A site dedicated to improving weld process controls and weld process ownership .

I have spent 60 years in the weld industry, and provided manual, automated and robot weld process improvements at  hundreds of companies in 13 countries. Some of  the common factors that I witnessed in weld shops that were having  an influence on  the daily weld quality and productivity were;

[a] The common, global, front office lack of management and engineering Weld Process Ownership Capability.

[b] The often  weld department front office reliance on weld sales personnel to make GMA / FCA  process improvements. The irony is  most of the sales individuals in this industry will have never run a weld shop and have limited weld process and application expertise.

[c] Lack of weld process control and best weld practice expertise is often evident on weld shop floors. After all who has not witnessed experienced weld personnel playing around with the two simple GMA weld equipment controls when making both GMA and Flux cored welds?

Note: What I write here is of course not applicable with all weld shops. Also be aware that welder skills or length of the welders experience has nothing to do with weld process controls and best weld practice expertise. 

This site is focused on two weld processes GMA and Gas Shielded Flux Cored, (FCA). These processes use the same GMA  equipment, and these processes daily account for over 80%  of the global arc welds produced.

In this “why change the way we have always done it industry” and decades after the introduction of  GMA and gas shielded flux cored,  in most  global weld shops, you will find personnel who have welded for decades yet  know little about the GMA or FCA weld process that they derive their living from. This not only impacts manual weld quality and productivity, it also influences Robot GMA Weld Performance.

A MISSING LINK WITH ROBOT GMA WELDS. For close to four decades GMA welding robots have been the prime source of arc welds for the auto – truck industry. Yet in 2022, 99% of this industry does not supply it’s robot techs. with GMA robot weld process controls and best weld practice training. So most robot technicians while excellent at programming will play around with the GMA weld controls in their robot pendants.

1960s. I started MAG welding tractors with Massey Ferguson, UK. And the 60 years I have been in this business, there is one thing that has not changed.

SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF GMA IN THE 1950s, THE ACHILLE’S HEEL OF THE GLOBAL WELD INDUSTRY HAS BEEN THE LACK OF FOCUS ON  GMA & FLUX CORED WELD PROCESS CONTROL EXPERTISE.

In the 1990’s, while I was the North America ABB Robot Weld Manager, the average daily USA robot GMA weld rework with the USA  Big Three and also,  Japanese and German companies  tier one suppliers, averaged  50%. Also the average  robot MAG weld down time as a result of  weld issues was typically 40 to 80 minutes per-shift.

ABB is one of the world’s largest engineering and robot companies. At ABB. USA. I worked with mostly young graduate weld engineers  from  OSU.  Ferris and LeTourneau Universities. All these engineers had one thing in common, none had been educated with the ability to without reading  weld  instructions, set a simple, two control, optimum,  GMA or Flux cored weld. And like many weld personnel, when given a new robot weld application, they would usually  “play around” with the weld controls.

Em. established the Robot MAG weld data for both the Ford F-150 and the world’s largest truck.

I was asked by ABB and Caterpillar management, how long would it take to develop all the multi-robot cell weld settings required to weld Caterpillar’s mammoth trucks. I think I shocked them when I quickly replied, ‘the majority of all these robot welds should be done with two simple MAG weld settings.

A ROBOT WELD QUESTION. What two MAG robot weld settings do you believe could weld the little truck above. Explain why I said that only two wire feed and voltage settings were appropriate.

While at ABB I used the robot GMA process control program that I developed to educate ABB weld engineers, and also to train the ABB Tier One suppliers and companies like Harley and Caterpillar. Since the 1990’s, annually I have updated this program. In 2022, over 2000 global companies have used the program.

Note: My weld process control programs can be viewed  in the Process Training section.

The sad or apathetic, hands off management that I met at Harley Davidson, had never understood  the concept or meaning off  front office  Manual or Robot Weld GMA Process Ownership.

When Harley designed the Fat Boy bike in the nineties, it eventually decided to MAG  weld the frames with ABB robots. I set the initial robot MAG weld  frame data at ABB.

If you don’t believe in the importance of  weld process ownership, you should have no issues with the following  weld questions on this page.

CHECK YOUR MAG WELD EXPERTISE. One of the world’s most common welds is a MAG Spray weld.  What is the MAG  Spray Transfer Wire Feed and Amps start point for both the common 0.035 and 0.045 (0.9 – 1.2 mm) MIG  steel wires using argon – 20% CO2? 

The lack of  MAG process control expertise stands out like a sore thumb in most global auto /  truck plant and few plants like to  broadcast how much additional dollars they spend each year as a result of robot arc weld rejects, weld rework, downtime  or from lost robot weld production.

ROBOT WELD PROCESS QUESTION. The robot cell is using a 70s-6 wire and 80% Ar. / 20% Co2. The weld transfer mode is set in the traditional CV mode. The weld wire feed and the  weld crater data is set  at 380 inch/min and  23 volts. With these welds, sometimes the  arc starts don’t occur. Explain why?

WHAT DANA, THE WORLD’S LARGEST TRUCK FRAME COMPANY THINKS ABOUT MY ROBOT MIG WELD  PROCESS CONTROL PROGRAM.

E – Mail From Dana Senior Weld Eng.

Em.  I wanted to send update about the E-Town DANA plant that you visited a few years ago. As you know on your first visit to the plant, our robot MIG welding lines were producing less than 40 Ford F-150 truck frames per-hour, and 100 % of the completed robot frames required extensive manual weld rework. Thanks to your Robot Weld Process Control Training Program and your  consumable changes, the robot weld results from our employees are today staggering. Yesterday the  plant that I am at hit close to a record of 76 frames per hour. We are daily attaining our average goal of one frame per-minute. We had two recent weld audits. One weld audit had a total of two failures, and the 2nd weld audit was the first 100% pass weld audit in the history of the Ford F-150 line. We have now implemented your 7 Step Robot Weld Process Control” recommendations in five of our USA plants. Many thanks Em. From a grateful weld engineer.  Ryan Good. Dana Senior Weld Eng.

Note: DANA is a world leader in the supply of frames and drive line  products, axles, drive shafts, and transmission. DANA employs approx.23000 people in 26 countries and in 2010 had sales of $6.1 billion.

Note. My robot MIG process control is available in the Process Training section

ROBOT WELD QUESTION. Anyone that programs a robot should  know the answer to this question. When you increase the robot weld travel rate without adjusting the wire feed rate,  do you increase or decrease the voltage. Explain why.

I  Trained  more than 250 ship welders at the Aker Kaverner  Ship Yard in flux cored process control training. Location Philadelphia Naval Yard.

Aker had budgeted less than a million dollars weld repairs per-ship. When I  was hired as the Yard Weld Mgr. they were spending 8 to 10 million dollars per-ship on  flux cored weld repairs. I used my flux cored process control training,  a training format never previously  applied at any global ship yard. After three months of evaluation by the yard  QA department. My  two day training program reduced the yard’s flux cored weld repair costs in three months by over 60%,  producing approx. savings of  6 million dollars per-ship.

AUTO – TRUCK  PLANTS & SHIP YARDS HAVE SOMETHING  IN COMMON.  

In these two diverse industries, welding certainly has a high priority, yet both  have for decades too often hired managers and engineers that lacked the ability required for front office Weld Process Ownership. When the front office lacks this expertise,  you know their welders will be “playing around” with either their weld data.

THANK GOD SHIP YARDS AND AUTO COMPANIES DO NOT REQUIRE NDT THAT EVALUATES  INTERNAL WELD QUALITY. IF THEY DID, THEY WOULD IMMEDIATELY BE OUT OF BUISNESS.

APPROX. 10% OF THE WELDS ON MOST  SHIPS  REQUIRE NDT THAT EXAMINES INTERNAL WELD QUALITY. AND  IT’S ALWAYS VERY COSTLY FOR  THE YARDS WHEN THE UT OR X-RAY EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED.

