Lincoln Electric

Weld Process Traceability Using Video

Cameron Serles
Written by Cameron Serles on May 27, 2021

Enhance your fabrication capability with a robust automated traceability system that tracks your welds-in-progress in real-time.  Traceability is vital for protecting your brand and to help improve your welding processes.  Whether you’re seeking a solution for quality control, process improvement, regulatory compliance, or something elseXiris Automation believes in providing our customers with operator-friendly technology that offers the best practices in weld process monitoring traceability. 

This traceability is now possible due to the MQTT interface that Xiris has developed with our welding cameras. This integration means that the Xiris weld cameras are able to securely receive welding data from suitable welding machines, such as Lincoln Electric Power Wave® power sources, allowing welding data to be synchronized with the weld camera video data for on-screen display and recording for offline review. 

Weld process traceability implies that the processes must be tracked within a company to link parameters during the welding process to those of the finished goods. The linkage between the final product and the original weld process inputs must be made for effective traceability. By using Xiris weld cameras with the MQTT interface, fabricators can capture and record video of a weld process, fully annotated with weld data as generated by a Lincoln Electric Power Wave® welding power source right on each video frame.  The result is a frame-by-frame record of the visual parameters of the weld as well as all the power source data. 

 

Steel GMAW with Lincoln Electric Power Wave® and Xiris XVC-1100 Weld Camera with MQTT

This solution will: 

  • Simplify archiving of visible information along with production data for post-fabrication quality audits or reviews 
  • Minimize liability by showing precisely which process parameters were used to make the final part supplied 
  • Be able to easily identify defective weld processes by providing visual clues about the origin of bad welds and associated parameters, weld id and timestamps that can lead to defective end products 
  • Help operators to see what is going on with the weld process (up to 100m / 330’ away from the weld torch) while being able to read the power source setting on the same screen.   
  • Help identify ideal weld parameters and limits during weld process development. 

By providing the ability to monitor both the welding parameters and welding images at the same time, weld operators are able to better monitor all aspects of their welding process without needing to look away at other screens.  Key process parameters can be annotated directly into the video image so that on playback, images can be reviewed offline, showing the exact welding data generated at the time of the video. 

GMAW-1 -MQTTGMAW-2 -MQTT-Long ArcSteel GMAW.  Left - Short ARC;  Right: Momentary Long ARC as torch has been bumped out of position.

Applications suitable to this technology include: 

  • Remote welding applications where the welder does not have easy access to the welding machines to verify setup and parameters. 
  • Automated welding systems where operators cannot monitor the weld 100% of the time. Any issues can be reviewed and identified during the playback of the video.  
  • Critical welding applications where the process inputs (Weld ID and parameters) need to be monitored for quality assurance or as a reference for troubleshooting. 
  • Process development and training that can show the welder what the resulting weld looked like based on the power supply settings and for offline evaluation new welders or processes audits. 

Efficiency in the production process leads to increased productivity. Understanding every critical data point of your weld process makes it easy to help maximize quality and productivity in your welding operation. 

Get the peace of mind to answer the questions with real-time information of your power source with images of your welding process. Request to speak with one of our experts today. 


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