TIP TIG Welding is always better quality than TIG and 100 to 500% faster with superior quality than TIG - MIG - FCAW.

Welcome to MIG Short Circuit welding and Pulsed MIG on
CARBON STEELS AND STAINLESS GAGE APPLICATIONS.

 

As the pulsed MIG process painfully evolved over the last few decades, the utilization of short circuit decreased for gauge, carbon steel applications. The weld reality is that in contrast to pulsed MIG, the lower cost traditional CV MIG equipment that provides short circuit welding can offer many unique superior weld attributes for most thin gauge steels and alloy steels none code weld applications.

Note: This site has been a weld blog long before the word blog was discovered. This site cuts out the salesmanship from an industry that depends on sales advice an industry that has too many weld decision makers that have to play around with 50 year old simple weld controls.

This site brings the weld process contol expertise I gained over 40 years and this site brings the opinions of other weld personnel that also strive to see this industry gain the respect it deserves.




During short circuit weld transfer, unlike the open arc pulsed, globular or spray transfer modes, the unique short circuit arc spends 50% of it's time in the "arc off" condition.

When the electrode positive short circuit weld wire makes contact with the negative grounded part it's in the arc off condition. This cold condition is controlled by the power source slope. With the short circuit, the resistance to the current is lowered, the weld voltage drops and the current rises to the slopes limit. The short circuit current rise is sufficient to melt the wire tip and form an arc which results in the formation of a fluid droplet that quickly develops on the MIG wire tip.

As the short circuit wire feed is constant, the weld droplet being formed is driven to the weld and also drawn by capillary action into the surface of the weld. The short circuit weld droplet is detached and the wire is driven to the weld to repeat the arc off, arc on cycle which typically occurs 60 to 120 times per-second.

Note: With argon gas mixes, the argon mix gas plasma (as indicated in the video below) partially covers the fluid droplet during it's formation. In contrast, when using straight CO2, the CO2 plasma would be at the bottom of the weld droplet, supporting the drop and disturbing the drop till it gets larger and then transfers in an erratic manner.

A UNIQUE ATTRIBUTE OF SHORT CIRCUIT TRANSFER WELDING: The short circuit mode is the only weld metal transfer in which the arc goes on - off. The "arc on - off" weld attribute is a logical weld benefit on thin gauge, or applications which require a gap has to be bridged.

If welding stainless and steel thin gauge applications, short circuit is an excellent weld transfer mode, however stainless produces more sluggish welds than carbon steel welds. The sluggish welds welds are especially noted on stainless parts > 0.080. If you want gage welds with minimum distortion, minimum spatter and minimum cleaning, watch what TIP TIG www.tiptigusa.com can do for thin stainless in the following video.

REGULAR TIG VERSUS TIP TIG ON THIN GAGE APPLICATIONS:

REGULAR TIG: YOU CAN USE REGULAR TIG, TAKE TOO MUCH TIME, PUT IN TOO MUCH WELD HEAT AND MAKE WELDS LIKE THIS. PLAY THIS VIDEO FIRST	TIP TIG: YOU COULD GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE, REDUCE YOUR WELD COSTS. MAKE HIGH QUALITY TIP TIG WELDS LIKE THIS WITH MUCH LESS HEAT INPUT.
REGULAR TIG: Play this video first: Regular TIG typical manual weld speeds for these welds is 4 to 7 inch/min. The TIG arc on time for this 12 inch weld would be around 2- 3 minutes. Take a look at the irregular weld quality influenced by too many arc start / stops, and take special note of the large heat affected zone that's going to create distortion concerns. Someone can always do a better TIG weld than this but it will never match the quality and productivity attained with TIP TIG.	TIP TIG: Manual TIP TIG weld travel rate 48 inch/ min as noted on the UTube second counter with this 12 inch length of 3 mm weld made with an arc on time of 15 seconds: Note the uniform weld quality that comes from the constant wire feed rate and only one arc start / stop. Examine the smooth clean, unoxidized weld surface, the very small HAZ and lack of weld distortion and weld minimal fumes. Think about the savings that will results from less cleaning. From welding small, long track, 3 mm fillet welds on the deck of an Aircraft Carrier to the small size stainless welds typically found on food and beverage / processing equipment, no other weld process can provide long, small size gage welds with the TIP TIG quality and the lowest possible weld heat input.

On robot stainless gauge applications > 0.070, thanks to the increased weld speed potential, low spray parameters and an 0.035 wire can be used. Pulsed MIG with 0.045 wire is also applicable but not necessary when manual welding > 16 gauge stainless parts.

A Short Circuit and Pulsed Transfer Weld Consideration.
Short circuit welding transfer available from a low cost, constant voltage, (CV) traditional MIG power source with an 0.035 (1mm) wire is suited for all manual steel applications from 20 to 12 gauge.


Note: A benefit of the pulsed mode for some > 16 gauge applications is the lower cost, easier to feed, 0.045 (1.2 mm) carbon steel or stainless wire may be used instead of the 0.035 (1 mm) wire. 045 wire provides a little more deposition which may be beneficial when larger welds are required on specific thin parts. As a lower cost weld equipment alternative you could take regular, much lower cost CV MIG equipment and set that 0.045 in the globular mode and achive the same deposition as the pulsed MIG..

 

Designers and manufacturing engineers and managers of gage applications often suffer from a lack of MIG weld process knowledge and that can lead to dramatic weld cost consequences.

