The stories behind many small start-up fabricators in the United States are often fairly similar. They often start from humble beginnings in a pole barn or small shop with 230V single-phase residential-type power. No matter where they got their start, these small companies cannot always invest in higher performance welding machines that offer pulse GMAW capabilities right out of the gate.
The expanded use of inverter technology in welding equipment, however, has made the capability for single- and three-phase input power possible for most fabricators. While inverter technology and pulse welding are not new to the industry, the use of both technologies has lagged behind in the general industry segment where older SCR or transformer GMAW machines have been the workhorses for the past three decades.
Stepping up
Today, shops are looking to replace machines built in the 1980s and 1990s. The step into new equipment is more of a leap, though, so the difference in technology can be a little intimidating.
With the right tools, small fabricators are finding they can compete with the larger companies that have three-phase power and more advanced equipment. As an example, a fabricator making luxury custom trailers, agricultural fertilizer and grain products had been using a basic 20-year-old GMAW machine for steel and stainless welding but their fabrication needs changed to a mix of steel, stainless and aluminum products. The reliance on an outdated machine only capable of short arc and spray welding was limiting their capabilities and failing to provide the weld quality they needed for their customers.
As is true with so many start-ups today, the fabricator’s production area is limited to 230V single-phase power. While they will likely have access to 480V three-phase down the road as they grow, the customer expressed the need to improve their weld quality on tougher welding applications like stainless and aluminum as soon as they could. Fortunately, the newest pulse technology allows customers to typically use larger 3/64-in. instead of 0.035-in. wire and can easily push 5356 alloy with the correct liner and wear parts.
Another need was a low-cost, simple solution for a dual wire feed setup so they did not have to keep switching wires. Lastly, they needed the ability for 230V single phase but access to higher power in the future when they expand to a new building.
Future proofing
To meet all their needs, the new Fronius customer selected a Fortis 500 Duo system. Thanks to the additional capacity on three-phrase power, the customer considered it “future proof.” Features like Weld Wizard allow them to tackle jobs they have less experience with by setting up the welding parameters using technology in the machine – providing excellent performance on pulse for steel, stainless and aluminum fabrications. The Synchropulse and Interval features make some of their aluminum challenges easy to tackle by controlling the heat input and providing a TIG-like appearance even on thinner gauge aluminum.
Synchropulse and Interval can be used with any of the GMAW processes whether in Pulse or Standard mode and any filler metal type. The main difference between the two is that Synchropulse has a high and low wire feed speed that alternates at a set frequency – the arc never extinguishes. Interval is a fast on and off of the arc that remains stable due to the advanced control of the machine and synergic line.
Fabricators can also choose to go with a base-level Fortis compact machine – 320, 400 or 500 amp – and expand it later to a Duo with some simple hardware and software updates. The latest trend in equipment is that new features can easily be added by connecting with a PC to update the firmware or other machine options. Welding equipment has embraced the same future-proof concepts of other products like televisions, PCs and mobile phones.
It is a paradigm shift for companies, but more and more, welders are becoming accustomed to this type of technology. It has become more common for many machines like cutting tables, CNC equipment and other tools they already use daily for fabricating their products. The machines they have been using that are two to three decades old were the best they could be the day they were built – today’s welding equipment expands with features and updates for the entire platform life.
Find more articles about adopting modern welding technology in our welding archive.