A SAD FRONT OFFICE APPROACH TO BOTH MAG / FCA WELD COSTS: In the hundreds of global weld shops I visited in my roles as the Corporate Linde – AGA – Airgas – Carbonic, Weld Training Mgr. I was asked to solve well over a thousand weld customer problems. I never went in one USA or Canadian weld shop that  had an understanding  of their  real “MAG / FCA Weld Costs.

Typically the  weld shop weld cost focus would be on the price of their weld gas mixes, or the weld wires.

WELD COST QUESTION. The most common weld in this weld shop is a 1/4 (6mm) horizontal fillet weld. The weld shop has a 350 amp power source. For it’s  welds it uses an 0.045, 70s-3 wire. The gas is argon – 20% CO2. The welders average arc on time each hour is 30 minutes. How much weld are they depositing each each hour. If it takes more than two minutes to figure out, the expertise to control weld costs is lacking.

TO UNDERSTAND WELD DEPOSITION POTENTIAL YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS.

It’s rare in weld shops to see maximum weld deposition rates being consistently attained with any MIG or flux cored wire. Weld Quality, Deposition Rates and Arc On Times drive weld costs. If you are surprised at the too common front office lack of  weld cost control expertise, the next time you step into a weld shop front office, try and find someone that truly understands their daily MIG or flux cored weld costs, someone who can answer this simple weld question.  

WELD GAS QUESTION. Your weld shop uses argon 20% CO2 for the MIG welds, and makes the switch to argon  – 10% CO2. So you tell the welders that they have to do what and why?

DECADES OF WELD PROCESS IGNORANCE AND ISSUES HAS CREATED AN ENTRENCHED, CONFUSED,  WELD SHOP CULTURE. 

I was hoping that in the decades I have been in this industry, that one day I would see a sign of weld shop evolution.  Instead  annually I have seen  increased weld process confusion. Each year I see an increase in useless GMA  power source, electronic, bells and whistles. An increase in Pulsed GMA – FCA and Metal Cored false claims. And of course  the usual BS about three part GMA gas mixes.

WELD SHOP NATIONAL ANTHEMS. “Why change the way we have always done it”. And, “can you give  me some time to play around with the weld controls”. These two could be put to music.

ROBOT WELD COST QUESTION:  In this auto plant, the average carbon weld size on the parts  welded is similar to a 3/6 (5 mm) fillets. The 0.045  wire feed rate is 350 inch/min. Argon – 10% CO2  mix is  used. The robot weld labor is $30 / hr. The weld wire cost $1 pound, and the gas is $60 per-cylinder. In less than 5 minutes a weld decision maker should be able to provide the  cost of a foot or meter  of  each  weld produced, and know how much gas and wire to use for the project. 

Because NASA and the worlds largest Aerospace and Defense companies are  involved, one should not always anticipate a high tech. approach to the welds being  produced.

One day the Orion space craft will land on Mars. I was involved for a short time in approving some of the laser and GTA weld joint designs for the Orion.

I had a chance a few years ago to  review NASA and Boeing Weld Procedures used throughout the aerospace industry. Going through the procedures felt like stepping  back into the 20th century.

A MESSAGE TO ALL WELD MANAGERS, ENGINEERS & SUPERVISORS. It should not take more  30 minutes to those of you with weld experience with the semi-automated GMA – FCA processes  to figure out the benefits of changing from the manual GTA to a semi-automated GTA process such as TIP TIG, especially when you have at this site and at my tiptigwelding.com all the process evidence and training resources you need to make a logical weld quality / productivity decisions.

One thing Elon Musk said he learnt the hard way at both Tesla & SpaceX, is that the difficulties in his high tech. mfg. applications are usually not in the Design of the applications, it’s with the “human, engineering, manufacturing  expertise and capability”.

Weld process control expertise would be of great front office value to companies as diverse as Tesla and  SpaceX. Perhaps one day companies like this and others will get the message.

In 2021. With TIP TIG,  SpaceX continued on it’s quest to build rockets that will one day take some unfortunate humans to Mars. 

For Decades, there has been  a major Global Weld Education Failure. 

OVER  SIX DECADES,  I WITNESSED  A MAJOR FAILURE IN GLOBAL COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY WELD EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

When it comes to welding  courses, I believe too many  community colleges and trade schools are stuck in the 1960s.

When it comes to educating weld engineers, most global universities and colleges that offer weld degree programs, have for decades, hired professors / educators that lack “arc weld process control expertise” with the world’s most common weld processes.

I was requested to provide weld process solutions to approx. 1000 companies in 13 countries. Most of these companies employed weld engineers.  I was invited  by plant managers for a reason that I don’t have to spell out.

WHAT IS THE LOGIC OF USING CWI WELD INSPECTION PERSONNEL WHO LACK WELD PROCESS CONTROL EXPERTISE?

To add to the above woes, in the last few years we see in this process confused  industry is they will turn to AWS. CWI personnel to baby sit the welders. This is ironic as the majority of weld inspectors that daily critique welds, lack any  ability to provide the weld process information that would prevent weld defects. 

If interested in the semi-automated GTA, TIP TIG process,  and have an interest in comparing it to GTA and pulsed GMA, I took 2000 hours to develop a technical “no sales influenced” web site, that few bother to visit. The site provides the process comparisons between Hot Wire GTA, manual GTA and Pulsed GMA. All the real world weld process attributes of  the  TIP TIG process are presented and this info.   https://tiptigwelding.com. 

TIP TIG  PROCESS QUESTION. Provide the two most important reasons, why TIP TIG could weld most Titanium parts > 3 mm without using a gas trailing shield.

FOR THOSE THAT WANT MY TIP TIG PROCESS CONTROL SELF TEACH / TRAINING PROGRAM, VIST “PROCESS TRAINING” AT THIS SITE. IF YOU WANT TIP TIG DATA VISIT MY OTHER SITE, tiptigwelding.com

From the Fission to the Fusion industry, from the Aerospace to the Defense, Oil industries, this site hopefully shows the importance of  weld process controls and  the importance of weld process / application awareness.

 In  2021 well into my 70s, I WENT TO WORK AT Common Wealth Fusion, CFS AS THEIR SENIOR WELD ENG. I  PROVIDED DESIGN  WELD ADVICE AND THE WELD QUALIFICATIONS TO BUILD THE WORLD’S  FIRST EFFECTIVE FUSION REACTOR THAT WILL BE  CALLED SPARC.   

Below, CFS in its 2021  journey to build, (before ITER)  the world’s first Fusion reactor, SPARC. If you think you have had complex weld challenges, the plasma you see in the middle of SPARC below will be approx. 100 million degrees, and and the super conductor  magnets a few away, are around minus 440 degrees.

 I was proud for a year to be a  part of the CFS engineering team. I led the CFS engineers and scientists to the weld solutions required for the Nitronic 50 and 316 LMn welds subject to Cryogenic, Radiation, Mag Permeability & Distortion concerns. SPARC is under  construction in 2022, and this  prototype fusion plant will in a few years  lead to numerous CFS reactors called ARC’s. 

2022. Nuclear plant construction and repairs. This industries 65 year relationship with the GTA weld process.

Two Vogtle nuclear reactors , units 3 – 4 located in Georgia, USA, could cost close to 30 billion dollars at completion. Of course there are the usual over budget delays from construction issues that always will have weld issues. Manual GTA  has  been the prime arc weld process for  plants like these,

Manual GTA the arc weld process of choice since  1958, when the first US. commercial Nuclear Power  Station was built.

IN CASE ANYONE IN THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY IS AWAKE.

Since 2008, the GTA process has evolved into the semi-automated TIP TIG process.

• •  GTA always required  the highest welder skills.
  • GTA as a result of very slow weld speeds delivers high weld heat input that influences distortion.
  • GTA typically delivers less than 0.3 lbs/approx.
  • GTA weld speeds are typically 1 – 5 inch/min.
  • GTA always produced the highest weld costs.

    2022. For the upcoming USA Fusion and hopefully the miniature Nuclear industry, perhaps my greatest weld achievement over time, maybe, that  I had an influence on paving the way in these  industries to progressive weld process changes that will have a dramatic influence on the amount of welders required,  the welding skills required, and  of course on the projects weld quality and costs.

