2000: For almost four decades, life in a fabrication department was simple. 

While the machinists used their equipment training and expertise to finely tune that lathe or milling machine to make the parts to be welded, the welder's using much less complex equipment will too often "playing around" with their weld controls and then typically using their self taught manual skills to join the parts. From a manufacturing and engineering perspective, the front office management - engineers working in the weld - fab shop environments were typically involved in part design, material requirements, establishing the common, text book weld procedures and purchasing the weld equipment - consumables. In many shops when these individuals are requested to solve a simple weld issue, many will then pick up a phone and ask the local weld sales rep to call at their facility.

When robots are added to the weld shop or fabrication department, the robots will offer a complexity which globaly has always been in short supply, it's called "weld management". In many of the facilities that have invested in costly MIG welding robots, the weld reality is that the weld ownership will to frequently be controlled by inexperienced, supervisors, technicians and engineers and many of the weld shop decisions will be left in the hands of shop floor workers who lack the required weld process control knowledge expertise.

Since the nineteen eighties, Best Robot Weld Practices and Robot Weld Process Controls have had little meaning at many automotive - truck plants (and large weld fabricators) in which the weld departments have too frequently been influenced by inexperienced, hands off, managers, supervisors and engineers. 

In many global manufacturing companies, it's too easy to find managers, supervisors and engineers who lack the equipment and process fundamentals necessary to take ownership of the plants vital weld manufacturing equipment. Personnel such as this will often turn to outside advice and that advice usually comes from a sales individual who's resume would reveal that they are not qualified to work in a weld department.

ROBOTIC APLICATIONS AND PRACTICES

Nov. 2008: The following will tell you something about the general management and engineering apathy and lack of weld process ownership which is to frequently found in throughout the global weld industry. 

[] WELD FACT: In the majority of global plants that use MIG welding robots, you will find a lack of Best Weld Practices and Process Controls..

[] WELD FACT: It's difficult in many plants, to find a manager who will accept full ownership, accountability and responsibility for the daily weld quality and productivity attained

[] WELD FACT: In many plants, the QA personnel may be capable of finding weld defects yet less than one in 10 no how to make process

changes to prevent those weld defects. Also its a sad fact that persons such as QA managers and inspectors who typically don't know how to optimize weld quality - productivity often get more respect and more pay than the technicians who can prevent those costly weld defects.

[] WELD FACT: n most plants the weld decision maker's job descriptions are either none existent, or poorly defined. 

[] WELD FACT: The ratio of weld engineers to global welding facilities is extremely low, yet when weld engineers or qualified technicians are hired, perhaps 1 in 10 are given the full responsibility and made accountable for the weld personnel that daily impact their weld quality and productivity. 

The lack of "qualified weld managers, supervisors and technicians" in the industrial world and especially in North America is staggering. If someone wanted to hire me as a plant or corporate Weld Engineer, my response would be to inform them that I would only look at positions as the "Weld Manager" In this role I would have the full management responsibility, accountability, for all the weld processes, weld equipment and weld personnel. That way I can get the weld quality - productivity - cost results desired.

If you want to know how few global companies are looking for weld managers, go to the world's largest job site weather-stripped, and in the keyword box, type in two words, "weld manager", then type in QA manager.

As you cannot separate people from the welds produced, the individual responsible for the primary weld processes utilized on the shop floor must also be responsible for the supervisors that impact the weld processes. Plants that are interested in attaining consistent, optimum weld quality and productivity will first and foremost need a hands on "Weld Manager" who undestands the concept about process ownership, weld accountability, responsibility, process controls and best practices..

2008. In industries which daily immerse themselves with common, costly unnecessary weld issues, a frequent

 

 

2003 - 2004. POOR MIG WELDS Ford Truck Frames.

A Condensed Weld Report on Ford Frame trucks.Report generated by Ed Craig for a tier one supplier: 

THERE IS NOTHING BETER THAN A REAL WORLD MANUFACTURING PROBLEM TO SHOW THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE COMMON GLOBAL, ROBOT, WELD ISSUES, AND AND IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU EVALUATE FORD, GM, CHRYSLER, TOYOTA, VW, MERCEDES OR HONDA.

I have provided weld process advice and improvements to all of the above companies or to their tier one suppliers. The following is from a reort of mine that dealt with the root causes of the numerous robot / manual weld issues at a Ford Frame truck robot line. 

The reason Ford management requested my input was their new robot lines were creating dramatic over cost consequence. [] At the time of the report, the robot weld productivity was only 50 % of the production goal.[] Daily,100% of the MIG welded robot frames required extensive weld rework. [] Of the 140 robot welds on each frame, typically 80 of the 140 required manual weld rework. [] The manual weld repair rework was simply covering up the poor robot welds with poor quality manual welds. [] Of the few, so called critical welds that were sectioned daily, macro examination of the weld fusion, revealed that on average that 30 - 40% of these welds revealed lack of weld fusion. 

