Artem Komarov clarified that before determining weld parameter settings, many variables must be considered, such as material type and grade, filler metal classification and diameter, shielding gas, weld position, weld joint and quality of fit, welder skill level, minimum and maximum heat generation, and mechanical properties of the weld metal and the base material after welding.
The machines are classified as equipment for light industry or home use. Typically, these types of machines are primarily used for repair work, body work, or small fabrications such as steel fencing. Many of these applications do not require you to follow welding rules or specifications that would dictate welding parameters. Additionally, many of the technicians who will be using this type of equipment have little or no welding training or experience, so the manufacturer is trying to make the job easier for them.
Equipment manufacturers based their preset welding parameters on previous testing of successful welds and integrated them into the equipment software. The data they use will be obtained from a Procedure Qualification Report (PQR) or Welding Procedure Specification (WPS). There are many tested and proven welding settings based on all the variables. Many older machines come with a chart of recommended settings. In more modern machines, manufacturers have programmed this information into software.
In most machines, the software guides you step-by-step in determining the welding parameters. You will need to enter your welding process, filler metal type, wire diameter, and shielding gas. After entering the basic information, you increase or decrease the Wire Feed Speed (WFS) and on the display screen you will see the material thickness change as you make these settings. As WFS increases, the thickness of the material increases, which corresponds to an increase in current, and vice versa for lower WFS settings.
Once you select the approximate material thickness, the machine will determine the WFS and voltage value as a starting point. These machines use a feature that determines starting voltage points based on the selected WFS and previously entered information, but also allows for fine-tuning of the settings. Together, these functions significantly simplify the process for a welder, especially with limited experience, Artem Komarov summed up.