In 2008, Austrian inventor Plasch, developed the first fully functional semi-automated GTA process  called TIP TIG.  

My business partner Tom O’Mally and I introduced TIP TIG in 2009 to the USA, Canada and Australia. In 2020 this process passed  the explosive weld test that would  qualify it for welding the sub hulls and in 2021 SpaceX purchased many units. Once trained correctly and this in itself is a rare event, this process is easy to use. It  will not only provide superior quality than any GTA / GMA process, it will also  triple GTA weld production.

PRODUCING BOTH THE HIGHEST WELD ENERGY WITH THE LOWEST WELD HEAT INPUT ARE UNIQUE  ATTRIBUTES OF THE  MANUAL  OR AUTOMATED TIP TIG PROCESS.

You do not have to be a weld engineer to be  aware that every alloy attains it’s properties from heat treatment, and attaining opt. mechanical or metallurgical properties with every code quality weld, becomes more possible when the weld process utilized provides the highest possible weld quality with the lowest weld heat input.

Increased TIP TIG weld energy in an inert atmosphere, enable defect free welds. Thanks to increased weld speeds and EN polarity this process also delivers the lowest stresses, the lowest distortion, the smallest HAZ  and  the best possible mechanical, metallurgical and corrosion properties. 

So in 2022 one has to ask what’s lacking in  the  North American Aerospace, Defense, Nuclear plant and those  Submarine engineers. Also what’s wrong with those engineers who designed and are building  the world’s largest engineering project, the ITER Fusion plant  in France. Engineers who for more than a decade were not aware of the evolution of GTA. 

[1] TIP TIG produces the highest possible manual arc weld energy and weld fluidity that minimizes the opportunity for lack of fusion or porosity defects. 

[2] TIP TIG provides the lowest possible welded part heat input. Think of the reduced stresses, and distortion, along with the smallest HAZ and superior mechanical, metallurgical and corrosion benefits

In contrast to the very low weld deposition  from the traditional, manual  GTA process, TIP TIG increases the GTA deposition rates on average  by 200 to 300%,  and therefore is not limited in the part  thickness, the weld size or application. Also as weld wire does not have to be manually fed into the TIP TIG arc plasma, this process provides a weld uniformity and continuity not attainable from manual GTA, and also  dramatically reduces the traditional TIG all position welder skills which also influences weld quality.

IN 2009 I WAS WELDING LARGE GRADE 2  TITANIUM PRESSURE VESSELS WITH TIP TIG, WITHOUT USING A GAS TRAILING SHIELD. This was the first time in the history of arc welds on the large, thirty foot diameter titanium vessel,  that was 100% welded using NO Gas Trailing  Shield.  Yet in 2022 in N. America, the majority of those that will weld Titanium are not aware of the semi-automated  GTA TIP TIG  benefits for titanium. For those interested visit my tiptipwelding.com site to see the titanium  weld video, and all other  alloy benefits.

DISTORTION – DISTORTION – DISTORTION..
A concern  with many companies will have with tight dimensional tolerances especially on costly alloy steels is weld distortion. Therefore any engineer that is not stuck in the 20th century, would consider an easy to use arc weld process that delivers the lowest possible weld distortion.

You could try and duplicate my untouched TIP TIG weld, with GTA or pulsed GMA, but you would be wasting your time.

HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD GET THE N. AMERICAN WELD INDUSTRY INTERESTED IN  A WELD PROCESS THAT MOST NORTH AMERICAN WELD DISTRIBUTOR HAD NO INTERST IN?

I thought the best approach to selling TIP TG into the N. American industry dominated by Lincoln, Hobart and Miller and Fronius distributors,  was to do what I had done for decades. Instead of doing weld process control educational seminars, I started out by presenting  TIP TIG seminars and work shops. My  fist US work shop in 2009 had apart from Americans, participants, personnel from China, Australia, Canada and Brazil.

IN 2009, WHILE  N. AMERICAN WELD ENGINEERS WERE SITTING  IN FRONT OF THEIR LAP TOPS AND WORKING WITH 1946  GTA, THE CHINESE WELD  ENGINEERS MADE THE FIRST MOVE.

THE CHINEASE OIL / GAS COMPANY CNOOC, HAD SERIOUS WELD QUALITY ISSUES WITH THEIR SUB SEA PIPE AND IT’S  INCONEL CLADDING APPLICATIONS. THEY HAD TRIED FRONIUS, LIBURDI AND OTHER EQUIPMENT, ALL FAILED. 

CNOOC Overlay Sub-sea pipe ID with Inconel then weld the pipe ends in minutes and never have defects that the X-Rays would reveal.

WHILE AMERICA SLEEPS: It was ironic that the first major customer to purchase TIP TIG  equipment and also to fully embrace the process, was the Chinese National Oil Company, CNOOC. This company  flew a group of their engineers to my first TIP TIG seminar that I presented in the Philadelphia Naval Yard in 2009.  Of course no senior Naval personnel from the yard attended, they were invited.

12 years after I introduced the TIP TIG  process to CNOOC at the Phily. work shop,  CNOOC and others in China in the Oil, Nat Gas and Power sectors now lead the world in the use of the semi-automated GTA TIP TIG process.

Since 2009. there has neve been a process that can  out perform semi-automated GTA.

Thanks to the CNOOC Chinese company ordering equipment from us, Tom and I now had the funds required to get the TIP TIG USA company grounded in the USA. 

From pipe or plate, root to fill, 2 mm to any thickness, TIP TIG is the easiest process to use in any weld position. No weld fumes, no spatter or weld cleaning required.  The same  two weld settings can be used  for most pipe and plate welds. The GTAW – Pulsed MIG and Gas Shielded Flux Cored weld processes simply cannot compete when  code quality welds are required.

FOR THOSE THAT WANT THE PROCESS FACTS IN AN INDUSTRY IN WHICH PROCESS MYTHS ARE THE NORM.

I believe that I  generated  the world’s most informative web site on TIP TIG, process. This  site is not influenced by the usual  weld equip. sales bovine fecal matter. The site is  tiptigwelding.com.  

THINK ABOUT THE SUCESS OF THE WORLD’S MOST WIDELY UTILIZED ARC WELD PROCESSES.

OF COURSE SEMI-AUTOMATED SIMPLIFIES THE USE OF A WELD PROCESS AND INCREASES WELD QUALITY AND PRODUCTION.

The reasons for the success of GMA and gas shielded flux cored, is they are  “semi-automated” easy to use arc weld processes that provides respectable weld deposition rates. So when someone comes along and makes the GTA process into a “semi-automated” the easy to use TIP TIG process that provides 200 t0 300%  more weld than GTA, what’s this weld  industries response? 

A SIMPLE SEMI-AUTOMATED GTA QUESTION. Why do you believe that in contrast to any other arc weld process,  TIP TIG would enable the lowest possible weld joules and a two to three hundred percent increase in GTA weld deposition?

The following  are real world TIP TIG weld benefits attained  for code quality welds.

• • TIP TIG enables  on average 300% greater weld deposition than manual GTA welds. 
  • TIP TIG on “all position welds” is easier to use than  DC GTA, Pulsed MIG and Flux Cored, while at the same time producing superior weld quality.
  • TIP TIG with increased weld speeds and DC polarity always enables the lowest possible weld joules, producing  superior  mechanical / corrosion properties than any other arc weld process.
  • TIP TIG always enables the lowest possible weld fumes.
  • TIP TIG no weld spatter, and no weld cleaning required.
  • TIP TIG always lowest weld distortion and lowest weld / part stresses.
  • TIP TIG highest weld fusion capability with no weld porosity concerns. 
  • Use TIP TIG on large or small applications, one process root to fill, one process capable of welding all metals from  the thinnest to the thickest parts.
  • TIP TIG semi-automated or easily fully automated.
  • TIP TIG, one gas, one weld wire, no more than three simple weld settings and one weld procedure.

IF YOU WANT EVIDENCE OF 2021  GMA – FCA WELD PROCESS CONFUSION, AND THE LACK OF CONTROLS &  BEST WELD PRACTICES, YOU WILL FIND IT AT ANY N.AMERICAN NAVAL YARD. 