IF AN ORGANIZATION DELIVERS GOOD MANUAL WELDS, THEY SHOULD NOT EXPECT GOOD ROBOT WELDS,

AS MANUAL WELD SKILLS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROCESS CONTROL REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY FOR OPTIMUM ROBOT WELDS:

As the above and below frame photos indicate, many of the manual weld repairs to the robot welds are poor and unnaceptable quality. The numerous manual MIG weld repairs to the robot frame welds are providing a patched product which provide both excess weld to the HSS steels effecting the steel integrity, and thank god the customers never got to view the poor visual weld appearance. 

Many of the management and engineering personnel that I had weld discussions with at your facility seemed to be apathetic about the weld issues, possibly this was due to their lack of robot / manual weld process controls and best practices expertise. The blatant lack of management - engineer responsibility - accountability for the robot weld issues is obviously a problem that needs addressing at your corporate level. The inappropriate, over size weld MIG wire consumable used in on these parts along with the selection of poor pulsed MIG equipment which was unable to deliver optimum, consistent, pulsed weld transfer were also negatively impacting the robot weld productivity and quality potential. For the rest of the story click here

.

 

.World's best selling truck frame welds..

 

Poor Weld Education has for decades been a Root Cause of Many Weld Issues:

WHILE LARGE WELD SHOPS OFTEN RELY ON EDUCATION FACILITIES TO HELP PROVIDE THE SKILLED WORKERS THEY NEED, AROUND THE GLOBE WE HAVE HAD FIVE DECADES OF POOR MIG WELD PROCESS EDUCATION: 

American colleges and universities may offer weld degrees and courses, however few weld education facilities place emphasis on teaching the potential weld engineers, technicians and weld personnel the ability to establish effective Best Weld Practices -

Weld Process Controls with the world's most widely utilized common weld processes such as MIG and Flux Cored. By the way these two important processes account daily for more than 90% of the welds produced. 

GRADUATE WELD ENGINEERS OFTEN DON'T GET THE WELD EDUCATION THEY NEED:

With many of the global universities that provide Weld Eng - Weld Tech Programs, the engineers - technicians will often graduate without the process control expertise that is necessary to optimize the common MIG and FCA weld processes. I once saw two, USA graduate engineers looking in a book for weld settings before they could set a MIG power source for a simple application, which if you think about it is a disgrace, as for the last 50 years there have been only four required MIG weld settings for any given wire diameter or any complex application. Also universities you will find numerous hours wasted spent on classroom lessons teaching, "text book weld processes" such as Lasers or Electron-Beam welds, two processes that account for a small portion of one percent of the welds produced daily. Two processes in which experience only comes when working with specific equipment. Over 5 decades, I have been in a 1000 plus companies in 13 countries and only once have I been involved with electron beam welding..

If all weld students and engineers spent more practical and real world classroom time on learning the manual - automated, Best Weld Practices - Process Control Data required with the MIG, Pulsed MIG, Flux Cored and Resistance Welding processes, the weld industry, and especially the automotive industry would have the potential to generate hundreds of millions of dollars saved daily through improved manual - robot weld productivity and quality. 

THE GLOBAL "THIS IS THE WAY WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT" WELD EDUCATION TIME WARP: 

Many of the global, community colleges that provide welder training programs have been stuck in a 1960's time warp, especially those colleges in countries like the USA which have all the facilities, programs and funds required, tho much is wasted. The weld reality is in 2013, as it was in 1960, that there are four widely used weld processes, MIG - FCA - SMAW - TIG, and starting from with an individual with zero expertise, no weld process should require more than 15 days training to make a weld process expert ready to handle any weld application. By the way a weld process expert would without reference to any resource be able to instantly manually weld or set an automated weld for any weld

application, and the welds produced would always be at the highest weld quality attained with the lowest possible weld costs. (This is what my $395 training and self teaching programs enable, so the colleges have no excuses as to why they can't achieve the same thing. 

Each of my 50 yrs in this business. I've seen in the many community colleges I visited the same thing. These facilities will typically spend and waste unnecessary costly training hours on their students providing information that is many instances is outdated or simply not relevant to the weld industry requirements. When programs are provided on the important MIG and flux cored processes, it's rare to find that effective weld process control - best practices are being taught. And as for the hands on skills being taught in the weld

WELD CONTROL - BEST PRACTICES KNOWLEGE: 

THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES ARE ALL YOU NEED. 

If you are teaching your self, or providing weld process control training for others, my process control resources are the key to attaining both manual and robot MIG and flux cored weld process optimization.

Item.1. The Book: "A Management & Engineers Guide To MIG Weld Quality, Productivity & Costs" 

Item 2. A unique robot MIG training or self teaching resource."Optimum Robot MIG Welds from Best Practices - Weld Process Controls".

Item 3. A unique manual MIG training or self teaching resource." Manual MIG Weld Process Optimization from Best Practices - Weld Process Controls".