When welding thin, carbon steel or stainless robot welded parts < 2mm you may find;

[a] unacceptable part part tolerances,
[b] unacceptable weld gaps,
[c] poor part fixtures,
[d] inappropriate weld joint designs,
[e] poor consumable wire size selection and weld equipment with poor performance,
[f] poor weld parameters and poor technique.

Of course items A to F will lead to weld rework and weld cost ramification. Common issues are weld burn through, distortion, spatter leading tp weld rejects and extensive or rework. To add to the thin gauge weld issues, it's a sad fact that the majority many automotive and truck manufacturing plants that use MIG welding robots, lack the engineering ability to select the correct size MIG wire or the optimum weld transfer mode for the application.

ED OPTIMIZED ROBOT WELDS FOR HUNDREDS OF COMPANIES. A FEW OF HIS PROJECTS, FORD F 150 FRAMES - VOLVO TRUCK CABS - CORVETTE FRAMES- HARLEY BIKE FRAMES - NEW BEETLE CAR SEATS AND THE ROBOT WELDS ON THE WORLD'S LARGEST CATERPILLAR TRUCK.

Ed's unique manual and robot MIG Process Control Training Programs

 

STEEL GUAGE CHART, OPTIMU WIRE SIZE & WELDING GAS MIXTURE.

E-mail. Weld Question, 06 /20/03

Hi Ed, I would like to know what the critical factors are that determine shorty circuit weld fusion. I often wonder if short circuit transfer simply won't put heat into the base metal fast enough to achieve fusion on anything greater than gauge thickness. Right now I have a single phase, Miller 185 amp power source. We weld steel and silicon bronze base metal for architectural work, balconies, railings, etc. Typically we are joining 1/2 to 3/4 inch square tubes to 1/2 x 1 to 1/2 x 2 with single and double bevel prep. I find I must run in globular mode with the 0.035 wire we use. I don't think the Miller 185 will get me into spray transfer and am trying to decide if a machine in the 250 amp class is the solution. We are currently stuck with single phase power What is your take on all this?

Regards, Erik Lander.

The scourge of the weld industry.

If every MIG weld in North America was sectioned
tomorrow, the majority would reveal lack of fusion.

Ed's reply. Erik, with manual short circuit transfer, depending on the steel application you should be concerned about fillet weld fusion on components over 0.100 and consider pulsed, controlled globular or low spray settings for these applications.

Using argon 10 to 20% CO2, an 0.035 (1 mm) steel wire will require >200 amps to attain optimum spray transfer, that's why the CV. "250 amp" power source is a popular equipment choice for sheet metal shops. With your low current power source, you could get a lower spray transition current if you used argon oxygen oxy mix (try 2% oxy or 5%CO2). With argon oxy mixes you will get into spray around 180 amps, however, note these argon oxy gas mixes are not suited for short circuit transfer. If you really want to get into spray with argon CO2 mixes on your power source, you would have to use an 0.030 (0.8mm) MIG wire, however I would not recommend that as you could then expect wire feed issues with this small wire.

A logical solution with your power source when welding carbon steel welds, give considerations to an 0.035, E71T-1, gas shielded flux cored wire with argon - 25 % CO2. With these consumables and your small power source you could weld any metal thickness in any position. Good luck Ed.

 

 

ROBOT AND MANUAL MIG DATA DIFFER:

MIG welding data recommendations can change dramatically when changing from manual to automated welds. In contrast to manual welding, when welding thin gauge applications with robots, the welds typically can be made with "higher weld travel speeds" which allows higher weld current settings or different weld transfer mode options.

Pulsed spray transfer " allows robot welds to be made on carbon steel or alloy steels in the thickness range of 0.045 (1.2 mm) to any thickness.

Robot welds using 0.035 (1mm) wire with regular "spray transfer" set at low welding spray parameters can be used on parts as thin as >0.070, >1.8mm. No weld gaps and short weld lengths preferred.

Robot welds with an 0.035 wire with short circiut can weld parts > 1 mm, under 1 mm the weld burn through risks are high,

Globular Benefit: For welding those exhaust components or Harley bike frames that are poorly put together and end up with weld gaps, an alternative weld transfer mode to pulsed and short circuit is the globular transfer mode. For globular weld transfer use 0.035 wire typically set at 400 to 600 ipm with a weld voltage range of 20 to 24 volts. This mode provides low to medium weld energy at higher weld deposition than short circuit and on round parts there will be low weld spatter.

I BELIEVE EVERY MIG WELDING DECISION WILL BENEFIT FROM
THESE 3 BOOKS.

[1] MY "MIG AND ROBOT WELD PROCESS CONTROL" BOOK.

[2] MY "MANAGEMENT AND ENGINEERS GUIDE TO MIG" BOOK.

[3] MY "MANUAL MIG & FLUX CORED BOOK".

Note: These books and my MIG self teaching / training video and MIG process control CD's are found in the training resources section of this site (click here).

My process control training resources, simplify the selection of optimum MIG wire feed and volt settings for all common electrode diameters used on manual and robot applications. The process control welding CD's will provide your robot personnel and welders with the ability to instantly set the optimum MIG weld transfer modes and weld parameters for any steel application.

Two important steps for effective weld process controls.

[1] Avoid weld sales advice.

[2] Take a logical process approach in selecting the optimum MIG wire diameter for your applications.

Lets see. If we have traditional CV MIG equipment, the 0.035 or 0.040 (1 - 1.1mm) MIG wire diameters provide a short circuit weld current range that is best suited for the common thin 20 - 12 gauge, steel and stainless applications. We should avoid using smaller MIG wires as they are not necessary and they can create wire feed issues.

