ESAB DEVELOPS DIGITAL DATA MANAGEMENT SOLUTION FOR SUBMERGED ARC WELDING

To improve productivity and quality for Submerged Arc Welding (SAW), InduSuite, an ESAB brand, has expanded the capabilities of its WeldCloud Fleet and WeldCloud Productivity software applications to include the SAW process. The application supports single, twin wire, tandem, tandem twin and ESAB’s Integrated Cold Electrode (ICE) process in a wide variety of wire and torch head configurations

“Troubleshooting multiple wire SAW processes has always been a challenge, and WeldCloud for SAW addresses that need by collecting and analyzing data for each wire, welding head and welding power source,” says Jon Hofmann, Global Product Director of ESAB’s Digital Solutions. “Data is organized as our customers need it, such as by welding seam or per torch, to match the traceability, quality and productivity requirements of any project.”

The application currently works with ESAB’s Aristo 1000 AC/DC, LAF and TAF SAW welding power sources and is expected to be expanded to be brand-agnostic in the future.

The InduSuite WeldCloud Fleet and WeldCloud Productivity software applications now support SAW applications that include single, twin wire, tandem, tandem twin and ESAB’s Integrated Cold Electrode (ICE) process.

Traceability

WeldCloud Productivity is designed for operation and production managers to track information generated by the Submerged Arc Welding process: arc-on time, number of weld sessions, wire use, deposition rate and many other metrics. Users can also “tag” or link this information to provide full weld traceability, which can include barcode/QR code scanning of variables such as operator badges, wire lot and Weld Procedure Specification (WPS). The ability to record weld session data directly from a welding power source and immediately compare to a WPS, means errors can be remedied much faster. If a weld is outside the WPS, the system can send an alert so that users can immediately repair the weld and begin identifying the root cause of the problem(s). This can be monitored on multi-torch applications and provide a combined heat input total or individual torch heat inputs per customer needs. 

Instead of the tedious process of manually recording welding data, which is also subject to human error and tampering, the process is digitized for speed and accuracy. With a WeldCloud-enabled power source, welding data can be recorded, analyzed and linked to the WPS, providing users and their customers greater quality and confidence in real-time.

The system has the ability to connect ERP and other systems to WeldCloud using its API (Application Programming Interface). By enabling digital communication with a central, online platform, it connects the shop floor and management with real-time data. It also allows inspectors and QC departments to instantly track and monitor production status, weld-by-weld. The weld inspectors can enter notes directly from the field, short-cutting the communication between project management, operators, inspectors and sub-contractors. The software sends all the information on each weld directly to the cloud, which can then be accessed via a computer, tablet or other mobile device. Because the information is transmitted directly from the shop floor, there is no chance for misinformation.

Maintenance

WeldCloud Fleet is a service or maintenance manager’s digital assistant, designed to manage a fleet of welding equipment across one or multiple locations. With event and service logs, as well as real-time alerts, service managers know which machines are performing well and which machines need service or replacement. WeldCloud Fleet also reminds them of maintenance and calibration schedules, and lets them update software or welding programs remotely instead of manually configuring each machine. This is advantageous in submerged arc welding processes where large amounts of wire is deposited with multiple torches – maintenance is essential for quality and performance.