THE NAVY ANTHEM…WHY CHANGE THE BLOODY WAY WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT.  Any personnel that deals with Navy projects, will likely be aware that the Navy senior management  desperately wants to get a grip of their fabrication / weld  quality. Weld rework per-vessel is often millions of dollars over budget of the weld  repair projections.

UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN  PROGRESSIVE CHANGE IS SUGGESTED REF. WELDING, IT’S THE SENIOR SHIP YARD AND NAVAL ENGINEERING OFFICERS THAT ARE ALWAYS THE FIRST TO RESIST THE  WELD ENGINEERING CHANGES. 

The ship yards  typically spend  millions of over budget dollars that are most often a result from their poor flux cored weld quality. Also few ever count the costs associated  from the poor daily weld productivity being attained.

TYPICAL AVERAGE WELD DEPOSITION IN SHIP YARDS IS 30 TO 50% LESS THAN THAT ATTAINED IN A WELL MANAGED WELD SHOP. 

The weld  reality in most shipyards, is that the yard front office management and engineers  have for decades simply lacked the GMA – FCA weld process control expertise that would enable them the ability for Process Ownership. Yes they do understand the SMA process. 

SHIP YARD  WELD COSTS. In  an 8 hr/shift, a ship yard welder welding all position, gas shielded flux cored welds should be able to deposit a minimum of  23  – 24 lbs/per-shift. However thanks to the too common apathetic yard management and engineers,  and also the inadequate ship yard welder training programs, the typical ship yard welder in N. America, average 50 to 60% of the FCA weld metal it should deposit daily. 

FLUX CORED PROCESS QUESTION.  If the weld shop is welding mostly carbon steels  in the flat and horizontal weld positions, and the carbon steels are 3/8 and thicker, why is the commonly used E71T-1 wire a poor choice?

For those of you that want to control gas shielded flux cored welds, and attain minimum weld rework with always maximum weld productivity, you get that with process controls. The FCA self teach  / training resource, is in my process training section.

WELD SHOPS THAT DONT EVOLVE, THESE DAYS WILL HAVE A SHORT LIFE. In the highly competitive global weld industry, companies can purchase welded parts from China, South Korea or Eastern Europe.  If USA companies don’t evolve, and continue to listen to sales-reps. for weld advice about weld equip. bells and whistles or  magic gas mixes, and they continue on the path of front office lack of weld process ownership, while resisting progressive weld change, they may as well  close their weld shop doors.

The following is common  in 2021 for the industries which utilize  traditional  manual  Pulsed GMA, manual GTAW and Gas Shielded Flux Cored welds on  large scale code quality weld projects;

• • The daily weld quality and weld production being  produced  in most  plants will  have changed  little in six decades.
  • Weld rejects and weld rework will continue to be the expected norm.
  • Weld spatter clean up the norm.
  • More than one weld process will be used on the code welds, requiring different weld qualification  procedures, different  weld procedures, different weld equipment, different weld consumables, practices and skills will be required.

    GMA Weld Question. Welding 1/4 – 6 to 7 mm carbon steels in the flat positions with a 1.2 mm  0.045  wire, argon 20 – CO2, and a 350 amp CV power source , what would be the average GMA deposition rate be with  an arc on time of 30 minutes. 

  A QUESTION BOUND TO  ANNOY MANY.

The growing army of AWS CWI weld inspection personnel, would get more respect from me, if  before they offer an opinion on the daily welds they view, they take a few hours to  understand the simple two control GMA – FCA weld processes that they daily critique?

IT TAKES APPROX. ONLY 15-20 HOURS TO LEARNEITHER THE  GMA – FCA – TIP TIG – ADAVANCED TIG, or ROBOT GMA ARC WELD PROCESS CONTROLS  RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE AT THIS  SITE.

Before you purchase your next GMA power source, ask yourself, do you need the electronic  Bells and whistles?

A weld fact. In 2021, using a N. American  350 – 450 amp, CV MIG power source that has changed little since the 1960s. A  power source that  in contrast to a pulsed MIG power source typically can costs 50 to 200% less. A CV power source that in less than 5 minutes I could demo with  3 weld settings,  that I could in contrast to pulsed GMA equip.  produce, spatter free, superior weld quality on any  steels and alloy steel welds. With this same CV equip. I could then provide superior gas shielded flux cored welds. 

GAS SHIELDED FLUX  CORED QUESTION.
Why in contrast to a CV MIG power source, is it difficult to get superior weld fusion  with a gas shielded flux cored wire if using a  pulsed MIG or multi-process power source?

Too often when the plant is having manual or robot weld issues, the plant or engineering mgr. may then turn to more expensive weld resolutions such as, employing more manual GTA – MIG or FCA  welders. Perhaps they will ask their sales-rep to bring in the latest Lincoln, Miller or Panasonic electronic wonder power source. Or for the robot line as the robots are not meeting their promised potential there solution will be to  purchase more robots. Or perhaps as is common with the N.  American Auto – Truck industry, they will outsource the troubled welded parts to a  southern State  or Mexico, where weld rework costs are rarely relevant.

The sad weld reality for global weld decision makers that have a difficult time consistently attaining the full manual or robot GMA weld quality and productivity potential from the world’s most utilized arc weld processes,  is that for approx. six decades, producing  manual mediocre GMA weld quality and productivity, and creating unnecessary  costly weld rework has become the DAILY NORM. And unfortunately  the poorly trained managers and engineers  that run plants with the welding robots, are simply no aware of the robot GMA process control that’s been available at this site for approx. 25 years. (process training section).

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR MANAGERS TO PROVIDE RESOLUTIONS TO THEIR WELD SHOP ISSUES, IF THEY  ‘DON’T RECOGNIZE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THEIR WELD PROBLEMS?  

MOST MANAGERS ARE NOT AWARE THAT “WELDER SKILLS” HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A SECONDARY REQUIREMENT FOR WELD PROCESS OPTIMIZATION. FIRST AND FORMOST IS WELD PROCESS CONTROL EXPERTISE:

You will rarely see this in a job description for GMA – FCA welders.  The welder must have the required weld process control expertise and be aware of the best weld practices to attain weld optimization. It’s definitely not something that SpaceX or NASA or any Fortune 500 company would request when hiring any weld personnel including a weld engineer. 

With the common management and engineer  lack of awareness of process control expertise, it’s therefore logical  this expertise will be something rarely required in  any weld job description, and also “process controls” will rarely be part of the mfg. plant discussions.

SURELY RELYING ON A WELD  SALESMEN THAT MOST LIKELY HAS NEVER HAVE RUN A WELD SHOP, IS NOT SOMETHING ANY  ENGINEER, MANAGERS OR SUPERVISOR SHOULD BE PROUD OF.

As far as I know, the weld industry is the only technical industry that relies on  inexperienced sales or equipment  representatives to provide weld process advice for a shop’s weld issues. The sales rep, will typically be an individual  that  likely has never run a weld shop. This nonsense has been going on for decades. The issues are typically with weld equipment that that has two weld controls that have not changed since the 1960s.. 

As a corporate training or weld product manager at Linde, Airgas, AGA and Carbonic, I trained over 4000 weld sales-reps, and I figured out no matter what training they received perhaps 5 in a hundred were worthy to walk through a weld shop door and provide weld advice,

One area that will always reveal the lack of MIG weld process controls and best weld practice expertise that prevails is found in the robot cells in most global automotive and  truck plants. A look at many pendant weld programs will reveal  the often poor, ever changing weld program data for simple welds that should require no more than two weld settings.

IT WAS TYPICAL AT ABB FOR ME TO ESTABLISH ONE OR TWO OPTIMUM GMA ROBOT WELD SETTINGS FOR ANY GM – FORD OR CHRYSLER APPLICATION.  AND  WHEN I VISITED THEIR PLANTS, I WOULD USUALLY SEE THAT MY  DATA HAD IN SOME INSTANCES BEEN CHANGED USUALLY 10 TO 30 TIMES,  AND THE ROBOT WELDS WERE A MESS.