OVERSIZE MIG WIRES AND POOR CONSUMABLE CHOICES:

For decades many auto / truck managers believed that when it comes to welding
"the cheaper bigger MIG weld wires are better and will povide cost reductions"


[] The use of oversize MIG wires 0.045 - 0.052 - 0.062 which require too high weld current for gage parts is common in the majority of plants.

[] The use of self shielded flux cored wires is also common. Take note; These weld wires have no place in any plant in which desires consistent optimum weld quality.

[] While the majority of plants that use argon mixes utilize the E70S-6 wires. The weld reality is that the E70S-3 wires would have less oxides islands on the surface, less porosity and less undercut potential. Reducing oxides is important when welds are to be painted or coated.

To attain optimum weld transfer from the over sized diameter MIG wires requires high weld current and typically the current required will not be compatible with the gauge size welded. The bottom line is the auto industry needs managers who understand the importance of weld consumable selection, weld process controls and best weld practices.

My process control training programs simplify and teach the best practices - process control requirements and anyone who can read English can present these programs.

SELF SHIELDED FLUX CORED WIRES ARE THE WORLD'S WORST WELD WIRES YET THEY ARE A COMMON CONSUMABLE CHOICE FOR MANY IN THE AUTO / TRUCK INDUSTRY.

SELF SHIELDED FLUX CORED WIRES AND WELD PROCESS IGNORANCE BY CHRYSLER, CAUSED MILLIONS IN UNNECESSARY WELD COSTS:

2006: WHEN I SEE SELF SHIELDED FLUX CORED WIRES USED IN ROBOT CELLS OR IN ANY INDOOR WELD APPLICATION, APART FROM WANTING TO THROW UP AND HOLD MY NOSE TO AVOID THE AFFECTS OF THOSE OBNOXIOUS WELD FUMES, I KNOW THE PLANT SUFFERS FROM THAT INFAMEOUS GLOBAL WELD DISEASE CALLED "managementprocess - ignoranceitis.

AT THE TIME I WROTE THIS BOTH CHRYSLER AND GM MANAGEMENT ARE REQUESTING USE OF THESE WELD WIRES FOR THEIR GALVANEALED PARTS WHICH IS IRONIC AS THESE WIRES OFFER NO BENEFITS FOR GALVANEALED OR GALVANIZED. THANKS TO THE WELD ISSUES THE USELESS SELF SHIELDED WIRES GENERATE, THESE FLUX CORED CONSUMABLES EACH YEAR WILL COST CORPORATIONS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN LOSS OF ROBOT OR MANUAL WELD PRODUCTIVITY, WELD PART REJECTS, EMPLOYEE TURN OVER FROM THE OBNOXIUS WELD FUME ISSUES IN WHICH MORE WORKERS SHOULD BE TAKING LEGAL ACTIONS AND ALWAYS EXTENSIVE WELD CLEANUP AND WELD REWORK.

MANY PLANTS WILL USE 0.045 (1.2mm) AND 0.052 (1.4mm) MIG WIRES WITH THEIR CV, SHORT CIRCUIT OR GLOBULAR MODES TO ROBOT WELD PARTS LESS THAN 0.100.THESE LARGE WIRES ARE THE FREQUENT CAUSE OF WELD BURN THROUGH, DISTORTION AND WELD REWORK ISSUES.

MANY PLANTS, ESPECIALLY AUTO / TRUCK FRAME PLANTS WILL ROBOT WELD PARTS 1 TO `4 mm AND USE AN 0.052 (1.4 mm) WIRE, YET THE SPRAY CURRENT WITH THESE WIRES IS BETTER SUITED TO WELDING PARTS > 5 mm


AT THE INFAMOUS "QUALITY IS JOB 1" FORD FRAME PLANT IN DETROIT, MIG WELDING THE TRUCK FRAMES WAS MORE OF A COMEDY SKIT THAN AN ENGINEERED, CONTROLLED FUNCTION.

THE FORD PLANT AND IT'S ENGINEERS AND MANAGERS SIMPLY HAD NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF ROBOT WELD PROCESS CONTROLS AND THE PLANT CONSTANTLY USED UNDER TRAINED EMPLOYEES AND OVERSIZED MIG WIRES ON IT'S ROBOT MIG WELDING TRUCK FRAME LINES.

THIS IS HOW FORD IMPLIMENTS "QUALITY IS JOB 1". AT ONE OF IT'S PLANTS. YOU WOULD FIND AN EMPLOYEE AT THE END OF THE ROBOT LINE. HIS JOB WAS TO USE A CHEAP SWEEPING BRUSH, DIP IT IN BUCKET CONTAINING YELLOW PAINT AND TRY TO MARK THE NUMEROUS BAD WELDS ON EACH FRAME AS THEY PASSED AT THE RATE OF ONE A MINUTE. THIS PLANT AND OTHER FORD FACILITIES HAS FOR DECADES HAD THE PROUD ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENT OF NEVER PRODUCING A ROBOT WELDED FRAME, WITHOUT MOST WELDS REQUIRING WELD REWORK.


OVERSIZE MIG WIRES WILL NOT ALLOW THE USE OF SPRAY TRANSFER WHICH DID NOT MATTER FOR MANY COMPANIES THAT DID NOT KNOW WHAT SPRAY TRANSFER WAS. OFTEN THE OVERSIZED WELD WIRES END UP BEING USED IN THE GLOBULAR TRANSFER MODE. GLOBULAR WELD TRANSFER WAS VERY COMMON AT FORD, GM, DANA, TOWER AND CHRYSLER PLANTS. THE GLOBULAR MIG WELDS WILL TYPICALLY LACK WELD FUSION, CAUSE EXCESS SPATTER AND CAUSE CONTACT TIP ISSUES RESULTING IN EXCESS WELD REWORK AND ROBOT DOWN TIME.

