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Up Topic Welders and Inspectors / Education & Training / What modern ideas are there for teaching welding?
- - By George10 Date 01-04-2019 17:39
Hello all.
I work for a small training centre in the UK as a welding tutor. MIG/MAG is my main process whereas TIG and MMA are my weaker skills. We teach learners the way, I assume, it has been done for years in that we give them scrap steel to practice on and then, when they can lay a bead or two, offer tips and show them various techniques and, ultimately, help them refine their skills in order to complete five test pieces for the UK standard that is 'City and Guilds'. For example, Level 1 is Tee Fillet in PB, Tee Fillet in PA, Lap Joint in PB, Outside / Open Edge in PA and Pipe to plate.

I always feel that there must be more modern techniques practiced elsewhere in the world that are more.....advanced? For example, off the top of my head, I have wondered if an interactive video in the welding bay would be useful. I'm not saying this is the future, but that something different must be happening somewhere rather than the 'show and watch' technique, or at least in addition to.

Hope this makes sense?
Parent - - By TimGary (****) Date 01-04-2019 18:06
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 01-04-2019 23:06
Call me “old school”, but the only way to learn how to weld is to burn wire. It takes practice to develop the hand/eye coordination and muscle memory needed to become proficient at welding.

I’ve seen several demonstrations using computer-based simulator/training stations that give the illusion of welding. However, I have found them lacking on several fronts. First, the head gear is heavy and unwieldy. Second, as someone that wears glasses, it is difficult to get the correct focus to “see” what the arc is doing. I don’t see where they provide the same feel as actually welding does. It does eliminate the liability of burns and foreign objects like slag getting into the student’s eyes, slag getting stuck on the welder’s lip, etc. I fail to see how the computer-based system is viable other than to demonstrate or to assisting determining whether the student has any aptitude to become a welder. Had someone placed a head gear atop of my head and told me to “go for it”, I would have probably looked for a different profession.

Sorry if my observations don’t sync with what some organizations are trying, they are simply my observations.

Al
Parent - By TimGary (****) Date 01-06-2019 22:14
I agree Al, the "augmented" and "virtual" training systems are not viable, in my opinion.
However, I think the systems that apply actual welding have value.

For the original poster - here's another system to look at:
https://lincolnelectric.com/en-us/company/newsroom/Pages/realweld-promo.aspx

Tim
Up Topic Welders and Inspectors / Education & Training / What modern ideas are there for teaching welding?

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