Managers and engineers wake up. Robot personnel “playing around”  with the weld control data in a robot cell, is not a sign of enlightened engineering and mfg. management, it’s  an indication that the company management and engineers are simply not aware of  the weld process control expertise that’s  required  by technicians and engineers to attain the best possible robot weld quality and productivity. 

For decades, most global mfg. and plant managers thought playing around with weld controls was the norm.  Most managers were simply not aware that their engineers or technicians were NOT taught  Arc Weld Process Controls, at the Colleges or Universities that provided them with their weld educations. However for more than 20 years, this expertise in self teaching / training formats has been available at this web site, (process training).

LACK OF MANUAL OR ROBOT WELD PROCESS CONTROLS  & LACK OF BEST ARC WELD PRACTICE  &  AND LACK OF WELD COST CONTROL  EXPERTISE IS SIMPLE TO RECTIFY:

If managers, engineers and supervisors in automotive and  truck facilities, don’t understand  the robot weld process control expertise requirements for weld process ownership, it’s not likely their robot technicians or those that are making the weld changes will  have this expertise.

If a rare enlightened  plant or engineering manager had insisted that at least one person in their plant had the weld process control and best weld practice expertise necessary to own the processes, and therefore be able to optimize either their daily robot or manual  weld quality or productivity,  that same manager, would also be wise enough to ensure that this person  was  given the responsibility to train all those in both the front office and the weld shop that  daily are making the weld decisions. O well dream on.

You don’t get asked to establish  the robot MIG welds on America’s most iconic vehicles without a reputation for past weld accomplishments .

Just a few of the products Em. worked on

[] FORD F150.. I was the only person to establish robot welds that did not require weld rework which was amazing if you saw the poor robot weld joints.

[] BEETLE.  New VW Beetle car seats provided the highest crash ratings ever attained for small cars in the US. I set these robot MIG welds at Johnson Controls in Mexico. Johnson found out that the VW robot MIG data established by VW  in Germany would not work. Not only did i attain zero rework  i increased the robot production by 30%

[] CORVETTE, Some of the worst welds produced in the auto industry in the 80 –  90s were on America’s fav. sports car the Corvette. This vehicle was manually welded with flux cored  wires and the welds were a disgrace. I recommended to the GM engineer responsible for the project that they should be using MAG. I trained the GM workers to transition to MAG. After that a I recommended that GM  progress to robots. They did and I established the Corvette robot MAG welds.

HARLEY. This hands off management company has no understanding at all of the requirements or the value of front office weld process ownership. So its no surprise that this company was  slow to evolve to robot MIG welds. Most of the  bike frame welds were done manually in MIG weld production lines that reminded me of  the production line in Henry Ford’s first  plant.  When Harley developed the FATBOY, it quickly became a best seller. I set the initial robot welds for this product while I was the weld mgr. at ABB Robots.

GENIE. Who has not seen these products on construction sites or in plants, and because of what the do they need defect free robot and manual weld quality. I set their robot welds and provided process control training programs.

CATERPILLAR. Who else would this company turn to but ABB and myself when they wanted the robot MIG weld the world’s largest trick.

Please be aware, that I spent decades condensing and simplifying  both  my Manual and Robot MIG  weld process control training resources so that irrespective of their weld background, they could be presented by anyone. 

By the way those of you who want to make progressive weld changes in your plants, I would suggest you start with  the  “Job Description”  Include the words, “Must have the required Manual or Robot Weld Process Controls and Best Weld Practice expertise”.

THIS WILL SHOCK MANY. A “WELD TEAM” IN ANY MANUFACURING FACILITY, IS TYPICALLY A SIGN OF  “INEXPERIENCED WELD MANAGEMENT”.

THE WELD TEAM: Another unique attribute about poor global weld  shop practices, is when managers, supervisors or engineers lack weld process control and best practice expertise  they will frequently create a Weld Team, a team that ironically will also lack the same expertise.  The common manager’s response to their never ending weld issues is to daily take an acid reducing TUM to control their heart burn, and then  call a WELD TEAM meeting. Too often the only thing frequently achieved by the weld team will be  the consumption of a large amount of  coffee and donuts, wasted man hours, and more weld process confusion added to the plant. 

My easy to learn  manual and robot weld process controls and best practice self teaching or training programs typically only require 15 to 20 hours to learn.  If  this training was provided  to all  the company’s personnel that  daily influence weld decisions,  the weld reality  is that no plant or weld facility  would require  a “weld team” and the reason would be, that  all the companies weld decision makers would be trained with the weld process  control – best practice requirements that enable them to uniformly walk the one path required to consistently attain,  manual or robot weld process optimization. Think how unique that would be a plant in which all involved in weld decisions were trained in the requirements for weld process ownership.

Process OWNERSHIP is attained from my MAG – Flux Cored  and TIP TIG,  Manual and Robot Weld Process Controls & Best Weld Practice, Training or Self Teaching Programs.

HOWEVER A MANUFACTURING TEAM IS LOGICAL. Rather than creating  a robot weld team, a more logical approach in an organization that understands weld processes would be to create a  “manufacturing team”. This would be a team comprised of the key robot weld decision maker, and the production, quality, maintenance and engineering manager. The manufacturing team’s prime responsibility would be to ensure  that the products for the robot cells should be delivered  in a timely manner, and the parts to be welded by the robots would be manufactured in accordance with the  specified design,  conditions and dimension,  (always a rare event in poorly managed auto / truck plants).

In the  highly competitive global weld industry, an experience weld shop manager, supervisor or engineer should never allow this attitude.

INSTEAD OF PURCHASING LOW COST DURABLE CV MIG EQUIPMENT AND PROVIDING EMPLOYEES WITH PROCESS CONTROL TRAINING,  MANAGERS WILL OFTEN SPEND 200 to 300% MORE FOR PULSED MIG WELD EQUIPMENT TO WELDD STEELS  AND ALLOY STEELS , THE QUESTION IS WHY?

Of course electronics in MIG equipment has enabled interesting weld transfer mode opportunities especially with pulsed MIG and  aluminum welds benefit.  However much of the electronics that from the 1980s to 2020, that have gone into pulsed MIG equipment that is used for steel and alloy welds, have in reality been  mostly useless BELLS & WHISTLES. 

FEW WELD SHOPS ARE AWARE OF THE NEGATIVE WELD QUALITY AND COST ATTRIBUTES OF PULSED MIG WELDS:

Anyone who has ever done a weld macro on a steel or stainless fillet weld on steels > 5 mm thick, will be aware with the MIG Spray mode that unfortunately has a poor ratio of weld energy to weld mass, will view that the weld fusion attained  is  often poor to marginal. When that Spray mode is changed to a pulsed mode that can provide the same weld deposition potential as Spray, but however spends 50% of  its time at a low background current, then is should not be a surprise to find that this lower energy mode will in contrast to a Spray weld, not improve  the weld fusion or reduce the weld porosity, but that pulsed MIG mode will suitable for welds that require lower weld energy, welds on  gauge steels, aluminum,  and clad welds. I wrote  a book on MIG and Pulsed MIG over 20 years ago. That book was called “A Management and Engineers Guide To MIG”.In this book I dedicated over a 100 pages as to what was wrong with the pulsed MIG mode for steels and alloy welds, and all the issues I discussed then are still relevant today in 2020. By the way those weld shops that purchased costly  Pulsed MIG  equipment to reduce weld spatter, could have spent  $200 on one of my MIG training programs and eliminated their spatter concerns with something called Weld Process Control Expertise.

In the 1970 and 1980s, with low cost CV MIG equipment, I was showing weld shops how to produce MIG short circuit welds with no spatter.

 TWO WAYS TO RUN A WELD SHOP.  ONE WITH FRON OFFICE WELD PROCESS OWNERSHIP CAPABILITY.  THE OTHER WITH THE ADVICE OF A WELD SALES REP.