 

Weld Wire Facts: Welding carbon steels or stainless steels with an 0.035 or 0.045 (0.9 - 1.2 mm) MIG wire, short circuit transfer on most applications is found in the weld current range of approx. 80 to 190 amps.

Optimum short circuit transfer with 0.035 (0.9mm) wires is typically found between 100 and 180 amps with a voltage range 15 to 18 weld volts and provides optimum weld results on parts < 0.100.

On the applications that utilize the 0.035 wires in the optimum short circuit current range, pulsed MIG using an 0.045 wire can also be used with similar or slightly higher weld current and deposition rates.

In contrast to the "arc on - arc off", short circuit transfer mode, the pulsed mode is an "open arc" mode that delivers the droplets across the arc in a consistent transfer, that is if you have purchased one of the rare pulsed power sources that actually works in a consistent manner. In contrast to short circuit transfer set at 150 amps, the OPEN ARC pulsed process set at 150 amps will deliver a weld with greater weld energy.

Note If you were producing manual or robot short circuit welds at 180 amps and you want to try an 0.045 and the pulsed process, I would start the pulsed weld at 160 amps, then adjust.

Optimum Short Circuit Transfer and Pulsed MIG Wire Diameter Selection for Gauge Applications.

CV Regular MIG Equipment. The best two MIG wire diameters for short circuit transfer
are 0.035 and 0.040 (0.9 and 1.1 mm). In industrial shops, there is simply no justification for the use of smaller weld wires and if the typical thickness worked on does not exceed 7 mm there is no justification for larger wires...

Pulsed MIG The best MIG wire diameter for all carbon steels, stainless and aluminum gauge applications is the 0.045 (1.2 mm) wire.

 

THE UNIQUE "0.040" MIG WELD WIRE, THE WIRE THE AUTOMOTIVE WELD INDUSTRY SHOULD HAVE BEEN USING FOR AT LEAST THREE DECADES:

Using traditional MIG CV equipment: If you could get your hands on the 0.040 (1.1 mm) wire, it would be the most practical choice for most robot and manual MIG short circuit and low current spray carbon and stainless applications in the 1.2 to 7 mm range.

The 0.040 MIG wire would require less current than the 0.045 wire which is especially beneficial for the 3 - 7 mm parts and the 040 wire would provide higher deposition and better feedability than the 035 wire. The lack of use of this wire should be no surprise in a play around weld industry that rarely implements Best Weld Practices.

NOTE ON ATTAINING 0.040 MIG WIRES: In North America for more than two decades, Lincoln Electric has been in a monopoly position in the sales of MIG wires. Lincoln does make small quantities of the 0.040 carbon steel MIG wire, however as Lincoln typically has had a hard time keeping up with the demand for it's traditional 0.035 - 0.045 steel wire products they are not exited about the sale of 0.040 wire. It's understandable that from their perspective, that without extensive customer demand and without weld process educated consumers, there is little incentive for them to market the 0.040 wires.

[] The 0.040 wire, optimum short circuit current range is approx. 130 - 190 amps. This current range is well suited to short circuit welds on the very common and 14 - 18 gauge carbon steel and stainless applications. In contrast to the 0.035 wires, with short circuit welds and the 0.040 wires, you can expect slightly higher weld deposition rates and improved wire feedability which is very beneficial on robot gauge applications. The 0.040 wire needs less current to get into spray than the 0.045 wire making it the weld wire of choice for 3 to 6 mm spray transfer applications (less undercut and distortion potential).

[] If you cannot use 0.040 wire, the optimum weld wire for thin gauge current is the 0.035 wire which typically uses a working weld current of approx. 100 to 180 amps.

[] The "optimum" short circuit weld current for the 0.045 wire is approx. 170 - 200 amps. In contrast to the 0.035 or 0.040 wires, the 0.045 (1.2 mm) wire operates in a narrow, short circuit wire feed range that delivers higher weld current, thus being less suited to thin gauge parts (<2mm) and on these parts this wire will increase the weld burn-through potential.

WHAT'S BEST FOR THE WELDING INDUSTRY IS OFTEN THE LEAST UTILIZED:

It's a sad weld reality that many of the companies that make MIG welding consumables do not fully comprehend the weld applications considerations of the electrode wires that they market. This is a prime reason MIG wires have not changed in almost fifty years. It's also a prime reason why in the last five decades, you have not seen any MIG weld parameter recommendations on the box of MIG wire sitting in your plant.

While we blame China for bad manufacturing pratices, read about this USA Mid West exhaust manufacturer which for years allowed it's welding department to use the wrong welding polarity.

Question: Ed can you describe the difference between straight and reverse polarity in MIG welding?.

Answer: As we can all likely do with some humor in our lives, I thought, rather than answer this common weld question in the traditional manner, that I would tell you about a real world welding application I was involved in a few years ago.

A Midwest company that builds exhaust systems for the after market had major MIG weld quality problems. The absent owner of the company asked if I would visit his plant and report on the plant's welding issues. He told me that some of his customers were complaining that the carbon steel welded flanges were falling of the exhausts during delivery to the auto parts suppliers.

