Time is money, and if you’re wasting time, you’re wasting money. This adage rang all too true for one Midwest manufacturer of equipment used for managing difficult-to-process materials across the mining, resource recovery, bulk processing and foundry industries. Creating high-caliber equipment for these niche industries doesn’t allow for slowdowns – especially across the manufacturer’s welding operation.
Over the past several years, however, this manufacturer noticed an uptick in MIG welding gun maintenance and consumables consumption. Because it was leading to unwanted downtime, the company decided to run the numbers; the result was shocking. Most notable was the repeated gun breakdowns and excessive contact tip consumption, all of which substantially slowed down production. The costs of repairs, consumables and lost labor was estimated at around $45,000 a year.
Looking into the issue further, the manufacturer pinpointed its water-cooled MIG guns as the shop’s main offenders. From a maintenance perspective, hoses were constantly leaking, wires inside the guns were breaking, contact tips were burning out at a shockingly fast pace and liners were failing prematurely. In fact, liner issues were so frequent that it translated to five to seven hours per week in lost time.
The manufacturer realized it needed to assess its equipment and determine whether a better solution existed to mitigate the constant repairs and excessive consumables consumption. The shop’s maintenance tech reached out to its welding distributor, who recommended Bernard BTB air-cooled MIG guns with AccuLock S consumables. Unfamiliar with those products but praised by the distributor, the manufacturer was eager to learn more.
Meet the family
Welders need tools they can rely on, which is exactly what led Bernard to create the AccuLock consumables system. The system’s components have been engineered to extend the life of consumables and improve performance in semi-automatic MIG guns – ultimately giving welders a premier option to use on the job.
AccuLock S consumables for semi-automatic MIG guns are compatible with conventional rear-loading liners and AccuLock S dual-locked liners. When paired with conventional liners, AccuLock S consumables provide longer tip life. The contact tips are 60 percent buried within the diffuser for less exposure to the heat of the weld, and the shielding gas cools the tip tail, facilitating longer life and reducing replacement frequency. Additionally, mating tapers on tip-to-diffuser and diffuser-to-neck connections provide good electrical conductivity.
The consumables also provide less rework and ease of maintenance. The steel retaining ring on the diffuser helps keep the threaded nozzle in place during use, and cleaning and coarse-thread contact tips speed replacement.
Conventional rear-loading liners don’t account for changes in length as the power cable grows and shrinks with the twisting that occurs during the welding process. This can result in the liner being improperly positioned behind the contact tip, causing drag, wire chatter and feeding issues. Upgrading to the AccuLock S dual-locked liner system combats those issues – and provides innovative features where the liner is locked and concentrically aligned to the tip and power pin to ensure smooth, uninterrupted delivery of wire to the weld puddle.
When paired with AccuLock S consumables, the dual-locked liner system offers additional benefits. The liner replacement process is error-proof. AccuLock S liners are cut flush with the back of the power pin to ensure accurate replacement every time by eliminating quality issues stemming from liners that are trimmed too short. Also, the system accelerates welder throughput. Fewer points of failure can help reduce welder training; shorten troubleshooting lists, eliminate liner misalignment and gaps; and minimize downtime caused by burnback, birdnests and erratic arcs.
Equipment upgrades
After learning about the power of pairing the consumables system with an air-cooled MIG gun, the manufacturer decided to test the products among its welding operators. It was important that the guns and consumables be versatile enough to work across an array of jobs and adhere to the output quality for which the company was known. On any given day, operators could be welding anything from A-36 steel to AR-500 plate in thicknesses up to 8 in. and on a variety of weld joints. The manufacturer took a thorough approach to testing, making sure performance met or exceeded expectations.
Eight months of using the new system across a variety of applications, processing the team’s feedback and making adjustments allowed the manufacturer to arrive at a decision. Converting to the BTB air-cooled MIG guns and AccuLock S consumables with the dual-locked liner was the right solution.
Prior to using the Bernard guns and consumables, the shop contended with multiple MIG guns being out of commission and needing repairs every month. After implementing the new equipment, maintenance needs reduced significantly. Additionally, the durability and performance of the gun and consumables system improved productivity tremendously.
The contact tips run significantly cooler and last two to three times longer than the ones used previously, making for less tip consumption and downtime. In total, the manufacturer achieved approximately 10 percent more productivity from reduced downtime. Additionally, it realized an ROI within 14 months and achieved its goal of eliminating the $45,000 cost in repairs, consumables and lost labor.
Switching to a new type of MIG gun and higher quality consumables system resulted in a significant improvement to the manufacturer’s bottom line. The welding operators are impressed with how long the liners last and the fact that the guns and consumables run cooler, reducing spatter and cleanup. No longer having to contend with leaking water-cooled guns or persistent liner issues, the operators can spend less time being frustrated and more time being productive. When quality, consistency and efficiency are key, investing in the right products will help a shop reap the big rewards it’s after.
