Pulse Arc Welding - Robotic Welding Application

Article From RobotWorx

Pulse Arc Welding

Pulsed arc welding is a welding process that involves a drop being formed from the background current pulsing and heating the filler wire.  This drop is moved into the weld pool, producing a deeper penetrating weld. 

Well-suited for welding thinner materials, pulse arc welding creates a better root fusion than dip transfer or short circuiting modes.  It not only has better penetration, but pulse arc welding uses less heat input.    

During each pulse, it is possible for more than one drop to move across the arc.  Power supplies can change the pulse rate, current levels and pulse width independently, allowing for a wider range of weld options.  In this kind of arc welding, pulse rates can range from 1 to 100 pulses per second, but there is some equipment available to allow for the rate to reach up to 1000 pulses per second.  Pulse arc welding also has a wider power range to choose from.

Pulse arc welding can also be referred to as Pulsed Spray Welding.  It can be used during Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding (MIG) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding.  MIG welding, which is commonly called Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), uses the pulse to project the droplets across the arc while using an inert gas to protect the weld from contaminants.  TIG welding, which also uses inert gas, utilizes the pulse to produce a high current with deeper penetration without excessive melting.  This is especially beneficial for autogenous welds, which does not use a filler wire, on fixed tubing.  The background current is what keeps the arc consistent between pulses.  Using pulse arc welding can reduce the welding speed by 20 to 40%. 

Lincoln Electric stated that pulse welding has become easier, however the availability of pulse welding equipment has become harder in a Pulse Welding Tips article on eHow written by Michael Staton.  This makes the pulse arc welding process more desirable to automate. 

RobotWorx is an industrial robot integrator and carries many kinds of pulse arc welding robots.  To find out more information on how to incorporate robotic pulse arc welding to your industry, contact a sales associate at 740-251-4327. 

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