I arrived at the exhaust manufacturing plant just before lunch. Like many automotive companies, the plant was too cheap tp pay $8 an hour for a receptionist. I waited 30 minutes in the lobby and no one answered the phone. To get access to the plant, I walked around to the back door. I entered the plant in the middle of the busy weld shop and my weld senses went immediately on high alert. The "MIG weld sounds" I heard from the approx. 40 MIG weld booths were unique, but I had heard that sound before. I heard a grunt from behind, then again it could have been a pathetic sounding fart. As I slowly turned around I saw what could only be called a Englisman's nightmare. Rednecks are not restricted to the south and I was within spitting distance of the meanest looking one i had ever seen. Thankfully he just grunted and did not ask me to squeal like a pig. What I saw next was every weld managers nightmare. Follow this link for the rest of this welding story

The bottom line on New Weld Products and"Supply and Demand".

A frequent weld management solution to robot weld problems. When they have robot weld quality issues they employ more manual welders. When they have robot weld productivity issues, they order more robots.

Weld Fact: When the unqualified manager or engineers ask the unqualified welders who have skills but minimal weld process expertise, to try out that new weld wire or gas or power source, is it any surprise when the welders don't like the new products?

<2010: At least fifty percent of the robots installed in North America are using a welding wire diameter or weld transfer mode which impedes the weld production or the weld quality potential.

Lets see. Ed states that if we are worried about weld quality and productivity, management and engineers should take ownership and responsibility for understanding the process and weld wire selection. Boy in this company that would be a first. Perhaps it's time I got up from this computor and read his book on weld best practices - process controls.





THE METAL GAUGE THICKNESS AND THE MIG GAS SELECTION:

• You can use any MIG gas mix from straight CO2 to straight argon, or one of the 40 available argon mixes for short circuit welds. The MIG gas influence on the short circuit steel weld energy should be the primary consideration in MIG gas selection.
  
  When welding thin gauge carbon steels less than <0.060 "weld burn through" is always a primary issue especially when those welds are butt - fillet welds or welds on tubes or applications with poor weld heat distribution.
  
  If you MIG weld mostly thin gauge < 0.060 steel applications, consider a low energy, two part gas mix like an argon mix with 10% CO2 for carbon steels and a gas mix I developed, argon - 2% CO2 for stainless gauge parts. For extensive MIG gas information without sales bias, visit my MIG welding gas section.
  
  If you MIG weld mostly gauge > 0.060 steel applications, consider a higher energy, two part gas mix like an argon mix with 20% CO2. Do not waste money on argon - 25% CO2 mixes as they are not suited to spray or pulsed if you also use those weld transfer modes.
  
  If you use "three part gas mixes" for any carbon steels or any stainless applications, you are not using weld process logic, and typically you have been getting weld advice from either an inexpericed weld salesman or what we called in England a shyster.
  

  
  

  Let's see, we have another important step for weld process control. When it comes to MIG gas selection we don't need to try a different MIG gas six times a year. We don't need the advice of a gas salesman and we should get rid of those costly, useless three part gas mixes. The bottom line is all our steel and stainless MIG welds can be made with a couple of simple argon CO2 gas mixes found in the MIG gas section at this site. With all the money I am saving, I will be able to afford that divorce lawer.
  
  
  
  

IF PULSED MIG EQUIPMENT WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO GLOBAL WELD SHOPS, IT WOULD
HAVE NO IMPACT ON THE INDUSTRIES THAT WELD CARBON STEELS AND STAINLESS.

WELD QUALITY & PRODUCTIVITY SHOULD NEVER BE AN ISSUE WITH LOW COST, CV MIG EQUIPMENT:

The weld process mode you select will depend on the weld equipment and consumables in the shop. With low cost CV MIG equipment, the short circuit, spray or controlled globular selected can produce, low spatter or spatter free, optimum welds on most steel applications, that is if the welders have the ability to set optimum MIG weld parameters without playing around with the weld parameters.

With a traditional US. MIG power source in $2500 to $3500 range and pulsed MIG equipment in the $6000 to $12,000 range, the wise weld decision maker would place their focus on ensuring their weld personnel receive process control training, that will enable them to have the ability to fully utilize and optimize the performance of the much lower cost CV equipment.

"PLAYING AROUND" DOES NOT BELONG WITH BEST WELD PRACTICES OR PROCESS CONTROLS.

2006:For five decades, emphasis in the welding industry has been on welding skills rather than on weld process expertise. This is a prime reason why most manual welders still "play around" with their MIG weld controls and the robots fill up their weld rework baskets.


IN AN INDUSTRY THAT PLACES MINIMAL FOCUS ON PROCESS EXPERTISE OR BEST WELD PRACTICES, IT'S TIME FOR SOMEONE IN THE WELD SHOP TO STEP UP TO THE BLOODY PLATE AND FULLY COMPREHEND THE PROCESSES THEY USE.

2013: Note the typical wire feed control (current control) on one of the world's largest selling MIG wire feed units. Miller,Hobart, Lincoln and ESAB have made wire feed controls for more than 5 decades, yet in 2013 not one wire feed control sold provides information to the welder on the selection of optimum MIG weld parameters. By the way I first wrote this paragraph in the early nineteen eighties.

You can be sure each day that millions of welders around the globe are playing around with a wire feed control like this, and they will end up placing a scratch or pen mark on the feeder.

IN THE EIGHTIES ED DEVELOPED A UNIQUE MIG / FCAW PROCESS CONTROL TRAINING METHOD CALLED THE "WELD CLOCK METHOD". THIS METHOD HAS SIMPLIFIED WELD PARAMETER SELECTION AND EVOLVED OVER THE DECADES

The Weld Clock Method is based on the fact that traditional, none digital wire feeders deliver a wire feed rate of 600 to 800 in./min (15 to 20 m/min). The majority of global wire feeders have provided this wire feed range since the development of the MIG process.

