Product category:
Welding, cutting and adhesive bonding
News Release from: TPS-Fronius | Subject: Digital welding
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 April 2008
A decade of digital data processing in
welding
In 1998, a new type of system control revolutionised conventional arc welding technology by using digital instead of analogue signals: a PC environment now acts as a virtual control station
In the process, modern information technology (IT) made a successful entrance into the world of welding, one of the key joining processes Since 1998, digital controls have penetrated all areas of processing and equipment control
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 15 Sep 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Those interested in welding can now explore the whole world of modern arc welding in a fully digital format, on a free CD from TPS-Fronius, which includes videos and high-speed arc footage
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Leading sports motorcycle manufacturer KTM uses innovative digital welding systems from Fronius, and have now installed 100 Fronius systems on their production lines
This offered users previously unimaginable advantages and new perspectives.
The platform concept from Fronius plays a significant role here, as it represents the intelligent basis for different gas-shielded (MIG/MAG) welding methods.
The processes involved include short-arc welding, pulsed-arc welding and spray-arc welding, as well as CMT (cold metal transfer) and TimeTwin.
Further reading
Compact class makes welders dreams come true
More compact performance, lower noise level, more stable arc and easier operation than conventional welding devices are the features of the new TIG welding systems by TPS-Fronius
Cleaning welding torches
The innovative electro-magnetic way to clean welding torches has a positive effect with regard to quality and economy: non-contact and save money at the same time.
Digital systems are also available for welding with DC and AC current, tungsten inert gas (TIG) or the high-performance LaserHybrid method.
The European market leader has played a leading role in shaping the digital decade of welding technology.
In accordance with the TPS Fronius approach of developing solutions that meet the real needs of users, customers can order digital technology for all techniques and variants.
Innovative solutions allow users, for example, to join thin sheets above 0.3 mm thick, to join aluminium to steel and to braze or weld without any spatter.
Users can rely on consistent a-dimensions and safe penetration to achieve pore-free results that display a high degree of fusion.
Any number of welding systems can be interlinked, and all the processes can be managed from a PC environment that acts as a virtual control station.
Users benefit from stable arcs together with excellent droplet detachment, high deposition rates and high welding speeds with the associated low level of heat input.
So what exactly are the benefits to users of a platform concept? The manufacturer supplies mature component hardware that has been successfully tried and tested in a number of different systems and under varying conditions.
The hardware is designed for modular use, which means that it can be used in different systems, reducing the diversity and quantity of replacement parts.
Examples of this include torches, hosepacks, wirefeeders and cooling devices.
In everyday use, there are also a number of "soft" factors that are at least as important: identical surfaces and identical operating logic reduce training requirements and familiarisation time and help to maximise flexibility.
One of the intrinsic advantages of the system is that the "intelligence" of the system now lies in the software rather than in the hardware.
The software is inexpensive and almost freely interchangeable.
Software functions can be upgraded, allowing developments that are currently not even at the planning stage to be incorporated and implemented later on.
Accordingly, the second decade of digital welding technology will feature numerous further innovations, including for example more efficient and more simplified systems for standard processes.
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