In the nineteen sixties I  started  MIG and flux cored welding  tractors in a Massey Ferguson plant in Manchester England, and today in 2020 in any global weld shop, I could take a 1960s CV MIG power source, or a 2020 $2500 new CV MIG power source, and with MIG weld process control expertise, consistently provide optimum quality, spatter free welds on any steel  and alloy steel parts from 14 gauge to any thickness.  So the weld reality for the one or two readers that are aware of this 20 year old website,  is if the weld shop mostly welds aluminum parts that less than 6 mm thick,  then the purchase of a pulsed MIG power source provides many weld benefits. However if the weld shop welds thicker aluminum parts, the weld shop will attain better aluminum weld quality by using the CV spray mode on the lower cost CV MIG equip. If the weld shop welds mostly steels and alloys the weld shop will save money if it simply purchases  CV MIG units that can typically cost 100 to 200% less.   Think of the  savings for the weld shop from being able to purchase the lower cost, easier to repair, more durable CV equipment that has two simple weld controls and for the occasional aluminum welds provide a portable pulsed MIG unit. Weld decisions such as this, require managers and engineers that are capable of Weld  Process Ownership. Managers that will be  aware they can optimize their steel MIG and flux cored welds  with low cost CV MIG equipment because they have provided all their weld personnel with the required  MIG Weld Process Controls – Best Weld Practice Training. 

THE PURCHASE OF THREE PART GAS MIXES AND METAL CORED WIRES ARE ALSO  OFTEN INFLUENCED BY SALES  BOVINE FECAL MATTER: While some metal cored wires that contain alloys may be beneficial for high strength applications, when welding low carbon steels. I never saw a metal cored weld I could not replicate with a lower cost MIG wire. As for those three part MIG gas mixes, as a key writer of the AWS MIG Shielding Gas Specifications, I would like to inform any weld shop that over the last four decades purchased a three part MIG gas mix for steels and alloy steel welds, that the costly three part MIG gas mixes were never necessary and the reality of adding oxygen in a gas mix created more negative attributes to a weld than benefits. I will admit however that both the metal cored wires and three  part gas mixes were always a good tool for the weld distributors to attain gas business in weld shops that lacked the ability for MIG weld process ownership.

On many steel and alloy weld applications, for decades, the common useless electronics found in pulsed MIG equipment was a good companion for the useless three part MIG gas mixes and metal cored  wires that were also used as a crutch by those that lacked weld process control expertise.

GAS SHIELDED FLUX CORED: In 2020, the majority of global weld shops may also be surprised to hear that both GTAW and the Gas Shielded Flux Cored process  are  a poor weld process choice for many code quality welds.  For those using all position gas shielded flux cored wires in 2020 on applications that require X-Rays or Ultrasonic testing, a reasonable question would be why would any weld shop choose a weld process such as flux cored,  in which irrespective of the welder’s skills, unreliable weld quality, excess  porosity, trapped slag weld fusion concerns, excess spatter  and excess weld fumes will be the norm. 

ITS 2020 AND SOMEONE FORGOT TO TELL WELD SHOPS THAT IN THE LAST DECADE, THE GTAW PROCESS BECAME OBSOLETE: And If the weld shop is still using the seventy year old DC. TIG process  for welding parts that require an extensive amount of welds, what  manager has not been frustrated in dealing with this ultra slow process that requires the highest welder skills, and also provides high heat into the welded parts. Note: For those that are interested in the well documented  issues that occur with the common MIG –  Pulsed MIG – GTAW -Flux Cored processes and their equipment and consumable issues when utilized on  manual and robot welds, please visit my programs sections. While pulsed MIG,  DC TIG and the gas shielded Flux Cored processes have since the 1960’s,  been responsible for most of the  global code quality arc welds that are produced daily, in 2019, few weld shops are aware that for more than a decade there has been  an alternative,  superior, “manual semi-automated and fully automated” weld process called TIP TIG.

TIP TIG is  a process that  may appear at first glance for some weld personnel to be a cross between  the  TIG and MIG process. However this is a process that  when code quality welds are required, TIP TIG will provide superior weld performance than TIG – Pulsed MIG – Gas Shielded  Flux Cored and Hot Wire TIG welds.

TIP TIG is both an easy to use semi-automated and fully automated arc weld process. When code quality welds are required, by consistently enabling the highest weld energy in an inert atmosphere,  (best weld fusion lowest porosity) along with attaining the lowest welded part heat input from DC polarity and increased travel rates. In contrast to GTAW – Pulsed MIG – FCAW and Hot Wire TIG, the TIP TIG process will always attain the best possible weld quality and also part mechanical and corrosion properties.

TIP TIG provides the highest weld energy and weld fluidity, with the highest weld purity, and also enables the lowest weld part heat with an easy to use  process for welds on any metals, applications any size, and welds in any position..

WHEN TOM MY BUSINESS PARTNER AND I  BOUGHT TIP TIG TO NORTH AMERICA  IN 2009 AND STARTED  “TIP TIG USA, THIS PROCESS CREATED DRAMATIC NEW WELD OPPORTUNITIES FOR WELD SHOPS IN  N.AMERICA,  AUSTRALIA AND CHINA.

2020. I predict that by 2025, the “Plasch Austria” patented TIP TIG process that I and my business partner Tom introduced to North America, China and Australia in 2009,  will be  the  world’s most widely utilized arc weld process that is associated with most code quality welds.

With so many weld, metallurgical, mechanical, corrosion, and  also weld fume safety benefits obtained from  TIP TIG,  benefits that are spelled out on this page and  especially in my comprehensive, “TIP TIG” program which provides TIP TIG data that’s not provided on any other global website.  For any weld shop the weld reality is this, when the highest possible quality on all position, root or fill, fillet or butt, small or large parts, on manual or automated applications are required, the weld shop will find TIP TIG will  be easier to use, (less skills), and always produce superior  weld quality than the traditional   DC/AC  TIG –  Pulsed MIG –  STT  MIG – RMD MIG, Flux Cored  and  also the Hot Wire TIG process.

Note: For those that may not agree with the above TIP TIG statement, why waste a breath arguing the subject, after all it would take less than 60 minute  for  a TIP TIG demo in any weld shop to prove the TIP TIG weld quality and cost results are superior to what your company is presently producing. Of course the local sales rep. that has a degree in liberal arts or history,  and  likely does not sell TIP TIG may disagree,  and instead perhaps they will want you to try their latest electronic MIG power source or another  useless three part MIG gas mix.

This site places much focus on the process expertise that’s too often lacking in global weld shops and also on the GTAW – Pulsed MIG – FCA and TIP TIG weld process comparisons for common, code quality global weld shop applications. Note, the weld  process comparisons will have more meaning when those that are interested in the comparisons, have the weld process controls & best weld practice expertise that’s been necessary to optimize the common arc weld process utilized in their weld shops. 

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES THE PERFECT ARC WELD PROCESS? If  I was to ask a well seasoned weld individual,  what do you believe the key  weld process attributes would be to make the perfect weld process for most code quality welds.  The following would be my list. 

Ten fundamental weld process requirements to attain the best possible, all position, code quality manual welds on any metals.

1. 1.  Must be an easy to use, semi-automatic and automatic weld process.
   2. Must have the weld capability for both open root and fill passes on any application and metals, and suitable to welds on any thickness.
   3. Must provide the highest weld energy, (weld fluidity) capability to attain optimum weld fusion with all metals. (not possible with MIG or FCAW.
   4. Must provide moderate all position weld deposition rates that while producing, cost effective welds are also providing an important balance between the amount of weld deposited and the weld energy delivered.
   5. Must provide an inert plasma atmosphere that minimizes weld oxidation and porosity.
   6. Must provide no spatter or slag.
   7. Must provide automatic control of weld start / stop data.
   8. Must provide EN polarity that enables with the weld speeds attained, the lowest welded part heat input that enables the smallest weld HAZ,  and the best  mechanical and corrosion properties.
   9. Must be simple to set.
   10. Must not require more than three settings for all welds.

Note in 2020 there is  only one weld process capable of delivering the above and it’s the decade old TIP TIG process. https://tiptigwelding.com

PLEASE BE AWARE, THAT EVERY  THING THAT’S  STATED AT THIS SITE,  I CAN  DEMONSTRATE  AND PROVE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR AT ANY WELD SHOP.