As with any training method, effective MIG process control teaching and training methods should always look for the common weld denominators in the operating or selection of weld parameters.
Lets start out with MIG welding and make the average, global wire feed rate for a typical MIG "none digital" wire feeder, approx. 700 in./min.

Ed developed the MIG Clock Method over three decades. The weld parameter Clock Method simplifies weld parameter selection for any carbon steel or stainless application and brings together the relationship between none digital and digital MIG wire feed settings, the application thickness, weld size and weld deposition rates.

Most wire feeders will deliver approximately 700 in./min. With the ten wire feed settings, starting at 7 o'clock and finishing at 5 o'clock. Each turn on the wire feed control would therefore deliver approx. 70 inch/min per-turn. When you place the wire feed at the middle setting, 12 o'clock, this is the fifth turn,
5 x 70 = 350 inch/min.

PANASONIC BS: While Panasonic and other pulsed MIG equipment manufacturers inform the weld industry that their MIG equipment offers millions of wave form options for the welds, it's important that the weld shop understands, that irrespective of the weld application, steel or alloy welded, with that CV MIG equipment there are only three" optimum wire feed settings" for each weld wire and weld transfer mode utilized.


Ed's Weld Clock Method: With an 0.035 (1mm) wire, the majority of optimum carbon steel and stainless gauge welds will be made with short circuit settings found between the 10 and 12 o'clock wire feed positions. Set the wire feed control at the third setting which is 10 o'clock = 3 x 70 ipm = approx. 210 ipm.

At 10 o'clock, this short circuit wire feed setting delivers approx. 140 to 150 amp. This current is ideal for all manual carbon steel and stainless common gage sizes 0.050 - 0.060 (16 gauge) applications. Set the weld voltage at 17 volts and when training the welders, simply tell the welder to remember a great start point for all carbon steel and stainless sheet metal MIG welds, is 10 o'clock. with 17 cups of coffee.

MIG or Flux Cored Weld Process Optimization can be this simple. To set a good Short Circuit weld remember this.

17 CUPS OF COFFEE AT 10 o'clock.

USING TRADITIONAL CV AND PULSED MIG EQUIPMENT? There are 3 easy to remember, optimum wire feed settings for every MIG weld transfer mode and and 3 settings for any flux cored wire irrespective of the application. Want to learn these settings for all MIG wires?

Ed's Weld Clock Method is applicable to all digital feeders and robot settings.

 

Watch those robot TIMES and it's influence on Robot Arc Starts - Stops.

At robot weld starts, it's critical for "consistent arc starts" to have the weld gas flowing before the arc is initiated. Poor arc starts occur if there is not sufficient gas, remember, its the arc plasma "ionized gas" which is the conductor for the transfer of electrons across an arc gap.

A robot offers many timed functions that a manual welder does not have to deal with. Robot weld time on the pendent is rarely calibrated with the actual robot times. A good thing to know if the robot timed functions are working, is use your ears, if you cannot hear the changes they are typically not effective and you may need to increase the robot times. For example on a weld crater fill, you may put a second for the crater fill and the time for the crater fill may be only a third of a second.

Preflow gas times, ac ignition times, and at the weld ends, arc delay and crater fill times etc. With many robots, the different arc timed functions can accumulate. The arc ignition times may combine with the gas pre-flow time which may combine with the time in which the robot examines the arc ignition before it allows the weld to commence. The accumulation of weld start function times can result in the robot being stationary too long at the weld start.

If a robot sits too long at an arc start when welding thin gauge parts, it's common to find the weld size at the weld start is twice as big as the rest of the weld. The bottom line is the with thin gauge welds only use robot times at the arc start if weld start issues occur. Arc start data becomes much more relevant on parts > 3 mm.

ROBOTS REQUIRE UNIQUE CONSIDERATIONS FOR WELDING GAUGE APPLICATIONS. ED'S ROBOT BEST PRACTICES - PROCESS CONTROL TRAINING CD PROVIDES ALL THE SOLUTIONS AND THE ROBOT WELD DATA NECESSARY TO OPTIMIZE ALL CARBON STEELS AND STAINLESS ROBOT WELD QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY.

To see the worlds best weld process for > 16 gage alloy welds, check out TIP TIG:

MIG WELDING COSTS? In many welding shops there is often greater concern for the cost of the welding wire or gas, than there is for the cost of the weld.

The objective of a MIG weld decision maker should be simple. Every time the welder presses the trigger on their MIG or flux cored gun ensure the weld settings selected should deliver the desired weld quality with the wire feed control set as high as possible providing the highest deposition and therefore the lowest weld costs.

Placing focus on attainable optimum wire feed and weld deposition rates for a specific weld application, is achieved through this weld process control education.

Weld Question: Ed. How does the welder know how much weld, they or a robot will deposit when using the 0.035 (1 mm) wire?

Answer: Its simple. With my unique clock teaching method. For each turn on a traditional wire feeder, the welder feeding the 0.035 wire at 70 in./min, delivers approximately 1 lb/hr (0.5 kg/hr) per-turn. So with the 0.035 set at the 10 o'clock (210 inch/min) short circuit position, the 10 o'clock setting is the third turn and this provides approx. 3 lb/hr. The robot arc on time per-hr is 20 minutes, so the robot deposits a one pound of wire each hour.

Any MIG or flux cored wire and any weld application. Once Ed's weld process training is provided, weld quality and production objectives are fully understood and Weld Cost Calculations are Made Simple.