Item. 4. A unique Flux Cored training or self teaching resource."Optimum Manual - Automated Flux Cored Plate and Pipe welds. 

Item 5a."Proceso de Soldadura MIG Manual" (MIG Made Simple. Self teaching in Spanish.

Item 6a. The Self Teaching MIG Book/ Video. MIG Made Simple in English.

Visit Ed's MIG / Flux Cored process control books and CD training resourc es.

 

WELD MANAGEMENT. WHAT IT HAS BEEN AND WHAT IT COULD BE. 

PROOF THAT SOME MAJOR CORPORATIONS ARE GOING BACKWARDS.

MANY YEARS AGO, WHEN ROBOTS WERE STILL A NOVELTY THERE WAS A GLOBAL AND VERY SUCCESSFUL AUTO - TRUCK FRAME MANUFACTURER WHICH WAS LOCATED IN A USA STATE WHERE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY PLEASANT TO EACH OTHER. THESTRANGE STATEWAS CALLED WISCONSIN. THE COMPANY WAS CALLED.......A.O. SMITH. 

BY THE MID 1990's, A.O.SMITH HAD MORE THAN A 1200 ABB MIG WELDING ROBOTS USING MAINLY TRADITIONAL CV "MILLER DELTA WELD 450" MIG EQUIPMENT WITH 0.045 (1.2 mm) WIRES AND A SIMPLE ARGON CO2 MIX. THE AUTO - TRUCK FRAMES WERE WELDED WITH THE CONVENTIONAL CV "SPRAY TRANSFER"

MODE AT WELD DEPOSITION RATES THAT AVERAGED OF > 12 TO 14 LB/HR. 

A.O.SMITH STARTED OUT MAKING FRAMES FOR CADILAC IN 1904. IN 1995 A.O.SMITH WAS THE ONLY GLOBAL CORPORATION TO ESTABLISH ROBOT MULTI-PLANT WELD BEST PRACTICES AND THEY ALSO HAD GOOD WELD ENGINEERS THAT TAUGHT THEIR TECHNICIANS ROBOT WELD PROCESS CONTROLS. THE A. O SMITH DAILY ROBOT WELD REWORK WAS BY TODAY'S STANDARDS MINUSCULE, AND THEIR ROBOT MIG PRODUCTION WAS BOTH OPTIMUM AND GREATER THAN THAT ATTAINED WITH ANY AUTO TRUCK SUPPLIER IN 2013. 

A O Smith worked on the simple philosophy that you get the best weld automation results from utililizing the best robots and weld equipment that did not encompass useless bells and whistles and combining that equipment with the best trained technicians and engineers (highest paid then and better paid than most today). Theses guys did not need advice from a welding salesman.

MARCH 2013: THERE IS NOT ONE AUTO / TRUCK FRAME OR PART MANUFACTURER IN THE WORLD THAT HAS COME CLOSE TO ATTAINING THE THE SAME OPTIMUM DAILY ROBOT WELD PRODUCTION AND QUALITY AT THE COSTS ACHIEVED BY A.O.SMITH IN THE NINETEEN NINETIES. 

AFTER WELDING AUTO / TRUCK FRAMES FOR 93 YEARS, AS THE ABB ROBOT WELD MGR, I HAD PROVIDED MIG ROBOT WELD PROCESS CONTROL WORKSHOPS FOR A. O. SMITH AND THERE WAS GREAT SATISFACTION ON MY PART WITH WORKING WITH AN UTO 0 TRUCK COMPANY THAT ACTUALLY EMPLOYED PROFESSIONALS. 

IN 1997, A.O.SMITH WAS PURCHASED BY TOWER AUTOMOTIVE. AT THAT TIME I HAD ALSO BEEN IN MANY TOWER PLANTS AND I KNEW THAT THE TOWER CORPORATE AND SENIOR PLANT ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT HAD NEVER COMPREHENDED OR APPRECIATED THE TECHNICAL AND PROCESS EXPERTISE THAT A.O. SMITH KNEW WAS NECESSITY TO ATTAIN OPTIMUM, CONSISTENT ROBOT WELD RESULTS. 

1990 TO 2013. AS EACH WEEK PASSED, THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, I WATCHED AS AMERICAN PLANTS MOVED SOUTH TO MEXICO OR EAST TO CHINA. I WATCHED AMERIC'S WORKING AND MIDDLE CLASS WORKERS PAY SLOWLY ERRODE AS THEY AND EVENTUALLY THEIR CHILDREN STARTED TO LOOSE THEIR FUTURE ABILITY TO EARN A DECENT WEEKLY PAY CHECK. 

FOR ME IT WAS SAD IN THIS SHRINKING MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENT TO WATCH A POORLY RUN AMERICAN MANUFACTURING GIANT LIKE TOWER AUTOMOTIVE, WITH IT'S

HANDS OFF, INEFFECTIVE ENGINEERS AND MANAGERS ADD TO THE EMPLOYMENT MISERY IN THE USA. HOW DID TOWER ADD TO AMERIC'S EMPLOYMENT WOES? 

