The Xiris Blog

High Dynamic Range (HDR) weld cameras provide clear images of a welding process including detail of the weld arc as well as the darker surrounding background environment, making it easy to monitor and control precise welding processes. Not only do weld cameras enable operators to see more detail of the welding process, by allowing them to see it remotely, they can improve the health and safety of operators on the job and reduce workplace costs associated with safety.

Common on-the-job risks that can be eliminated by removing the operator from the immediate welding environment include:

·         electrical shock 

·         "welding eye" (direct exposure of the weld arc to the human eye)

·         contact with weld spatter

·         injuries from moving or falling objects 

·         welding fume inhalation

·        workers' compensation insurance rates

·        employee health insurance rates

·        costs due to lost productivity

·      possible litigation

There are many other benefits to using a weld camera, but health and safety is such an important factor that cannot be overlooked. When operators are able to view the welding process in a safe, remote location, there are a multitude of positive results.

For more information visit our website or contact us!

In today’s world, environmental issues are becoming more and more important in all aspect of business. Currently, “humanity uses the equivalent of 1.7 Earths to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste”¹. So, we want to share how you can do your part by making your welding processes more environmentally friendly through scrap and waste reduction.

Implementing camera systems for inspection and monitoring can help you reduce waste in your welding processes. Camera systems give you instantaneous feedback, allowing operators to immediately adjust their process before defects or scrap is created. Our customers are often our best cheerleaders: Brian Dobben, from Flowserve, credits Xiris’ dual-camera weld monitoring system with roughly an 80-95% reduction in weld defects long-term. The monitoring feedback helps reduce the scrap from welding processes that are not in control, helping operators to weld with better precision, making better, stronger welds. The end result? Final products that last longer, with less frequent replacements in the field, contributing to less waste. 

Weld Camera System	Weld Inspection System

Other examples exist, such as use of cameras in the classroom. By using weld cameras at schools, weld instructors can drastically reduce the weld coupons, energy and consumable materials they use by recording some of their welding lessons using a weld camera. By recording some welding lessons, the instructor doesn’t have to waste energy and materials by continuously repeating their demonstrations.

Cameras for monitoring and inspection can be used in a variety of different welding applications to help operators improve their quality and therefore reduce their scrap. Every step counts towards helping the environment, so take that first step by implementing a camera system with that automated welding process.

Follow Xiris on social media for regular updates and welding videos!

Source: 

¹https://www.footprintnetwork.org/our-work/ecological-footprint/

Using weld cameras in a classroom has many benefits for students, instructors, and administrators by providing high dynamic range images with a clear view of the weld arc, torch tip as well as the darker surrounding features such as the weld pool and seam. Weld cameras will enhance your classroom training, making them indispensable tools for teaching welding techniques.

Rather than always having to crowd around the instructors, with weld cameras, students are able to clearly see all features of the weld process, providing a better weld instruction experience, without the instructor having to restart or repeat the welding process should the student have missed some portion of the instruction.

“By displaying the captured welding video on a remote screen, the instructors can vastly improve the learning experience of their students, with improved learning success, which is always the instructors’ goal”. – Chris Manning, Chair of Welding Programs at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)

Not only do welding instructors achieve their goal of improving the learning success, they also don’t have to worry about classroom space and students’ proximity to weld demos.

Having each lesson recorded also gives students the ability to repeatedly view and learn from those demos, and enables instructors to keep an on-going source of recorded material to avoid constantly recreating lessons.

Administrators experience benefits from the use of weld cameras in classrooms as well. This technology eliminates space constraints in weld training booths and allows instructors to teach more students, faster. Weld cameras can also enhance the program’s reputation, which attracts even more students to the school.

Xiris offers a Weld Camera Kit specifically designed for Educators that comes with everything you need for easy applications of weld cameras in your welding program.

So, are you ready for weld cameras in your classroom?

Visit our website, download our Education Whitepaper or contact our Education Account Manager for more information.

Our team at Xiris has always been dedicated towards providing an excellent customer experience, from the products we design and build, to how we support our customers before and after a sale is made. Creating the Support Center for our customers was our next step in improving the overall customer experience.

Whether you are an end user customer, OEM or distributor, there is content that has been customized for you. The new Support Center includes specific product related documents, manuals and installation guides such as trade articles, white papers, how-to articles, video tutorials, case studies, dictionaries or glossaries, and soon it will have a frequently-asked questions (FAQ) section. Essentially, the Support Center will contain anything that helps our customers and partners use and grow their understanding of our products or services such as our Weld Cameras or our Tube and Pipe Weld Inspection Systems.

Customers can create an account and have access to the latest product information and user manuals 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Forrester, a researching company, found that 70% of customers prefer to use a company’s website to get answers to their questions rather than calling or emailing customer service¹. We are embracing this and providing a platform that customers can use to answer their own questions.

Xiris always tries to be proactive in all areas of our business, including creating happy and successful customers. Our new Support Center is allowing customers to answer all of their own questions about our Weld Cameras and Tube and Pipe Weld Inspection Systems on a user friendly platform. This results in happy customers with a great overall experience using Xiris products and services.

The past couple of weeks have been busy for the Xiris Automation team as we’ve travelled across North America with our weld cameras and weld inspection systems attending the Pipe and Tube Conference, GAWDA 2019 Spring Management Conference, and FABTECH Mexico. 

Pipe & Tube Conference 

The Pipe and Tube Conference, organized by FMA, was held in Memphis from April 29^th through May 1^st. All sectors of the tube and pipe industry were present at this conference. Attendees focused on innovative technologies, interactive learning, and making connections¹. Cornelius Sawatzky, a member of our Xiris Team, held a presentation on seam monitoring utilizing High Dynamic Range camera technology and its advantages over some conventional seam monitoring. If you missed Cornelius’ presentation, take a look at this clip that he used.

GAWDA - Spring Management Conference 

This year, the show ran from May 4^th to 6^th in Minneapolis and highlighted the theme It’s All About Service. The conference served as an idea platform for networking, process-oriented business education and take-home solutions, for a record of nearly 700 members in attendance². Throughout the weekend we had the opportunity to listen to many inspirational speakers, including the President of GAWDA, Brad Peterson.

FABTECH Mexico

From May 7^th through 9^th, our team was at FABTECH Mexico with our distributor, PIECSA. Over 13,000 industry professionals were able to find solutions, network, learn, and experience first-hand the latest innovations in the various industries³. FABTECH Mexico also consisted of a huge variety of educational sessions that were open to all attendees.

Final Thoughts

We would like to give a big thank you to everyone who assisted in making each trade show happen. All of the hard work and preparation definitely paid off and the work did not go unnoticed. Thus far, it has been an extremely successful trade show season for Xiris Automation. It was a pleasure to meet everyone who was able to stop by our booths and we hope to be able to connect further in the future. If you were unable to visit us at these trade shows and have any questions or would like to learn more about Xiris Automation Inc. please visit our website or contact us. We can’t wait to exhibit our weld cameras and weld inspection systems at the rest of our shows this year!

Better Images. Better Decisions. Better Process Control.

Follow Xiris on social media for regular updates and welding videos!

Sources:

¹ https://pipetubeconf.fmanet.org/

² http://www.cvent.com/events/2019-spring-management-conference/event-summary-5e77b35eb5aa4af8ad2cef1e60bfb782.aspx

³ https://mexico.fabtechexpo.com