You can attain your complex weld cost calculation tables from your weld equipment or consumable suppliers who are typically ready to pull anything out of their hats to get your weld equipment and consumable business. Or deal in Ed's world and use a very easy method to control your weld costs.

Let's see, all I have to do to control welding costs is provide the weld personnel with Ed's self teaching MIG process control books, or provide this organization with process training with the Process Control training Program. These resources will keep the the weld shop focus on wire feed and deposition rates using Ed's easy to remember Weld Cost Clock method. Then I should make sure my engineers, technicians and supervisors keep their eyes on the wire feed settings used daily in the shop. Well now, that's worth looking into.

 

 

Weld Question: Ed. How do I know if the traditional none digital wire feeder we use delivers the traditional wire feed range of 650 to 750 in./min (16.5 to 19 m/min)?

Answer: Every person who has to use a wire feeder that they have never used before would benefit from the following especially if you go for a job and are required to use a wire feeder you have never seen before. Also this simple test will let you know if your wire feeder is working correctly.

[] Set your wire feed control at the "12 o'clock position"
[] Set the digital wire feeder at 350 inch/min

Press the gun trigger for 10 seconds you should have approximately 60 inches (1.5 m) of weld wire. Place one end of the wire under your foot and the other end should come to the top of the average size guy's chest.

How can an industry that has more than 50 years of MIG process expertise, hand out to the welders in it's facility contact tips that are the no thicker than the end of a pen and nozzles so small that they become blocked with spatter in minutes.

Many of the plants that I have been in that were welding gauge to 6 mm metals, provided their employees with ridiculous thin (< 3 mm) OD contact tips. With these undesize tips (LEFT) they would then provides nozzles with ID diameters of approx. 8-9 mm. With this situation,
the MIG gun nozzle ID was so small that after five minutes of weld time the nozzles would be s blocked with spatter or the contact tip will have shorted to the nozzle interfering with the current flow. You can bet when they are handing out the wrong tips and nozzles that they don't have control of the weld spatter.

In one last plant I visited, the welders in the plant did not seem to mind the ridiculous tip and nozzle consumables they were given as changing the tips and cleaning the nozzle was more comfortable than doing the actual welds. Of course it's logical to use a small diameter nozzles when you cannot get a standard nozzle size as shown in the right photo into the required weld space, however in many situations the weld joint restriction is not the issue.

The other amazing thing is once a poor practice like the innapropriate selection of the gun tips and nozzles are in place, the weld personnel will often not want to change to the correct consumables because "this is the way we have always done it"


The primary value of a weld is based on the wages paid the employee and the costs of the weld wires and gases used, The driving factor of weld costs is weld deposition rates provided by wire feed rates and the weld current delivered through that $1 contact tip.
In North America you typically have an annual cost per-welder between $40,000 and and a $60,000. Without the correct $1 contact tip to transfer the current in a stable manner and a $8 nozzle that allows the MIG gas to the weld, how much of your weld costs do you believe go flying out of the window every day?


Understanding the weld tools we work with and the weld deposition rate potential for our welds, now that will be a first for our weld shop. Let's face it, we either control the bloody weld process or let the process and the salesman control us.

Question. Ed where do we position the contact tip for manual or robot short circuit welds?

Answer. To use the lowest voltage for thin gauge parts which typically is required for short circuit welding <16 gauge, stick the contact tip outside the nozzle 2- 3 mm. Welding short circuit on >16 gauge, place the contact tip flush with the nozzle.

Question. Ed, we short circuit 0.035 (1 mm) hydro formed gauge parts. On the seam welds, the lap joints open up between the robot fixture hold points. We always end up burning through at this area, any suggestions.

Answer: Use a manual welder or the robot to MIG spot weld the areas subject to problems. Don't know how to set a MIG spot weld, it's in my books.

Any manual MIG welder or robot can become a MIG spot welder. You need no special equipment, just a little technique and a little process knowledge that's found in my books. You can MIG spot weld any steel stainless, aluminum or alloy gauge applications.

Weld Question: Ed, as most of the wire feeders sold today provide a digital wire feed rate why bother with the clock method?

Answer: The Clock Method "simplifies" optimum weld parameter selection and it;s extremely easy to remember any weld setting for all MIG and flux cored weld applications.

Digital or none digital when you learn the clock method you end up with the ability to instantly set any manual or automated weld without playing with the weld controls or parameters.

Please remember the traditional, low cost, more durable none digital wire feeders can last 10 to 20 years in a welding shop, and in 2007, there are over a million traditional wire feeders out there. As a weld decision maker you will most likely have to work with these common durable wire feeders. If you are a professional at your craft you should know how to set that simple one knob wire feed control, rather than "play around" with the controls. If you are a trainer this method is easy to remember, therefore it's easy to teach.

 

 

When you combine the optimum weld volts with the optimum wire feed, the optimum short circuit welding parameters will produce a crisp, consistent, rapid crackle sound.

 

The Sweet Sounds of MIG: Today the majority of MIG welders, use arc sounds as a method of fine tuning their weld parameters. Arc sounds are fine but they dont let you know if you are providing the required weld deposition rates.

Welders and robot operators should know "the cause of arc sounds" and the "correct weld parameter weld control response" to those arc sounds".

The weld sweet spot or sweet arc sounds attained with short circuit transfer result when the recommended optimum wire feed and voltage parameters are used. The optimum weld current (wire feed rate) and weld voltage will result in the maximum amount of short circuits achieved each second. The more rapid the short circuit crackle sound the more consistent the "spatter free" weld transfer.