TOWER TOOK A PROUD 90 YEAR OLD COMPANY CALLED A.O.SMITH AND IN LESS THAN A DECADE THE MANAGEMENT WHO WERE INCAPABLE OF DOING WHAT A. O. SMITH HAD DELIVERED ENDED UP IN 2005 IN THAT GREAT CLOUD IN THE SKY CALLED CHAPTER 11.

April 2005. Bob Lutz the Vice Chairman of GM finally speaks out on the expertise of some of his engineers. During a speech to the at the Society of Automotive Engineers. Lutz states, "that US. auto manufacturers could streamline and improve their design process, if American design engineers were trained more like their Asian or European counterparts. Bob continues, "we are actually training our North American engineers to be "hands off managers" while the rest of the world trains the engineers to be doers". 

BY THE BOB WAY FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I WOULD GUESS THAT BOB WOULD NOT KNOW A GOOD FRAME MIG WELD IF HE TRIPPED OVER ONE. HOWEVER AT LEAST HE HAS ENOUGH COMMON SENSE TO FINALY FIGURE OUT IN 2005 THAT HIS ENGINEERS SHOULD BE "HANDS ON". Mote: IT'S NOW 2013, YOU WILL STILL HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING A HANDS ON ENGINEER AT ANY OF THE BIG THREE USA UTO COMPANIES.

THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CARS & TRUCKS, ROBOTS, WELD REPAIRS AND HUNTING:

AT A FORD FRAME PLANT IN DETROIT, THE ROBOT MIG WELD REWORK ON THE TRUCK FRAMES WAS DAILY 100%. IF THE MANUAL WELD WORK FORCE AT THIS PLANT WAS NOT HUNTING ON THE WEEKENDS THEY USED TO COME IN AND PROVIDE UNQUALIFIED STICK WELD REPAIRS WHICH WERE SO BAD THAT THEY WERE BEYOND FURTHER DISCUSSION. THESE PATHETIC LOOKING MANUAL WELD REPAIRS WERE PUT OVER THE TOP OF THE UNNACEPTABLE ROBOT MIG WELDS. IF AT FORD, QUALITY IS DEFINATELYJOB.1. PERHAPS THEY SHOULD MOVE ON AND SEE IF THEY CAN RAISE THEIR STANDARDS TO ATT JOB.2.

THE SAD STICK WELD REPAIRS ON THOSE EXPENSIVE TRUCK FRAMES ARE OF COURSE COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE, AFTER ALL FORD SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT CRAP ON TOP OF CRAP RESULTS IN. AND THOSE ENGINEERS SHOULLD HAVE KNOWN THAT THE POOR STICK WELD REPAIRS WERE NOT THE SOLUTION. ANOTHER SAD REALITY WAS THAT ROBOT FRAME WELDS THAT WERE CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE WOULD BE NOT ACCEPTED OUTSIDE THIS PLANT BY ANY ENGINEER THAT HAD ANY SENSE OF PRIDE IN THEIR PROFESSION.

THE SOLUTION AT FORD WAS TO GET THE ROBOT WELDS DONE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. THE ISO APPROVED, BLACK BELT FRAME PLANT MANAGERS AND ENGINEERS AT THE FORD PLANT HAD SHOWN THAT THEY HAD NO EXPERTISE AND SADLY LITTLE INTEREST IN THE WELD MANUFACTURING PROCESSES USED TO JOIN THEIR CARS AND TRUCKS. IT'S A PITY THAT THE CONSUMERS OF THESE OVER PRICED VEHICALS DID NOT GET TO SEE THE STRUCTURAL MESS THAT STRUCTURALLY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FOUNDATION FOR THEIR VEHICALS. 

 

FOR SIX WEEKS, THE INEXPERIENCED PANASONIC ROBOT TEAM COULD NOT GET THEIR ROBOTS TO PRODUCE TWO SIMPLE EXHAUST WELDS.

For me it was another one of those annoying Japanese, Panasonic robot applications. Thanks to the Panasonic engineers, we had another simple weld application made complex. After six weeks the Panasonic personnel and Panasonic robot integrator could not get their new robot to consistently place two small welds, 15 mm in length. The welds were made on a carbon steel rod to a thin gage galvanealed part (exhaust bracket). The exhaust hanger bracket was poorly designed by engineers at Honda. The Panasonic robot personnel had given up on the robot weld project and left the plant. The part supplier had five days left before production was

supposed begin and that's typically when I get the call. For the rest of the story click here.

I believe many of the ineffective, global robot manufacturing engineers and managers, especially those in the automotive industry have a common denominator. Many of these guys (its mostly men) are part of the generation born after 1970, I call these guys the ND "No Depth" generation".