 MODERATE WELD DEPOSITION RATES AND THE HIGHEST DC WELD ENERGY ENABLE THE BEST ALL POSITION WELD FUSION.  When the weld shop  has an all position,  easy to use  process such as TIP TIG that produces  moderate weld deposition rates that provide the highest energy and fluidity welds that are protected by an inert gas, for the weld shop this this enables the capability to attain on any scale application the highest possible arc weld quality. When you combine the weld quality asset of TIP TIG with the TIP TIG’s DCEN and weld speed ability to produce the lowest possible weld heat input to the parts welded, this provides for the weld shop, the manual and automated weld capability to eliminate the normally anticipated weld rework on any application. And also to be able to weld any type of weldable metal without worrying about any weld metallurgical concerns.  The TIP TIG welds shown on this page and in the TIP section cannot be duplicated by any regular  optimum TIG, pulsed MIG or flux cored welds.

Note. Yes with traditional DC TIG process the weler can always produce excellent weld quality, but with manual DC TIG,  the welder cannot attain the  TIP TIG weld energy,  the TIP TIG weld uniformity and weld continuity that drives weld speeds, the TIP TIG weld deposition rates and reduced skills  that drive weld costs, and with TIP TIG the weld shop can produce on most parts > 2 mm the lowest welded  part heat that influences metallurgy and application capability.

When I first introduced TIP TIG to N. America and Australia around 2009, I  was well aware that this  unique process would be a huge game changer for weld shops, and would have to be compared with the traditional arc weld processes utilized by the weld shops, especially with code quality welds. When discussing weld process comparisons,  it helps if those doing the process comparisons first have the weld  process controls and best weld practice expertise that was necessary to  consistently attain weld process quality and productivity optimization with the weld shop processes  they daily use. (available with my low cost weld process optimization training programs),  however the bottom line is simply this,  there is no optimum Pulsed MIG – GTAW and Gas Shielded Flux Cored welds that will have the capability to match the weld  quality show on upper left, and with the other TIP TIG welds shown here and in my TIP TIG section.

Some processes as discussed in the process section of this site are simply not capable of consistently producing optimum weld quality. Weld shops will be aware  that with manual welds, that irrespective of the welder skills, arc weld  processes such as Pulsed MIG and gas shielded flux cored are  on many applications simply not capable of  consistently delivering  defect free welds. The inherent weld process issues that influence the weld quality are discussed  extensively in my TIP TIG and in MIG and flux cored weld program sections.

Some of you that attended my process control workshops or purchased my weldreality training programs, will be aware that  I have specialized  on  the requirements for weld process control and best weld practice  for close to the five decades that I have been in this industry. Manual,  automated or robot welds, I know what each arc weld process quality – productivity and capability is with any metals on any applications. I am well aware also of the weld issues that will be generated from the weld process and consumables used, and also the issues that are generated from  the common poor weld practices used by the welders. So please keep this in mind in the weld advice that I offer,  I  was born in Manchester UK, and in general Mancunians are people that have good sense of humor with no time for BS. I don’t sell welding products, and from my lips  you will never hear weld equipment or  process bias. However for decades I do offer what in general is missing in the majority of weld shops of the global weld industry, that is the required Weld Process Controls and Best Weld Practice  self teaching / training  programs that will help any company  personnel attain the best possible weld results with the MIG – FCAW – Advanced TIG and also TIP TIG process utilized.  

If a person wanted to find evidence of the too often poor, stagnant state of the global weld industry, they  could start out in two diverse industries such as ship building and automotive. In most of the  global ship build facilities, thanks to lack of weld management and weld engineering ownership and lack of weld process controls expertise,  there is  usually always  extensive, unnecessary manual costly weld rework. And in the auto. truck plants, the bins that line the robot aisles will usually be full of weld rejects and rework from the poor robot MIG weld quality,  and few of the robots in the plants will be attaining optimum their robot weld productivity potential.

For decades.  as a result of  unnecessary flux core and MIG weld rework, millions of dollars have been  lost per-vessel built, and the reason is a simple one, the common Navy and shipyard front office,  lack of  Weld Process Controls and  Best Weld Practice Expertise.

Its 2020, and as they have done for decades, global Navy shipyards will be  building multi-million dollar vessels and dramatically going past their weld rework budgets and yet at these shipyard facilities the;

1. 1. THE  REQUIRED WELD SPECIFICATIONS ARE BEING UTILIZED.
   2. THE WELD PROCESSES WERE APPROVED.  
   3. THE WELD PROCEDURES QUALIFIED.
   4. THE WELDERS  TRAINED.
   5. THE WELDERS WERE QUALIFIED.
   6. AND THE QA DEPARTMENT DAILY STRIVES TO  ENSURE  THAT STRINGENT WELD INSPECTION WAS AN EFFECTIVE PART OF THE SHIP BUILDING PROCESS. 
   7.  SO CAN YOU GUESS  WHY THE NEVER ENDING WELD ISSUES, AND WHAT THE MISSING LINK IS?

___________

With any facility that applies an annual budget for it’s anticipated  weld repairs, you would assume that the manufacturing management created that budget from its history of typical past, annual weld repair costs, You would also think that the key weld decision makers would then strive to reduce those weld repair costs. And yet in shipyards, you will find the annual weld repair costs rarely go down, and  in most cases again thanks to lack of management and engineering process ownership expertise, the weld repair costs typically will again, like the movie Groundhog Day,  repeat, and often dramatically exceed the weld repair budget sometimes by many millions of dollars.

WHY WITH SIMPLE WELD CONTROL ARC WELD  PROCESSES ARE THERE SO MANY WELD ISSUES:  A logical manager or engineer would ask, why with the  simple to set, two control, MIG and flux cored weld process that are utilized daily for the majority most arc welds, two processes that have hardly changed in many decades,  do the responsible managers and engineers  continue to fail in their task of  owning these weld processes and better managing their  daily weld quality and productivity?  Also why after decades of experience  with these two weld processes is there little evidence of weld process control and best weld practice evolution throughout the global weld industry?

Lets face it, anyone who had spent 30 minutes at this web site would not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out why the never ending shipyard or automotive plant weld issues have been going on for decades, or why most of the aerospace, power, oil and defense industries are stuck in the welding  20th Century. The following are five common root causes of  why many of the global weld issues occur;

[1] MANY MANAGERS ARE NOT AWARE THAT MANUAL – ROBOT WELD PROCESS CONTROLS & BEST WELD PRACTICE IS AN  EXPERTISE THAT EXISTS.

[2] FEW FRONT OFFICE  WELD DECISION MAKERS HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO  RAPIDLY WORK OUT THE COST OF A COMMON 1/4 6 mm MIG OR FILLET WELD. 

[3] ENGINEERS  AND TECHNICIANS ARE NOT TAUGHT WELD PROCESS CONTROLS AND BEST WELD PRACTICES. 

[4] MANAGER AND SUPERVISORS TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT THEIR  WELD PERSONNEL HAVE TO PLAY WITH WELD CONTROLS.

[5] MANAGERS & ENGINEERS & SUPERVISORS ARE NOT AWARE OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO LEARN THE REQUIREMENTS FOR WELD PROCESS OWNERSHIP. 

I do apologize for the size of this web site, however its 25% of what it once was, however the weld processes and applications discussed are diverse, the weld process issues extensive, and the repercussions of costly arc weld quality and productivity issues that daily effect the majority of the global weld industry has been going on for the five decades that I have been in this industry.  However the weld reality is, the process controls  – best weld practice subjects should be of interest to anyone that calls them self a weld professional. 

Since the 1980’s I have been documenting the  common global arc weld problems that I was asked  to resolve  in more than a 1000 weld shops in 13 countries. I have written 35 articles and had four books published on  MIG and Flux Cored weld issues and process control resolutions. My focus was always on simplifying and condensing the subject of weld process controls and best weld practices and passing this on to all weld decision makers.  I have spent decades  developing the low cost process control resources available at this site that enable managers and engineers to take ownership of their weld processes, however the sad weld reality is getting them to purchase these resources, has in most instances  been like getting a mule to drink water from a trough. 