THANKS TO LACK OF WELD PROCESS EXPERTISE,
WELD SPATTER COSTS MILLIONS DAILY:

The welding industry spends millions daily on cleaning welding spatter from its parts. The welding equipment manufactures even build special electronic MIG power sources designed to try to produce minimum weld spatter. The weld reality is this. For the majority of gauge applications, when welding with a low cost, durable, easy to use and easy to repair Lincoln, Miller, ESAB, or Hobart 200-400 amp, CV power source, as this 20 year old video show, set the correct short circuit or spray welding parameters and you will attain minimal weld spatter.

Weld Fact: Remember the key to minimizing short circuit weld spatter is to keep the short circuit weld drop as small as possible and create the fastest rate of short circuit weld transfer. This is achieved working in the recommended SC wire feed range, and ensuring the weld voltage is set to it's minimum.

You don't need to invest in a sophisticated Fronius CMT, Lincoln STT or a Miller RMD electronic power source to control weld spatter, you simply use a traditional low cost durable, low cost CV power source and teach the welders or robot personnel to set the correct weld parameters. Most weld spatter occurs with short circuit transfer from a traditional CV power source because the welder has set their weld volts too high.

Your self taught welders may have 20 years of skills experience, however please remember "welding skills are not weld process control expertise" Instead of investing in costly, unnecessary weld equipment which may be impossible for your electricians to repair, or buying loads of anti-spatter, surely its more logical to provide your welders with some process control training.

LETS SEE WE HAVE BEEN BUYING ANTI-SPATTER COMPOUNDS FOR TEN YEARS, AND WE ARE NOW LOOKING AT VERY EXPENSIVE ELECTRONIC MIG WELD EQUIPMENT. WHY WITH A LITTLE WELD PROCESS KNOWLEDGE MY WELDERS COULD STOP PUTTING THAT COSTLY OIL AND WATER ON THE PARTS AND WITH THE MONEY I SAVE, I COULD TRY THAT MINOXIL AND GET SOME HAIR GROWING BACK ON THIS BUSY HEAD.

This picture proudly presented in a USA welding magazine, shows newly trained, Detroit MIG welders welding truck frames. The worst MIG welds found in the industrial world are found on in auto / truck frame plants. The excessive weld sparks seen in the picture, indicate poorly tuned manual MIG welds as evident by the fire works display. The amount of weld spatter generated is excessive and it's evident excessive wire stick outs are being used.

These welders in the photo were trained by a national auto training organization based in Detroit, it's purpose to help auto companies with their weld issues. Obviously the trainers at this Michigan organization placed little emphasis on teaching MIG weld process control.

It's a sad reality also that whenever you find bad manual MIG welds, in the same plant you are sure to find bad robot MIG welds.

 

A Self Teaching, Weld Process Control resource for less than $400 may be the
smallest investment we ever make with the largest return.

How many companies are prepared to invest a few pennies per supervisor, robot personnel or welders, for weld process control educational resources or a training program designed to optimize both the manual or robot welding in their organization?

Shoot, it seems the biggest impediment to the implementation of effective Weld Best Practices and Process Controls in my plant is the face that stares back from my mirror.

Most of you reading this weld data will be aware that the welding personnel at your facility are not aware of all of the weld data presented at this site. I have a question for the you, how important is it to your organization to attain MIG or flux cored manual or robot weld process controls? If you think you don't need this type of weld data, do me a favor and try the MIG welding Spray Transfer quiz, and then ask your self how important is this MIG data to your organization

Consider how easy it is with this unique clock method to bring your weld personnel into a lunch room put my CD in your lap top and project weld data that will optimize the MIG or flux cored welds. Reduce your product liability and eliminate weld rework. Get instant control of your weld costs through optimum weld deposition rates. Get your weld shop into a professional mode with management and weld personnel all walking the same path providing consistent, daily uniform weld results. Become a weld shop that frowns on individuals that play around with the process parameter controls.

HOW YOU CAN USE THE CLOCK METHOD FOR OTHER COMMON WIRES. Welding pipes or structural steels? Do you know the optimum welding parameter range settings for an 0.045 (1.2mm) Alloy Rod E71T-1 flux cored wire, for welding a 1/4 (6mm) fillet weld in the vertical up or over head positions?. What's the single optimum setting for that 1/16 (1.6 mm) flux cored wire? With the clock method its simple and of course flux cored is covered in my books.

TIP TIG 409 16 GAGE SEAM WELDS.	TIP TIG 409 16 GAGE SEAM WELDS
IF VIDEO PAUSES PLAY A SECOND TIME If you compared short circuit or pulsed MIG with this TIP TIG seam weld or any other steel or alloy seam gauge welds, you would instantly note the superior weld quality from TIP TIG. While the MIG welds may have fume concerns, oxide formation, spatter, distortion and possibly require manual cleaning or weld rework, in contrast the TIP TIG welds would not create these common weld production issues.	Customer wanted to see the quality and production capability for TIP TIG on this seam application. The automated set up was easy, just attach the TIP TIG torch to the auto carriage. No sophisticated equipment required like complex plasma or Arc Volt Controls. Within 10 minutes the TIP TIG was producing the parts shown on the left. With automated TIP TIG seam gage welds such as this, you can anticipate the welds would be made between 25 - 35 inch/min. (500 to 700% quicker than manual TIG)

For more TIP TIG data on the patent pending TIP TIG weld process
contact E-Mail ed@tiptigusa.com or Tom O'Malley tom@tiptigusa.com.

To find out more on controlling manual and robot gage welds, MIG short circuit,
spray, pulsed MIG or flux cored, click on "Ed's Training Resources.