Pulsed Gmaw, Move To Robotics | Lincoln Electric NX-4.310 instruction

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W A V E F O R M C O N T R O L T E C H N O L O G Y ®

Pulsed GMAW

Automation	Valley Industries

Valley Industries, of Lodi, California, has produced trailer hitches and towing accessories for 57 years.

- C H A L L E N G E -

Valley Industries was looking to increase welding productivity and improve product quality.

- S O L U T I O N -

•A pulsed GMAW (MIG) process using Lincoln Power Wave® 455M power sources embedded with Nextweld® technologies with FANUC® 120iLB six-axis robot cells.

•A Lincoln System 40 robotic workcell with a FANUC® 100iB six-axis robot.

•Lincoln SuperArc® L-50 MIG wire supplied on 1000 lb. Accu-Trak® drums.

- R E S U L T S -

Valley experienced a 60 percent increase in productivity, improved process control and higher quality parts resulting from the move to automation with a Pulsed GMAW process.

Valley also improved manufacturing delivery times and reduced inventories.

As the manufacturer and distributor of 400 different trailer hitches and

accompanying towing accessory components, Valley Industries, LLC of Lodi, California, was looking for a way to increase welding productivity and improve product quality. To do this, the company made the switch from a semiautomatic GMAW (MIG) welding process to robotic GMAW-P (Pulsed MIG) welding systems from The Lincoln Electric Company. The move to automation has resulted in a 60 percent increase in productivity, improved process control and higher quality parts – adding up to a competitive advantage for Valley Industries among its OEM and aftermarket customers.

In addition, the robotic systems, which combine Lincoln’s Power Wave® 455M power sources with FANUC® robots, allowed Valley Industries to improve order delivery time on popular products like receiver style, fifth wheel, and gooseneck hitches. This, in turn,

reduced inventories for work-in- process and finished goods.

Brad Ownbey, Manager of Manufacturing, Maintenance and Special Projects for Valley Industries, indicated that half of the company’s products involve some type of welding. Therefore, efficient welding practices are extremely critical to the 57-year-old company’s success. “Welding, and especially automated welding, have been key elements in addressing sales, operating cost, new products, quality, and efficiency,” said Ownbey. “Valley is also very much about people. You cannot be successful without them. Sustained business growth, year over year, has afforded us the ability to maintain employment levels while integrating automation into the operation.”

The Move To Robotics

When management decided that automation was a viable option for Valley Industries, the company set out to evaluate several robotic

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