The ND generation typically needs a team to make a rational, simple manufacturing weld decision, yet they often don't recognize the team requirements for the implementation of Best Practices or Process Controls. The reality is if one guy knows what he is doing, you don't need a team to figure out the problem, however you may need a team to implement the resolution.

This ND generation frequently likes to skim the surface of any subject and if they had to study the history of Rome, I doubt they would spend more than two afternoons. It's a sad fact that too many that work in manufacturing typically lack depth in the processes and equipment that provide their weekly pay checks.

WHEN YOU MIX WELD MANAGEMENT PROCESS APATHY WITH WELD SALESMANSHIP BIAS AND SHOP FLOOR PROCESS IGNORANCE YOU CAN END UP WITH SERIOUS WELD PROBLEMS. NEXT TIME YOU WANT WELD ADVICE GIVE A LITTLE CONSIDERATION TO WHERE IT'S COMING FROM AND WHO BENEFITS.

 

 

 

WHEN $ALESMANSHIP HAS EXTENSIVE INFLUENCE ON A TECHNICAL INDUSTRY SUCH AS, 

THE WELD INDUSTRY, THE WELD INDUSTRY HAS TO PAY AN UNACCEPTABLE PRICE.

TO GET TO THE ROOT CAUSE OF WELD SHOP ISSUES MANAGEMENT HAS TO FIRST REALIZE WHAT, WHY AND WHO IS IS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS.

LACK OF MIG PROCESS CONTROL EXPERTISE: For more than forty years, the primary global MIG weld equipment manufactures have been MIG weld process control - best practices impotent. Why do I make a strong statement like this about reputable global MIG equipment manufactures such as Miller, ESAB and Lincoln. The answer is found by simply watching the weld personnel in the weld shop where you work. Much of the CV MIG equipment sold in 2013 has hardly changed from the CV. MIG power sources sold in 1960. And in 1960 while it was logical that MIG weld personnel would play around with the MIG weld controls on their new MIG equipment, its completely illogical that in 2013, over 90% of manual MIG weld personnel are still "playing around" with the two control CV MIG weld process. So while I place some blame on the universities and community colleges for not providing appropriate MIG process control education and training, most of the blame for process ignorance lies with the MIG equipment manufactures. 

The weld reality is all the companies that for decades have designed and manufactured MIG equipment have dramatically failed in terms of educating their customers so they can attain optimum results from the equipment and processes used. 

IN THE NINETEEN EIGHTIES I MADE VYNAL STICK ON LABELS THAT YOU COULD PLACE ON ANY WIRE FEED OR CV POWER SOURCE. THOSE LABELS SHOWED WELDERS WHERE TO SET THOSE CONTROLS FOR OPTIMUM WELD RESULTS. I ALSO HAD THOSE LABELS PUT ON THE MIG GAS CYLINDERS. TAKE A LOOK AT THE MIG EQUIPMENT IN YOUR SHOP, APART FROM THE USUAL PEN OR SCRATCH MARKS THAT RESULTED AFTER THE WELDERS PLAYED AROUND WITH THE CONTROLS, WHAT DO YOU SEE ON ON THE WIRE FEED - POWER SOURCE OR ON YOUR CYLINDERS? 

FLUX ORED: For thirty plus years, weld sales reps from the major flux cored consumable manufacturers could not help the welding industry gain universal acceptance of the simple to operate, two control, all position, small diameter, gas shielded flux cored electrodes. As the weld sales personnel who demonstrated the product and the welders who initially tried the flux cored wires, rarely set the optimum flux cored weld parameters, these wires went through a ridiculous slow growth that took decades. And the sad reality is in 2013 the wires - and welds are rarely optimized and the process is poorly understood.

MIG WELDING GAS MIXES: For more thirty years the major industrial gas manufacturers have been promoting useless, overpriced three parts gas mixes for carbon and low alloy steel welds. As sales reps recommend them, weld shops keep buying them. To add to the global MIG gas mix confusion, we now have close to 40, two component MIG gas mixes available in North America. The weld reality for both steel and stainless MIG welds is that if the correct weld transfer mode is utilized with the correct size wire and parameters, then not one single weld benefit is attained from any three part gas mix and just so you hnow how screwed this subject is be aware that to increase those already high gas mix profits, the industrial gas mfgs will ensure that a four part gas mix will be heading to your shop soon. For those interested, I was on the AWS committee that wrote the USA MIG gas mix specs, and what a joke that was trying to keep the sales influence out of a so called technical document. For more gas info, visit my MIG gas section to find out why there are only three, two component rt gas mixes required for all steels and alloy steel welds.

