2002 Weld Report:

Automated Aluminum and Steel Wheel Welds:

This is a partial review of a weld report I provided for a major wheel manufacturer.

I was requested to review numerous weld quality and production issues with aluminum and steel wheel MIG weld applications at an xxx wheel manufacturing facility. The aluminum wheel applications used grade 5554, 062, 1.6 mm, electrode wires and the steel wheel welds were made with E70S-6 MIG wires.

Summary. The Root Cause

The aluminum and steel weld issues and automated equipment down time at this facility are both extensive and "abnormal in content". Numerous issues are generated in the weld cells, however the primary "root cause" for the welding down time and weld rework is the Miller pulsed MIG equipment utilized.

The erratic, electronic pulsed MIG welding equipment used for both the aluminum and steel welds has never since it's introduction been suitable for achieving, high duty cycle, consistent quality aluminum welds. This equipment in contrast to lower cost CV MIG equipment also offers no benefits for the steel wheel welds.

The poor choice of MIG welding equipment at your facility is typical in an industry that too frequently takes advice from sales reps and other unqualified individuals. It's unfortunate that with many automated weld systems, many companies often place more emphasis on the equipments bells and whistles, rather than on the weld application and process requirements and the weld equipment performance.

In a time period where much of the available MIG pulsed equipment provides erratic weld performance, without question this plant would have benefited in the last decade if instead of purchasing the erratic, pulsed MIG power sources they had purchased, lower cost, traditional CV MIG welding equipment for both the steel and aluminum applications.

In the last decade, the introduction to the market of useless electronic MIG weld equipment has in reality been a reflection of the lack of weld process and weld application expertise that prevails with the major weld equipment manufacturers and users.

In reality, the out-dated, poorly developed electronic weld equipment utilized at your plant should never have got past it's prototype phase. The continuous use of this inferior electronic weld equipment in your plant is the main reason the daily weld issues are never resolved.

Reference MIG and aluminum welding.

Since 2000 there has been improvements in specific electronic MIG weld equipment.
If applied correctly the unique, practical electronic features can overcome the common problems associated with your aluminum welds. With the automated "aluminum" weld systems your organization has an opportunity to eliminate over 85% of the daily weld issues by utilizing the OTC power source as this equipment provides both power source out-put and arc characteristics that are beneficial to your aluminum applications.

In contrast to both the Miller Maxtron and Invision equipment you are presently using, your company should have purchased more sophisticated, more stable electronic weld equipment for the aluminum welds. As you are aware many of your weld issues are generated in the weld start / end locations. In controlling the aluminum weld starts and weld end data, instant communication is necessary between the PLC controls, the weld control the power source and the wire feeder, the Miller equipment utilized at your facility do not provide this capability.

The scope of this report is not directed at all your causes for the welding downtime and quality issues as it would take a book. From my perspective the primary cause of the issue is recognized. Once your MIG weld equipment is changed we can go forward and implement suitable weld procedures and effective automated weld process controls.

Phase one:
Time Required. One month.
Resources. Myself and a support technician that I will train.
.

To reduce your weld down time to acceptable levels and eliminate the need for manual welding rework, I would recommend the following..

Purchase the OTC weld equipment package I recommended.

[1] I will establish four primary pulsed weld procedures that will be used for 90% of all your aluminum wheel applications.

[2] In an extensive offline weld test of hundreds of welds, I will prove that when set correctly the new pulsed equipment will not create burn-backs, skipped welds, excess porosity or weld crater issues.

[3] I will provide weld procedures that will allow a reduction in cycle times from 10 to 30%.

[4] The new weld procedures will meet your weld qualification tests.

[5] Prove the suitability of traditional, lower cost CV equipment for your automated carbon steel wheel welds.

PHASE TWO.

[1] With new weld equipment and process control recommendations we will install four new weld packages on one of the automated aluminum welding cells.

[2] With the new weld equipment package, weld the wheels on a weekend. Prove out the new equipment, procedures and weld controls on a high volume run encompassing three shifts.

[3] After engineering and QA approval, oversee new line installs and make necessary weld process modifications.

 

In Conclusion.. Over the last decade your down time with both the aluminum and steel weld quality issues has created costs measured in millions of dollars each year. Your personnel have struggled with unsuitable tools and oversized weld consumables recommended by your engineers and managers. Your total organization lacks weld process control expertise. I look forward to resolving all your weld productivity and quality issues.

E. F. Craig.