and other
we’d be had we not custom parts not practically welded
The company uses 1/16- and 3/32- switched.” on the manipulator. The change has
inch diameter Lincoln Blue Max® lessened the company’s need to
wire, and averages at least one size users the ability to adjust waveform bring on experienced welders, while
larger for the corresponding metal outputs. It offers the ability to allowing production to grow, Besh
thickness compared to the choose a weld program from a said.
company’s previous operation. predefined set of programs and
manipulate the parameters of each “We’ve been very pleased with this
The ability to increase deposition program to best fit particular new process,” he said. “It’s hard to
on the inner diameter welds allows applications. Waveform Control look back and imagine where we’d
operators to use heavier wire, Technology® is a Nextweld® be had we not switched. And,
which provides greater weld innovation – one several training on this new system took
forgiveness. In some cases, it even technologies developed by Lincoln one day, compared to three to six
eliminates the need to bevel the Electric. days on the old system.”
work at all, Besh said.
For Besh, “dialing in the frequency”
In fact, any metal thinner than 3/8 helps stabilize the arc. The
inch is no longer beveled. The new amplitude and duration of positive
control over penetration abilities and negative cycles are
allows a deeper and more precise independently adjustable for
weld without blow through. And, controlling bead shape and heat
for thicker materials, the time input. This helps maintain
required for bevel preparation has consistent welds and to minimize
been reduced. Previously, most distortion and expansion issues
beveled material had been ground associated with stainless steel.
down to a sharp angle of about 20
to 30 degrees on each side. Now,
SUCCESS
Through our
commitment
to extensive
research and
investments
in product
Power Wave® AC/DC 1000™ development,
Lincoln Electric ®
The Power Wave® AC/DC 1000™ is has established
the first power source to introduce an industry
Waveform Control Technology® to benchmark for
submerged arc welding. Variable applying technology to improve the quality,
lower the cost and enhance the
frequency and amplitude AC, DC
performance of arc welding processes.
positive or DC negative output allows
Advancements in power electronics,
the user to control the deposition rate digital communications and Waveform
and penetration. An operator can Control Technology® are the foundation for
increase weld speeds, yield higher many of the improvements.
quality welds and improve efficiencies
in a single or multi-arc environment. NEXTWELD® brings you a series of
The phase angle and frequency of Process, Technology, Application and
different machines can also be Success Story documents like this one.
synchronized to balance the NEXTWELD® explains how technologies,
interactions between multiple arcs and products, processes and applications are
minimize arc blow. Depending on the linked together to answer the important
questions that all businesses face:
output, a welding arc may be driven by
a single machine or multiple machines • How can we work faster, smarter, more
in parallel for applications that require efficiently?
more than 1000 amps of continuous
operation. • How can we get equipment and people
Order K2344-1 to perform in ways they’ve never had to
before?