CHAPTER 3: OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
PHASEMASTER™ 6 DIRECT ENERGY WELDING CONTROL
990-083
3-17
Evaluating the Weld
Use pliers to peel the welded materials apart. A satisfactory weld will show residual material pulled from one
material to the other. Tearing of base material around the weld nugget indicates a material failure, not a weld failure.
Electrode sticking and/or "spitting" should define a weld as
unsatisfactory
.
Actual Weld Strength is a user defined specification. If the weld is satisfactory, make numerous welds, using the
exact physical set-up which is planned for the production line, to determine if the process is repeatable. Then you
should properly document your Weld Schedule and COPY Schedule 0 to one of the PM6’s permanent Schedule
(1-7). See Chapter 3, Section I, Copying Information in Schedule 0 to Another Schedule.
Weak Weld
If the parts pull apart easily or there is no residual material pulled then:
•
Increase %CURRENT until it reaches 90%.
•
If you still have not obtained a satisfactory weld, use the next Highest Primary
or
Secondary Tap on the
Welding Transformer. When the Primary Tap is at the highest step and if the transformer has secondary
taps, change the Primary Tap to the
lowest
Tap and change the Secondary to the next
higher
Tap. See
Appendix A, Transformer Specifications.
•
If you still have not obtained a satisfactory weld,
and
you are using the
Highest
Primary and Secondary
Taps on the Welding Transformer, increase WELD CYCLES from 0.5 to 1 cycle and reduce the
%CURRENT to 60%.
To optimize Weld Quality, select the
shortest time
, the
lowest
Transformer Tap, and the
highest
%CURRENT (between 60% and 90%) settings which yield the desired weld characteristics.
Electrode Sticking
Electrode sticking includes burning, sparking, and "blown welds." These problems indicate that either the
%CURRENT is too high or the electrode force is too low. Refer to figure 3-2.
Examine the electrode face. Resurface it if it is pitted, contaminated or burned. See
Electrode Maintenance
later in this chapter. Increase electrode force and/or decrease %CURRENT and save it to the weld schedule
you are using.