2109:  On the subject of lack of weld evolution, their will always be a place for the traditional TIG process, (left), however  as you will read below, this 75 year old process should no longer the optimum  arc weld process of choice with  most code quality welds.

In  this home page, I will start out with some  general information on the three key common arc weld processes that will be used in the next decades, Pulsed MIG, Gas Shielded Flux Cored and  the most important will be the TIP TIG process. The reader will find with these  three weld processes, the most comprehensive manual and robot weld  process control data in this sites programs sections and  also in my weld books and training materials. And while the site is long winded due to its age and  the never ending global weld shop issues, I hope some  readers will find the information that could enable any organization to take the one path required for weld  process optimization, a path that ensures with each of the three weld processes, the best possible, consistent, uniform quality welds always of course produced at the lowest weld costs.

As  MIG is the world’s most widely utilized arc weld process, you can never have enough MIG information.

FOR ME,  50 YEARS HAVE PASSED IN THIS INDUSTRY AND I SEE LITTLE CHANGE.  Some may think it ironic that most of the MIG weld issues that  I was writing about in the 1970 -80’s, are the same issues as the MIG weld  issues that are being  generated in 2020. Please note that extensive data  on the Pulsed MIG process and the extensive pulsed MIG equipment issues are  found in  the MIG programs  section.

A WELD REALITY IS THAT FEW WELD SHOPS WERE AWARE OF THE DECADES OF POOR PULSED MIG EQUIPMENT WELD  EQUIPMENT  PERFORMANCE,  WHICH IS SIMPLY ANOTHER INDICATION OF THE LACK OF WELD PROCESS EXPERTISE THAT PREVAILS THROUGHOUT THE INDUSTRY. 

If the reader was to  ask their experienced weld shop floor personnel to explain why they need pulsed MIG equipment for steel welds, I can assure you that in their answers there will likely be many indications of their MIG weld process confusion. And if the front office weld decision makers were asked why they should purchase pulsed MIG for  their steel welds, they will likely tell you all the reasons that their local sales rep. (who never ran a weld shop) told them.

I have written approx. a hundred  thousand words on why Pulsed MIG is not a requirement in a weld shop that welds mostly steel and alloy steel welds, and with the introduction of TIP TIG, when rational weld process selection decisions are made, the purchase of Pulsed MIG equipment should decline especially when any code quality steel welds are required. If like me you don’t have a life,  there are decades of manual and robot pulsed MIG issues documented in  my pulsed MIG process and MIG equipment sections.

[] WELDING ROBOTS QUICKLY REVEAL THE LACK OF  MANAGEMENT WELD PROCESS OWNERSHIP:

Pulsed MIG or regular CV MIG welds, you would think it logical that those responsible for robot MIG weld decisions would be aware of the weld process and weld transfer mode  differences, so they can best utilize the weld modes in the attainment of  robot weld optimization.  You would also think that the front office weld decision makers would be aware that their employees will in most instances lack the  robot MIG weld process controls and best weld practice expertise that’s necessary to enable consistent, optimum robot MIG weld quality and productivity, always  of course with the  lowest robot down time.

[] DECADES OF MIG WELD GAS SALES AND WELD SHOP BS: 

In North America, there are forty plus MIG gas mixes available, and few weld shops that are aware that  no more than four MIG gas mixes have ever been required for all MIG welds. The majority of the MIG Gas Mix mixes sold are simply a result from the vivid imagination of a of gas marketing  or sales executive. Note: As the industrial gas marketing manager for Airgas, AGA, and Liquid Carbonic, I developed or introduced in N. America 4 of the top selling MIG gas mixes. If interested visit my MIG gas section. 

[]  A WELD PROFESSIONAL  WITH OWNERSHIP CAPABILITY WOULD SIMPLIFY, CONDENSE AND ENSURE  EMPLOYEES ARE TRAINED  IN THE PROCESS CONTROLS – BEST PRACTICES REQUIRED.

No matter what weld wire is placed on a MIG power source and what the weld metal and application is, as shown in my Training / Self teaching MIG and Gas Shielded Flux Cored weld process control – best weld practice programs, the reader will find that  there are “three” optimum weld settings. There are also MIG and  Flux Cored best weld practices that are necessary to minimize  weld defects and optimize weld productivity. The weld reality is few of your  weld personnel will be aware of the settings and practices, and as is common in many weld shops when setting a MIG or Flux Cored weld, the weld personnel will  frequently   “play around” with two weld controls that have changed little in decades.

Around 2007, in a rare weld event for me, I had the opportunity to apply my arc weld process controls – best weld practices in a US shipyard in which the managers and engineers were much more familiar with SMAW (STICK)  weld practices that were likely established in the second world war.

When hired as the shipyard weld manager, I walked into a yard in which the previous weld and engineering manager knew a lot about stick welding and nothing about  Flux Cored and MIG Weld Process Controls and Best Weld Practices. In this shipyard. within three months of my process control training, the weld quality and productivity results were staggering. The weld quality and cost information attained is below, and full info available in my flux cored section. 

WITH THE EXCESSIVE  N. AMERICAN WELD REPAIR COST OVERRUNS  ON THE PRODUCTION OF NAVY VESSELS, AND WATCHING HOW QUICKLY  CHINA CAN BUILD SIMILAR VESSELS, AFTER DECADES OF DOING NOTHING,  US  NAVY SENIOR MANAGEMENT IS BEGINNING TO WONDER WHY THE LACK OF OF WELD MANAGEMENT / ENGINEERING PROCESS OWNERSHIP EXPERTISE HAS BECOME THE NORM. A LACK OF EXPERTISE  THAT DAILY  IMPACTS THE WELD QUALITY, PRODUCTIVITY AND PRODUCTION DEADLINES. 

As you will read below, even the Navy executives who will have never run a weld shop are beginning to wonder why in the  shipyards that build their vessels, the over budget weld repairs are  always measured in the millions,  and over the decades there has been little evidence of  management coming to grips with the costly weld issues, and  rarely evidence of the understanding or importance of the use of  weld process controls or best weld practices. 

THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY SPEAKS ABOUT THE COSTLY WELD ISSUES BUT MOST OF HIS DEFENSE CONTRACTORS DON’T KNOW HOW TO RESPOND

 For those not interested in my opinions and my focus on the general  lack of weld weld best practices and weld process controls expertise, they may however want to be aware of the the words of  a Mr. Guerts, the Assistant Secretary of the US Navy.  Mr. Guerts is responsible for spending approx.  205 billion dollars next year, and as you will read below, the front office engineering and management lack of  weld process ownership in the  Navy shipyard departments that fabricate & weld have him more than worried about meeting the his annual ship build delivery and budget requirements.  See Navy below.

2021.  The USA, Australia, Europe and the UK, Thanks to China which now has the world’s largest Navy there has never been a greater demand for Naval vessels and submarines. Yet the countries mentioned are still using  the 1946 GTA process and often using inadequate or outdated weld specifications and  weld procedures. 

Process OWNERSHIP comes from My MIG – Flux Cored  and TIP TIG Manual and Robot Weld Process Controls & Best Weld Practice, Training or Self Teaching Materials.

WELDER TRAINING PROGRAMS  ARE TOO OFTEN INADEQUATE IN MOST GLOBAL YARDS. All it takes is one flux Cored, lack of weld fusion defect in the right application location. and with the right circumstances, the result can be a catastrophic human and cost disaster. However the irony is that in most global ship and oil platform yards, is that they typically provide inadequate welder training programs that focus on welder skills with minimal  focus on the requirements for weld process optimization. The botton line  is few of the shipyard managers and engineers are aware of the importance of the weld process controls and best weld practices required with the common semi-automated weld processes.

WELD QUALITY – WELD LIABILITY.

A platform such as this was used to provide offshore  accommodations. All it took was a  poor 1/4 (6mm)  flux cored fillet weld to influence  a structural component fatigue  failure, the platform collapsed into the ocean with  123 lives lost with  billions in costs.