2013: PULSED MIG WELDS ON CARBON STEEL WELDS: For almost thirty years, the major weld equipment manufacturers have promoted costly, electronic pulsed MIG equipment for carbon steel welds. For 25 yrs, it's was part of my job to evalute this equipment in contrast to conventional MIG and particually look for feature benefits that can make a real world contribution to welding shops. In all this time this electronically sensitive,

 

 

Ed teaching his grandson, so one day he won't have to ask a salesman from Lincoln "how to make a weld"

 

SO WE ARE PART OF ONE SCREWED UP INDUSTRY. ALL THAT MEANS IS KEEP THAT THICK SKIN LUBRICATED & MAINTAIN A SENSE OF HUMOR.

 

Management and the Lincoln Power Wave. Or Pulsed MIG weld cracks on Ford truck Axles: 

If you want to make your weld manufacturing life more expensive, more complex and less meaningful than it needs to be, you should always listen to that weld salesman and then order a pulsed MIG power source for your carbon steel weld applications.

1999 - 2000: My weld task appeared simple. A tier one, axle manufacturer, American Axle located in Michigan ordered two robot systems to weld truck axles. The company I worked for supplied the robots, American Axle's weld eng specified the Lincoln Power Wave. We were responsible for setting up the robot cells and producing the welds with the production guidelines as specified by the customer. The production quota was approx. one million axles annually. When the robot cells

were complete, as part of the contract, we were required to provide a few thousand welded axles as part of the robot cell run off. Little did I know about the extensive pulsed MIG weld cracking issues that were about to

occur. For the rest of the story click here.

 

ONE DAY MANAGERS AND ENGINEERS WILL LEARN THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENS ON THAT WELD SHOP FLOOR.

CAN YOU RELATE TO THIS COMMON MANAGEMENT ISSUE? 

" JOE, WE ARE HAVING SO MANY MIG WELDING ISSUES AT THIS PLANT, YOU TELL ME, WHO THE HELL IS IN CONTROL OF THOSE ROBOTS"?

Who is in charge of the robots. A simple question, yet a question that would cause controversy for most global managers, engineers and supervisors. 

The MIG process has been around for more than five decades and the flux cored process for more than three decades. When the MIG or flux cored welding was carried out by manual welders, management involvement was typically none existent. Why get involved? The managers thought that all MIG welders "play around" with their MIG controls, and as long as they have their shields down and sparks and smoke are being generated that's all that counts. As for controlling those weld costs. For many managers and supervisors, it's a simple function, they simply keep their focus on the prices paid for the MIG wires and gas mixes.

  

ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE WHEN INTO THE MANUAL WELDINGWORLD, CAME THE WELD ROBOTS THAT DEMANDED GOOD DATA.

He was a manual MIG welder, now that the shop is bringing in robots we are going to have to cut off his "play around" organ.

 

 

2000. When management is i over their heads, they will frequently placethe weld quality - productivity responsibility on the wrong shoulders. 

In today's robot welding world, where few welding supervisors, engineers or mangers are hired for their "weld best practices - process controlknowledge", the responsibility for the robot weld quality and productivity is often laid on the back of a very frustrated, over worked robot technicians who also typically have never received MIG process control - best practice training. 

THERE SHOULD BE LIABILITY CONSEQUENCES FOR POOR MANAGEMENT:In many auto - truck plants the screwed up management and engineers have place the weld process control responsibility on the shoulders of those highly qualified weld process control experts, the electricians and millwrights in the maintenance department are in and out of the cells each shift. So we have unqualified personnel making unqualified welds on parts. No wonder lawyers love the auto industry.

 

 

ALL WELD SHOPS SHOULD RISE ABOVE THE PLAY AROUND MENTALITY.

WHEN IT COMES TO RESOLVING ROBOT WELD PROCESS ISSUES, MANY AUTOMOTIVE PLANTS HAVE FOUND OUT THAT PICKING FIVE GUYS FROM THE WELD OR ROBOT SHOP DOES NOT ALWAYS MAKE AN EFFECTIVE TEAM.

The ratio of engineers to shop floor workers is usually the highest in the auto - truck plants that each day produce high production volumes. In these facilities while engineers are typically in abundance, the majority of the manufacturing issues they are usually struggle with daily are usually found in three process areas, all typically lacking process control expertise;

[1] The weld shop.[2] The paint shop.[3] The press shop. 

The manufacturing process issues that result daily with the common manufacturing processes in most manufacturing plants, is usually a reflection of the lack of hands on engineers and lack of managers that understanding of the fundamental process / equipment requirements for the implementation of best practices - process controls.

This manager is a common reason for the lack of robot best weld practices and process controls in his plant. 

How unqualified individuals and inflated egos influence welds:

THESE COMPANIES HAVE INFLATED WELD PROCESS CONFIDENCE, WHY? BECAUSE THEIR PARTS WERE EASY TO WELD. 

