Waveform Control Technology, What, How

	TECHNOLOGY
Waveform Control Technology	2/8

What

is Waveform Control?

Waveform Control Technology is the ability to customize waveform output. It is the ability to choose a weld program from a pre-defined set of programs, and to manipulate the parameters of that program

to best fit your application.

Lincoln Electric strives to understand the customer’s needs in order to make the job easier. That is why Waveform Control Technology was designed: to empower the people who use the equipment, our customers.

The Arc Action Tool shows the behavior of the arc in the form of a Voltage/Amperage (VI) plot. To further illustrate what the changes in voltage and current mean to the arc, Lincoln Electric uses high-speed photography to capture arc behavior.

Waveform Control Technology allows the user to choose from a library of pre-programmed weld “modes” that have been developed by expert welders. Then, Waveform Control Technology offers the opportunity to change those

values, within a programmed range, to find the combination of wire feed speed, voltage, current, and arc control that the application requires.

But Lincoln has even taken it one step further. Waveform Control Technology also provides the ability

to use a single source to perform Stick, TIG, MIG/MAG, Flux-cored, and Submerged Arc welding procedures. With a Waveform Control Technology product, the days of configuring different systems to make different welds are over.

How

Waveform Control Works

There are many physical forces that affect the welding arc and the transfer of metal from the electrode to the weld puddle. Surface tension, magnetic, and aerodynamic forces are the most significant. The welding current directly affects the magnetic and aerodynamic forces in the welding arc. The welding current and surface tension forces can be balanced to control metal transfer within the arc.

High-speed electronics monitor the electrical signals from the welding arc and make appropriate changes to the current waveform. The electronics must be fast, accurate, and rugged to control the arc and withstand the harsh welding environment.

Amperage

T h e	f u t u r e	o f	w e l d i n g	i s	h e r e . ®