Lincoln Electric IM986 manual Basic Welding Controls, Constant Voltage Welding, Operation

B-7 OPERATION B-7

Choose the electrode material, electrode size, shield- ing gas, and process (GMAW, GMAW-P etc.) appro- priate for the material to be welded.

Select the weld mode that best matches the desired welding process. The standard weld set shipped with the Power Wave i400 encompasses a wide range of common processes that will meet most needs. If a special weld mode is desired, contact the local Lincoln Electric sales representative.

To make a weld, the Power Wave i400 needs to know the desired welding parameters. The robot controller sends the parameters from the teach pendant (arc voltage, wire feed speed, UltimArcTM value, etc.), to the Power Wave i400 via the ArcLink® communication protocol over the control, Ethernet or optional DeviceNet cables.

BASIC WELDING CONTROLS

Weld Mode

Selecting a weld mode determines the output charac- teristics of the Power Wave i400 power source. Weld modes are developed with a specific electrode materi- al, electrode size, and shielding gas. For a more com- plete description of the weld modes programmed into the Power Wave at the factory, refer to the Weld Set Reference Guide supplied with the machine or avail- able at www.powerwavesoftware.com.

Wire Feed Speed (WFS)

In synergic welding modes (GMAW, GMAW-P), WFS is the dominant control parameter. The user adjusts WFS according to factors such as wire size, penetra- tion requirements, heat input, etc. The Power Wave then uses the WFS setting to adjust the voltage and current according to the information contained in the selected weld mode.

Note:

The Power Wave i400 can be configured to use amperage as the dominant control parameter instead of WFS for synergic welding modes. In this configuration the user adjusts amperage according to factors such as wire size, penetration require- ments, heat input, etc. The Power Wave then uses the amperage setting to adjust the WFS and volt- age according to the information contained in the selected weld mode.

This alternate configuration is regionally enabled based on the robot controller software. Refer to the Fanuc documentation for manual configuration information.

In non-synergic modes, the WFS control behaves like a conventional power source where WFS and voltage are independent adjustments. Therefore, to maintain proper arc characteristics, the operator must adjust the voltage to compensate for any changes made to the WFS.

Volts

In constant voltage modes (GMAW), this control adjusts the welding voltage.

Trim

In pulse synergic welding modes (GMAW-P), the Trim setting adjusts the arc length. Trim is adjustable from

0.50to 1.50. 1.00 is the nominal setting and is a good starting point for most conditions.

Note:

The Power Wave i400 can also be configured to display Trim as a voltage value. This allows the operator to pre-set an approximate welding voltage rather than a unitless Trim value. The pre-set volt- age is limited based on the process, and provides the same range of operation as the corresponding Trim value.

This alternate configuration is regionally enabled based on the robot controller software. Refer to the Fanuc documentation for manual configuration information.

UltimArcTM

UltimArcTM allows the operator to vary the arc char- acteristics from “soft” to “crisp”. UltimArcTM is adjustable from –10.0 to +10.0 with a nominal setting of 0.0.

CONSTANT VOLTAGE WELDING

Synergic CV

In synergic welding modes, WFS is the dominant con- trol parameter. For each wire feed speed, a corre- sponding voltage is programmed into the machine at the factory. The user adjusts WFS according to fac- tors such as wire size, material thickness, penetration requirements, etc. The Power Wave i400 then uses the WFS setting to select the appropriate nominal volt- age. The Power Wave i400 can also be configured to use amperage as the dominant control parameter. In this configuration the Power Wave i400 uses the amperage setting to select the appropriate WFS and nominal voltage. In either case, the user can adjust the voltage higher or lower to compensate for material condition or individual preference.

POWER WAVE® i400