At North American auto - truck parts plants, companies such GM, Ford Honda, Toyota and Chrysler and of course Tier One companies such as Magna which is one of the world's largest suppliers of auto - truck components, when the robot welded parts are typically >2 mm, some times the robot MIG welds will be a very simple task, especially when those companies utilize a combination of good manufacturing practices that result in part fit that actually meets the design, dimensional specifications, and use fixtures designed by engineers who actually understand the automated weld requirements of the job they are paid create the fixtures for. With this rare combination, the weld burn through risk would be very low and therefore the weld quality and productivity potential is often at a reasonable (but rarely optimum) level. The reader at this site should also be aware that in most automotive plants >95% of the welds produced are not subject to a macro weld evaluations and typically a great portion of those welds would reveal serous defects like lack of fusion and excess porosity. It should therefore come as no surprise that in this manufacturing environment that you will often find that many executives, managers, engineers and technicians will have an inflated ego on their abilities to manage and control robot welds. The sad reality in this environment is that the majority of the robot technicians making the daily weld changes will typically have minimal robot MIG weld Process Control - Best Practice expertise. 

HOW IMPORTANT IS PROCESS LNOWLEGE TO YOUR CAREER OR TO THE PLANT YOU WORK AT: 

If GM, Chrysler and Ford and the other major auto - truck manufacturers were capable of managing essential mfg.. processes such as robot MIG welding, painting and stamping cost efficiently, then there would be no need for tier one suppliers. With these major manufacturers, controlling costs means, cutting people, reducing wages or benefits, shutting plants or getting government or state loans, a great portion of their profits is derived from decreasing the prices made for their parts from their suppliers. With the primary part suppliers, in contrast profits are made when daily production - quality goals are consistently attained within budgets, and if the suppliers cannot bring their process costs down annually, unlike the big three, the suppliers will eventually be driven out of business. 

I have visited a few of the Magna plants and talked with many young robot technicians who typically had one to four years of robot weld programming expertise. I found that many of the rookie robot weld warriors while enthusiastic about their careers, had unwarranted swollen egos about what they knew. These guys, (women tend not to have the ego problems) had made a decision sometime in their short life that they knew all the weld knowledge they required, therefore had nothing to learn from someone like me. By the way, this was at a time I was considered a process control expert with 40 plus expertise, which was (the reason I was invited to the plants. It's a sad situation when a manufacturing generation is happy to get by with a little knowledge and when technicians, supervisors, engineers and managers with a few years under their belt decide they no longer need to further their very limited weld process control education with the world's most important welding process.

IF YOU EVER FEEL IN YOUR CAREER THAT YOU HAVE NO MORE TO LEARN, YOU DON'T BELONG IN THE ENGINEERING OR SCIENCE FIELDS, YOU WOULD BE BETTER SUITED TO WORKING IN A DONUT SHOP. E Craig 2013.

I don't blame the young technicians I bumped into at Magna for there unwarranted ego's or their sad know it all attitudes, after all my generation raised too many of these young buggers to believe that no matter what their performance is, it's all good, and therefore there is little need for them excel. Lets face it, to excel would mean that they would require a depth of knowledge that actually requires some intense study and they would also have to ask questions from old farts like me.

I have great respect for the founder and owner of Magna who I believe at one time must have been a great tool maker,

 

THE FRUSTRATED IVORY TOWER BIG THREE VICE PRESIDENT OF MANUFACTURING SPELLS IT OUT FOR JOE ONE OF HIS PLANT MANUFACTURING MANAGERS:

DAM IT JOE. IF YOU CANNOT CONTROL YOUR ROBOT WELDS WITH THE MILLIONS WE SPENT AND ALL OUR ENGINEERING EXPERTISE, WE WILL OUT SOURCE THE PARTS, OR BETTER STIL, MAYBE WE SHOULD SHIP THE ROBOTS AND PARTS DOWN TO MEXICO WHERE WE CAN BURY THE BLOODY WELD ISSUES WITH A CHEAP LABOR FIX.

Volvo and Weld Management Awareness.

At a Volvo heavy construction equipment manufacturing facility near Asheville, North Carolina, the plant weld manager ran an add in the local paper looking for "skilled welders" to run his welding robots. As I live in Asheville, I phoned the manager and asked; 

"why do you bother looking for or paying for skilled welders, when the robots you purchased are supposed to be providing the welding skills"? 

I explained to the Volvo manager that the optimization of his MIG welding robots will not come from skilled welders who for decades have typically lacked MIG process control and best practices expertise, it will be derived from expert robot programming and robot personnel who have been trained in MIG process controls and best practices.

A MANAGER'S LACK OF AWARENESS OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR EFFECTIVE WELD PROCESS CONTROLS WILL BE EVIDENT IN THE PLANT'S ROBOT PERSONNEL JOB DESCRIPTIONS.

 

 

CORRECTLY DEFINED JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR BOTH MANUAL AND ROBOT PERSONNEL ARE A RARITY IN MOST GLOBAL ROBOT WELDING SHOPS.

A COMMON DENOMINATOR THAT IS PART OF THE GLOBAL MIG WELDING INDUSTRY

Come on you CHICKLETS MIGLETS, we have to depend on him, after all he is a "salesman".

