A list of Frequently Asked Questions about our products and services are displayed below but please do not hesitate to contact us here for further information.
Welding FAQ's
Yes, welders can weld high strength steel, given the entry of a proper weld schedule. Please see our full line of welders by going to the welders page.
Yes, we carry 70 and 100 kVA pedestal welders in stock. Please visit the welders page for more information.
Currently, we offer the WS-80, which is a table-top Weld Scope that measures weld current, weld cycle time, and peak current.
Resistance Welding FAQ's
Electric resistance welding (ERW) is a welding process where metal parts in contact are permanently joined by heating them with an electric current, melting the metal at the joint.
The strength of a spot weld depends on the size and strength of the nugget. The welding parameters that control the nugget size include weld current, welding time, hold time and electrode force. The nugget size increases with time and current.
There are many types of resistance welding but perhaps the two most popular are spot and projection welding. In spot welding, the electrodes are in a fixed position whereas in seam welding the electrodes are rolling, passing current as they travel.
In projection welding, there are projections pressed into one of the workpieces which create a welding point under a flat electrode.
In traditional AC and MFDC welding, mains electricity is used to power the welding transformer via a welding control. Capacitor discharge welders take mains power and store it for a short period in a bank of capacitors. The welding power is released from the capacitors in a very short time. Key advantages are much lower mains loading and shorter weld times reduce heat transfer.
There are many parameters used to make a quality weld. Welding force is usually controlled via pneumatic cylinders or electric servo motors. The remaining electrical parameters are handled by the welding control which adjusts current on/off, level, time, waveforms etc.
Vibratory Bowl Feeder FAQ's
Vibratory bowl feeders are used to separate, sort and supply welding fasteners (nuts or bolts). A typical vibrating bowl will hold up to 500 parts, the vibrations have both a vertical and Can you weld high strength steel? Circumferential component making the part run around a track where they are orientated and delivered into a separation unit.
Most vibrating bowls are mounted on rubber feet which should sit in retaining rings, a specially designed control circuit is used to set the vibration level which in turn controls the delivery speed of the parts.
The bowl should sit level on its rubber feet and not be touching the fixed delivery track. Check there is an air gap to isolate the vibration. Vibration level should be set as low as possible while still delivering the required parts per minute.
Automatic feeders can reliably deliver and place weld nut or bolt very quickly, typically in one second. They can also be easily located inside a robotic production cell.
In a manual setup, the operator does not have to place the nut underneath the upper electrode.
Automatic feeders can reliably orientate the weld nut preventing upside down welding.
Our feeders are custom-made to ensure the highest levels of efficiency and repeatability. To do that, 300 production samples are required by the manufacturing facility to be used in the design, build, and testing of a feeder. When building a vibratory bowl, weight in the bowl is one of the main factors in determining how the fastener reacts to the selection process. Using the actual production samples during the fabrication process allows each element in the selection and delivery system to be tuned to the very same fastener that will be used in the customer’s production process. In this way, the customer will receive a feeder that works in the most efficient manner possible, from the first day of production to the last.
This is also the reason we do not begin the manufacturing process
until the actual production samples are received at the manufacturing facility.
Once received, several of the samples are measured to determine the tolerancing necessary to repeatedly select and properly contain the fastener during every step of the process over thousands of cycles.
With simple routine maintenance using replacement parts, you can expect years of trouble-free operation.
Yes, not only can we refurbish an older model, but we can also retool your feeder to feed a different one fastener than the original.
Yes, we have stock on thousands of items at our warehouse in the UK. We not only stock spare parts for our feeders, but also have stock consumables for welding applications, spare parts for welders, weld controls, and weld guns. We stock transformers, complete feeders for Japanese-style square 6 and 8 mm nuts. And don’t forget, we also stock 50, 70, and 100 kVA pedestal welders.
Because we custom-make your feeder with production sample fasteners, our
feeders offer the best reliability in the business. With one or two exceptions for very special fasteners, you can expect a 99.9% repeatability from your feeder.
We currently have hundreds of machines operating feeding bolts, spacers, and other special parts that can be selected using a rotary or vibratory bowl, and directed to the weld point through a vinyl tube. Send your dimensioned drawing or a few samples and we can usually quote you on the same day.
The feed rate varies depending on the type and size of fastener being fed. A standard 6mm nut feeder had a feeding rate of nearly 40 nuts per minute, while a larger fastener such as a 12mm hex nut can reach feeding rates of 25 nuts per minute.
Our standard line of feeders ends with a 37mm OD. However, send us your samples and a dimensioned drawing and we will explore a special design to feed your fastener, bolt, or speciality part.
Of course. Call us with the serial number of your old feeder and send a sample to us of the new fastener you want to feed, and we will quote a total refurbish of the existing fastener or have it retooled and feed a different fastener.
Spot Weld Gun FAQ’s
A quality weld requires the welding electrode to be perpendicular to the workpiece. If the weld angle is not 90 degrees to the workpiece the weld nugget thickness will not be even and weld expulsion will occur.
A spot welding "Gun" is a portable spot welding device which can be moved manually or more often by a robot
Spot welding parameters for weld guns are similar to other resistance welding operations, weld force, current and time etc.
Robot spot welding guns are the most popular as they work tirelessly with little attention for millions of operations.
Key spot weld gun specifications are AC/MFDC. X type, C type or J type, transformer size, weight and arm dimensions.
Yes, we have a full line of Servo and pneumatic weld guns to meet your needs. Please visit the weld guns page to see more information and options.
Service and Support FAQ's
Yes, we not only offer onsite service, equipment evaluation, and training, but you can also have your products serviced at one of our domestic service centres. Contact us for the complete line of special services.
Yes, we offer basic resistance welding training classes with our welder maintenance class. We also offer feeder installation and maintenance classes which include PLC training as applied to our feeders.
We offer a (1) year warranty on all our equipment that begins on the date of
shipment.
