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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 ®
SUCCESS
Pulsed GMAW |
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Automation | Valley Industries |
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tions. Waveform Control Technology® is | an inherently dirty environment for | ||||
Lincoln’s proprietary welding software | electronics. | miles of towing under extreme | |||
platform that controls and shapes the |
| conditions. “We take much care in the | |||
welding output waveform. Since the | Hitch and Towing Components | design stage to ensure the safety of our | |||
waveform is shaped digitally using | Valley Industries’ trailer hitches require | products, especially since most of them | |||
software with an | an average of 16 welds per unit. Most of | will be used to tow recreational and | |||
Wave® welder, optimized results are | the components are plate and round or | commercial trailers at highway speeds. | |||
delivered accounting for a specific | square tubing requiring single pass fillet | The consistent performance and weld | |||
material type and thickness, electrode | joint welds that range from | quality of automated welding are | |||
wire type and diameter, shielding gas | naturally an enhancement in this area.” | ||||
mix and other variables. | component parts are loaded into the | said Ownbey. | |||
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| work cell fixturing to complete a typical |
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In the case of Valley Industries, the | hitch. | According to Ownbey, because the | |||
material is typically mild steel ranging |
| robotic weld sequence and weld joint | |||
in thickness from 16 |
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| locations are | ||
gauge to |
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| programmed, the same | |
Power Wave welding |
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| exact process is re- | |
power source delivers |
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| peated time after time. | |
conventional MIG |
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| This makes control of | |
welding procedures |
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| distortion within the | |
as well as Pulsed MIG |
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| welded assembly very | |
welding procedures |
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| manageable compared | |
for more difficult joint |
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| to hand welding. | |
configurations when |
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| Engineering tolerances | |
controlling heat input |
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| become less of a | |
to minimize distortion |
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| challenge, manu- | |
is especially critical. |
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| facturing costs are | |
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| reduced, and more | |
“The Power Waves |
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| options are realized | |
produce a very |
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| in product design. | |
consistent, stable arc |
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and deliver improved |
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| In tandem with the | |
deposition rates. With |
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| Lincoln Automation | |
automation, faster travel |
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| system, Valley Industries | |
speeds can be more |
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easily accomplished |
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| diameter Lincoln | ||
than with manual or semiautomatic |
| SuperArc® | |||
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welding,” said Ownbey. “We are able to | “The Power Waves produce | Argon / 8% CO2 shielding gas blend. | |||
manipulate arc characteristics, resulting | a very consistent, stable arc | The wire is supplied in | |||
in a weld bead that is more uniform in | and deliver improved | ||||
appearance. We also experience far less | to Ownbey, are delivering consistent | ||||
deposition rates.” | |||||
spatter. Because these power sources | performance and are quick to set up. | ||||
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create high quality welds, we are able |
| “The | |||
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to go directly to the paint stage of our |
| wire I have used in my 27 years in | |||
processing, without having to do any | Demand and volume dictate which parts | manufacturing. Lincoln wire has a | |||
grinding or finish work on the welds.” | are welded robotically versus those | distinct advantage in automation | |||
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| completed by manual or semiautomatic | applications, because it is clean and | ||
Valley Industries also uses the | welding. The robots at Valley Industries | very stiff. The copper coating doesn’t | |||
Production Monitoring™ capabilities of | are currently running 24 hours a day, 6 | flake, and it comes out of the container | |||
the Lincoln Power Wave power sources | days a week to keep up with the | straight. Arc starts are more consistent | |||
to monitor arc current, voltage and wire | demand. Automation allows the 250- | and overall feeding problems are | |||
feed speed. Technicians and operators | employee company to produce smaller | minimal.” | |||
review the information to assist in | batches of parts with greater speed. |
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refining weld programs and to identify |
| Lincoln Service | |||
and correct problems. As an added | All new products are tested using the | “Our experience with Lincoln service has | |||
bonus, Ownbey reports the Power | transportation industry standard SAE J- | been excellent. Technicians in Cleveland, | |||
Wave 455M units are very durable in | 684 test (more commonly known as the | Ohio, are available by phone and often | |||
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