I had been using "Spatter Shield" In-line systems on my production welders with good results. I've just heard through the grapevine that the company is going out of business. Has anyone heard this.
Also, one of my sources told me that "Peanut Oil" is a good substitute. Can anyone verify this?
I just keep wondering where one might place peanut oil on the Procedure Qualification form :)
I've heard of welders filling Windex bottles with 1/3 light oil and 2/3 water for spatter spray, and using Vasaline for nozzle dip.
Question, what is the transfer mode you are using, is it short circuit or spray transfer? To minimize or eliminate the use of anti-spatter compounds use the following combinations; use the copper nozzle with the contact tube recessed behind the nozzle end 1/8 of an inch for spray transfer. Use about a 1 inch/25mm wire stick out.
Use the brass nozzles for short circuit and have the contact tube flush with or best 1/8 inch past the nozzle end. Use 1/4-3/8 inch/6-9mm wire stick out. The short circuit transfer spatter will only form a ring on the nozzle end. The ring of spatter is very easy to knock off. Don't use a tool to "dig" or scratch the spatter off. This will gall the nozzle and provide more surface area for the spatter to cling to.
I have 13 welding cells, most are spray transfer (pulse). These cells are all "fixed Automation". Our reason for using anti spatter is not so much for the finished product, but to increase the life of the consumables and reduce clean up time. our arc times are short (7 seconds +/-) and each cell produces 2000 + arcs per shift. The copper nozzles are trimmed back flush, to 1/8 tip prodtruding, to allow for fixture clearance.
Mudbone,
I was in a very similar situation as you, in automotive component welding, running 12 weld cells at 400 welds per hour.
A couple of the weld joints I had were totally inaccessible with a standard nozzle so I was forced to come up with a unique auxiliary nozzle arrangement that had the side benefit of not collecting spatter. Even though other joints did not require it, I set up all the welds with the auxiliary nozzle to reduce frequency and difficulty of torch spatter removal.
Basically, the nozzle was removed from the MIG gun so that the contact tip could be positioned in close enough for the weld. The shielding gas was removed from the MIG gun and was then supplied through a separate nozzle that incorporated a large TIG gas lens with the center hole plugged. The contact tip and gun did not overheat without gas flow. Welds were pulsed, 400+ IPM 0.045 E70S-3, 300+ Amps, 25 Volts., 35 IPM. We changed contact tips about every 300 welds.
It took a bit of positioning and a flow rate of 50 CFH to get good shielding, but the auxiliary nozzle was far enough removed from the arc that it stayed cool and only collected a very fine dusting of spatter that could be removed by finger in the nozzle. Surprisingly, fine spatter would make it all the way up in the nozzle to the gas lens. The nozzle was custom made of copper to thread onto the gas lens and was about 3 inches long. The critical trick to make this work was to put a disk of fine weave "scotch brite" in front of the gas lens to prevent clogging the metal screen with spatter accumulation. The disks were punched out of scotch brite sheets.
I would think any hydrocarbon, be it peanut oil, peanut butter, motor oil, or simply "3 in 1" oil would prove to be detrimental to any welding operation. Finger prints on aluminum or titanium can result in problems. Grease, cutting fluids, etc. are known sources of hydrogen and can result in delayed cold cracks in alloy steels. I can only imagine the end result if peanut oil or vasoline is used.
Al
we are welding mild steel. I have section & etch capabilities as well as fatigue test capabilities. After 3 years +/- using the Spatter Shield, we haven't seen any negative results.
I don't know of any substitutes for Spatter-Shield. I do know the spray-bottle and aerosol anti spatter products work pretty well. I have even used a light coating of spray paint.
Just remember that anything in the weld zone could become a contaminant if the weld process is not able to scavenge it out of the puddle. Remember too that oil is a source of hydrogen (as is the spray paint I mentioned). For that reason, I am reluctant to use any kind of oil, peanut or otherwise, because they are non-drying and could build up by flowing into the weld joint.
Having said that, I want to point out that AWS D1.1-5.15 says "a thin rust-inhibitive coating, or antispatter compound may remain.....". An exception is written for cyclically loaded girders and it also says the weld joint must be free of "stuff" that causes objectionable fumes or prevents proper welding. So technically, except for the girders, you have a lot of leeway in what you can use.
One more thing, be careful that using oils can deteriorate hoses and insulation and your inline system might have problems if you use the wrong kind.
Chet
I have found the best thing for spatter removal to be a rat tail file run inside the nozzle to remove any spatter and doing it as soon as I notice any kind of buildup of spatter. I have watched people change nozzles sometimes 2 times in one day, while my file has let me use the same nozzle for weeks. If I am concerned about spatter adhering to the weld zone, I simply light up an acytlene torch, with no oxygen, and soot up the area just outside the weld zone. This does not bring any contaminants into the weld zone, I do not have an aresol can that could be potentialy dangerous should a spark or arc touch it, and I do not have nozzle dip plugging up my diffuser which I have observed other people struggle with if working in inclement tempatures. With the exception of using short arc, and even then, proper settings of the welding machine will greatly reduce spatter.
Just my 1 cent worth.
Mike
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