Why do industries need advanced welding tools to improve productivity?

Why do industries need advanced welding tools to improve productivity?

The technology aims to ease our everyday lives and make tasks simpler and smarter. Industries that are fast to adapt to the latest changes and evolution in the technology are the quickest to grow. Today when we look at the old phones that could have never imagined operating so many applications and processing in such a short time. We understand and utilize the value of smartphones. It helps improve efficiency in their processes and achieve great results every time. This type of technological evolution and its beneficial impact on industries is also applicable to the welding industry.

Low productivity, longer time, and absence of safety and quality measures are a few threats to the welding industry. Changing regulations, shortage of welding labors, and the introduction of new materials add up to this pile of problems faced in the industry. Clients always look for getting finishing work within short deadlines, which in many cases a compromise of safety and bad quality work. But with the new technology that carries advanced features such as push buttons, point-of-use, advanced welding processes promise to deliver quality in shorter timelines and even in challenging environments.

The benefits of using advanced welding technologies

Switching to new, improved technology can help increase productivity without compromising on quality, especially in critical application sites such as oil and gas. Technologies such as remote-controlled operation enable us to achieve great results by allowing the welders to make quick adjustments and weld joints. So, what are the implications of such technology to the various industries?

1. The jobs become easier for workers hence higher efficiency: Advanced technologies give only a small part of work to the welder as compared to previous techniques. The effort required in case of a hand saw and a chain saw are different. It also influences the quality, consistency, and time taken to finish a job. It illustrates the fact that modern equipment enhance productivity as well as makes the job of the worker easier. It indicates that the level of training and practice required becomes less too. Giving more advanced equipment enables workers to show better performance and quality finish. These technologies can not only improve performance but can also ensure safety.

The jobs become easier for workers hence higher efficiency

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2. It can deliver the constituent quality results: Companies always realize the cost required to invest in new technologies is beneficial when they see the increase in productivity. By converting TIG or stick to advanced wire processes, companies can achieve the quality they are looking for. Taking an example of pulsed MIG, a modified short-circuit MIG  process, we observe the delivery of better quality and consistency. The travel speeds are almost four times the stick or TIG. Some technologies such as RMD offers a more flexible weld pool, and this way, there is room to combat the change in gun angles and strikeouts. One can reduce the time required by the worker to achieve a quality finish, and eliminate human errors, and improve consistency in work quality using these tools.

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Also Read: What is MIG Welding?

3. The tools move from workshops to machines: Mobility is a key aspect of improving efficiency and increasing accessibility. The welding industry has evolved from having dedicated fabrication spaces where all the work took place with heavy machinery and a battalion of workers. Today a lot of the equipment has translated into types of machinery that can reach to the field for work. This opens new opportunities and applications as well as makes the job easier and less expensive as it cuts down on the cost of logistics and transit damages.

4. It helps you cope with the shortage of skilled labors: Among the various problems faced by the industry, lack of skilled labor has been the most difficult one to address. Companies look for ways to provide minimum training time and derive the best quality results from welders. And with improved technology, this could be possible. Advanced technologies such as puddle control and increased arc enable even less-experienced workers to deliver high-quality welds. The technology fills in the gaps and provides consistent quality. It also provides additional features such as a range of contact-to-work-distance and travel speeds to reduce the need for manipulations and unnecessary human interventions. These technologies also help seasoned welders perform their jobs better.

It helps you cope with the shortage of skilled labors

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5. Helps adapt to thin materials: Apart from the pieces of equipment that evolved, the welding industry is also facing changes in terms of materials. Various manufacturers and industries are shifting to lighter and thinner materials that can provide good strength and durability. This requires more control over heat delivery as the required levels are lower for thinner materials. It also requires ways to reduce the chances of burn through and warping in the case of these new materials. Advanced welding technologies, such as pulsed welding, offer these features. The controls are predefined, and one can change it to get high precision as required for the application. This increased productivity and work quality, even in the case of thin material welding.

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6. They benefit from remote control technologies: Remote control technologies in the welding industry enable the delivery of high-quality work, higher work efficiency, and all of this with improved safety features. These technologies help welders make quick adjustments at weld joints, especially in field applications. This helps minimize the downtime required by welders to travel to and from the power source. This way, one can achieve higher arc-on time, and it can also decrease the chances of hazards. In job sites expanding to large areas, this can improve productivity significantly. These technologies are available for TIG and stick, which help sense polarity and change process remotely. It can also detect cases of improper connections without a swap weld cable. Welders can work 200 feet away from the power source without the need for any special cables.

7. It helps reduce scrap loss: Many markets lose out money on scrap loss. Companies that use stick welding processes suffer from stub loss, which is a portion of the welding electrodes getting deposited on the weld. While a typical loss ranges from 2 to 3 inches in case of stick welding, shift to wire process can eliminate this problem. This also helps with applying different techniques to improve quality.

welding electrodes

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8. It reduces the need for rework and reduces the possibility of failures: Improved arc performance helps with better material selection and fewer weld failure. A lot of time and money is spent on rework. One can avoid this while using advanced technologies. This way, the quality, as well as work efficiency, improves.

Advanced welding technologies provide better control and consistency to ensure higher productivity. It also helps work on shorter timelines and comparatively lower budgets. Welders equipped with this technology, thus become competent and deliver better results for the companies.