Why weld data should be part of digitalized manufacturing?

More and more manufacturing companies are adopting digitalization in overall workflow. Right from product assembly to integrating many aspects of manufacturing operations, digitalization is now a part of it. It is not only the big players but also the small and medium size manufacturers who can benefit from the data documentation and processing that comes with digitalization. It is important to understand the benefits of data documentation, why weld data should be part of digitalized manufacturing and how can manufacturing companies make the most of it from data management systems and apps for tracking and analysing the weld data.

What value can data documentation add

Earlier, data from the manufacturing was documented by hand and mostly on paper. This made it difficult to share the information from one department to the other and often leading to non-uniformity in the processes. Integrating various manufacturing operations helps in full-scale digitizing.

Some of advantages of data documentation are

• Real-time information on processes
• Availability of accurate data to the employees
• Saves time and money
• Reduction in rework and errors
• Helps in identifying the bottlenecks

Why weld data should be part of digitalized manufacturing

Welding is usually considered to be highly specialized to be digitized and therefore the weld data is often not documented. However, it is highly essential for documenting and analysing weld data to be able to access and exploit the information on material used, metal used, shielding gas used, electricity used, voltage, etc. This helps the manufacturing companies to improve overall productivity.

Fronius India uses WeldCube, a data management system in welding processes. The Fronius Innovation and Skill Centre facility in Pune, Bengaluru has integrated WeldCube into the welding systems utilised for welding trials. Furthermore, using WeldCube internally is a great help in terms of its ongoing development. New findings for the system can be immediately tuned to suit customer requirements in the form of software adaptation. This way, WeldCube supports a modern production operation and helps to sustainably optimize processes while reducing costs.

Now, let’s understand how the system works. The browser-based software collects data on current, voltage, wire feed, welding speed, and much more. The data management system then allows users to exploit this information to improve welding processes. Networking helps to automatically document data, not only per machine but also across devices at component level. Above all, this promotes the transparency and traceability of each component produced. Analysing gas, wire, energy, and filler metals helps to optimize consumption rates.

Related article: How Big Data is becoming an integral part of welding technologies – Read more: https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/how-big-data-is-becoming-an-integral-part-of-welding-technologies/

How weld data documentation can be a solution to real-world problems

If you are one of those who have worked closely with welding, you would have come across instances where we do not get the entire picture of what’s happening in manufacturing operations. This happens mostly because weld data is not included in digitilization.

For example, WeldConnect is an app for tracking the data and determining parameters. In this, the user can simply enter the power source being used and the welding process, material thickness, welding speed and weld seam geometry as well as the base material, filler metal and shielding gas. This data can be used to quickly and accurately calculate the deposition rate and the energy input, and it suggests the appropriate welding solution.

Identifying the errors can help in streamlining the welding processes and therefore making the overall production process efficient. It is time weld data must be part of digitalized manufacturing to track even the minute issues and address it within no time.