Pulsed MIG with Motoman NX100

By kornphlake Date 06-18-2008 21:37

Does anybody have some baseline settings for arcon and arcoff using pulsed MIG? We've got a new ArcWorld 6000 welding cell using a NX100 control that was outfitted with a miller Auto Axcess 450. We have not been able to get good welds with in pulsed mode on 1/4" steel plate. I know standard MIG is better than pulsed for the process but management wants to see pulsed, there's nothing I can do about that...

The biggest problem I'm having is the crater fill either starts as much as 1/2" from the weld end so that the weld fillet necks down toward the end and there isn't much crater fill or we can fill the crater but it ends up much wider than the fillet. We haven't been able to get anything in between. A weld engineer from Motoman came to visit and ended up leaving without resolving the issue because he was convinced that the welder's sequencing was overriding the command from the robot control. We got ahold of a palm pilot to adjust the sequencing and found out the welder is already set to robot control which should allow the robot to override the sequencing in the welder. We should be able to control the crater fill using the arc end condition file but haven't been able to find the sweet spot.

I've tried getting help from the "expert" weld engineers but they all come out and tinker, "let's bump the voltage up .01 volts and increase the wire speed .1 IPM..." None have really left me with the impression that they understood pulsed MIG, and are all to eager to confess they aren't familiar with the exact hardware configuration of our machine. I'm ready to try just about anything, even suggestions from amateurs.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 06-19-2008 03:29

This amature suggests You sprnd some timereading Ed Craig's website WeldReality.com and perhaps even contact Ed Himself if You can't resolve the issues. It sounds like You have tried the "low level" experts, You may as well give the top dog a shot at it.

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 06-19-2008 03:43

Dave is right.

Ed has worked with GMAWP and Axcess extensively.

Ed will tell you first off what you already know... Spray transfer is better for your applicaiton..

But Ed has lots of free published data on robotic controls and also has several books which I would recommend above all others on this particular subject.

By kornphlake Date 06-19-2008 05:13

Where is this free published data you speak of? I found Ed's site almost a year ago when we first started looking into buying a new robot, after a day of reading I was convinced we didn't need pulsed welding, but I couldn't convince the powers that be otherwise. The purchase has been made and now results are expected.

Are Ed's books proof read and published in a more academically appropriate fashion than his website? To me the web page feels too much like myspace to be taken seriously. He makes a number of good points and demonstrates that he obviously understands welding, but the presentation is not very academic.

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 06-19-2008 10:44 Edited 06-19-2008 10:52

You call yourself Kornphlake and we take you seriously :)

His website has about 100 pages of free data.

Frankly, when your equipment won't work and you can't fix it, and are looking for help in internet chatrooms, it seems a bit obserd to complain about writing style and peer reviews.

$15,000 powersupply won't work, $20,000 robot won't work... Your prolly being paid $200 dollars a day not to fix it. Solutions in a $30 book but you don't like the authors style?

If you don't like Ed, fine. There are a long list of consultants (with Ed's book hidden in their brief case) who you can pay an additional $1,500 per day to come in and give it a go .... or

Fix it yourself.

By jrw159

Date 06-19-2008 15:52

Nicely said,as always.

jrw15

By kornphlake Date 06-20-2008 17:36

Thanks for the opinions. I went ahead and bought Ed's book for management and engineers, if there isn't something that will help in the 600+ pages that is specifically related to this problem, I'm sure there is something that will help with another problem.

I ended up buying the book used off amazon, if the book impresses me I may buy more of Ed's books and other training materials but I'm not too comfortable ordering from his website, it's not secure, even mentioning sending credit card information in an email as an alternate makes me cringe. Is there any bookstore or website that carries Ed's books?

By GRoberts (***)

Date 06-19-2008 22:36

I'm not a big fan of Ed's website either as it seems more like a gigantic advertisement that could be better written. I wouldn't be one to fault his knowledge of the subject though.

However, I did spend the money for one of his books recently, and it is as well written as other welding books, in a more matter-of-fact style than his website for sure.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 06-20-2008 03:16

Ed,s website IS an advertisment for His books & services. If He just reproduced the books on the site who would buy them? By the way, which book did You get?

By Metarinka (****)

Date 06-20-2008 19:15

I gained a decent amount of information from his website and at some point I'll be purchasing one of his books.
however that doesn't give him the right to use a website design circa 95 geo cities style. Even a website designed in a slightly more proffessional appearance would go a long way to prove his credibility minus the nature of his writing

By Northweldor (***)

Date 06-20-2008 20:04

I think you are missing Ed's point. Since he is trying to divorce his theories from those of many mainstream welding professionals, and, as Dave says, his welding site IS an ad for his books, workshops, seminars, and consultant services, why would he make an effort to have his web look like other M.W.P's sites? His "In Your Face" website is part of his stock in trade, and I think that does give him "the right"!