When a robot technician or supervisor requires weld process advice for a robot issue, good advice will be rare from either the manufacturing manager or the engineer's office. The advice too often comes through the door in the form of a local weld distributor sales rep. This salesmen will typically be an individual who has never run or even worked in a weld shop. This person will never have optimized a robot MIG weld. This individual will also have to have some bias for the product lines he sells. Of course I know there are exceptions, but with the 5000 to 6000 sales reps that daily dole out weld advice across the USA in 2013, those exceptions are less than 10%.

When that sales weld advice, the new weld wire, the magic gas mix or the costly pulsed weld equipment bells and whistles do not attain the desired weld results, the next step for management is seek advice from the companies who make the weld equipment or consumables that are not working the way they should be. In comes the Tech Reps, and of

course they wont be biased. There are two types of Tech Reps found in the weld industry, the ones I admire, are the ones who never stop learning, however Imn sure the majority live by that moto " a little knowlege can go a long way, especially in the welding industry".

Once the bovine fecal matter from the sales and tech reps has been spooned out, the weld results are often either too costly or disappointing. In this manufacturing enviroment, it's not surprising to find the engineers and managers withdrawing from the shop floors to their offices and they will start to create a glass wall that will protect themselves from the weld shop. You may have worked with or know a few of these managers or engineers, they are easy to identify as they rarely show enthusiasm for weld process ownership. Thos glass walls by the way in 1990 to 2013 are common and found in the majority of manufacturing facilities throughout the industrial world.

 

 

 

 

2000: WITH THE MAJORITY OF TODAY'S MANUFACTURING MANAGERS, THE WELD REWORK - PRODUCTION FAULT IS ALWAYS WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

I COULD SAY THIS IN 1990, AND I CAN SAY THIS IN 2013.

DAM IT JOE WE HAVE OVER TWO MILLION DOLLARS INVESTED IN THAT NEW ROBOT LINE. WE HAVE SPENT TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ON TRAINING AND YET THE ROBOT WELD REWORK RATE IS OVER FORTY PERCENT AND OUR PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY STINKS. NOW LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND KEEP TELLING ME THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE PEOPLE ON THE SHOP FLOOR.

With the introduction of robots into a traditional manual manufacturing facility, it's logical to assume the robots would influence the weld shop culture, the management, engineers, technicians, supervisors and of course the manual work force. You would not have to be a brain surgeon to figure out that those robots would require a unique approach to manufacturing and the robots would be in reality a good opportunity to be the catalyst for change, after all we are all aware that few weld personnel are happy with changes when required. It's also logical to assume that the manual weld shop environment with it's self taught, poorly managed, poor practices culture and could negatively influence and contaminate the performance potential of the new robots. In this normal weld manufacturing environment, management and engineers will require a unique approach to establish best practices and process controls, dramatic changes will have to be implemented, new training programs will have to be provided and with this in mind, it's not difficult to understand why many managers, engineers and shop floor workers would strive to retain their traditional status quo and stay behind the glass wall. 

A ship will go round in circles without the leadership of the captain and his qualified, "hands on" engineering crew. MIG robot weld optimization requires weld process control - best practices expertise. If you are a manager or engineer involved in robot weld decisions and have not acquired this process expertise, I have developed over a three decade period, its less than $400 and its so simple that you do not require a weld back ground to present my eight - 12 hours class room training  program .

JOE, IT'S TIME TO CHANGE THE BLOODY WELD SHOP CULTURE:

After hearing this a million times over 50 years, "give me a little time to play around with that MIG weld data", the other popular weld shop quote is of course,

"WHY CHANGE THE WAY WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT" 

As a manager, engineer or supervisor, you will be aware that every weld shop will have it's unique pecking order, personnel cliques and culture, and why not? after

all we simply have created an environment which will have a combination of variable weld skills, human nature, self taught process confusion hats influenced by an extremely slow welding evolution which has left weld practices that are entrenched and changed little since the 1960s. The end result is "fear of change" and a familiar sentence heard in most weld shops, "why change the way we have always done it"? 

Combine all the above mentioned elements in a large copper pot and then pour in a group of those self taught welders who are often strong willed, thick skinned, highly opinionated. In the same pot, add a pinch of we are stuck in a time warp union mentality with two large dollops of hands of apathetic management. Then as it comes to a boil, slowly mix in a batch of weld process myths and take a big wooden spoon and stir in an overdose of bovine fecal biased, weld sales hype. Finally mix all these together for about five decades, grab a bottle of Guiness and you will be able to serve up that unique, MIG weld shop culture that was unacceptable forty years ago and is still the norm in 2013.

Take a trip with me to a USA, auto exhaust manufacturing plant in which for yearsthe Management allowed the whole plant to use the  wrong MIG Weld process Polarity?  

WHY IS THEIR ANY CONFUSION ABOUT WELD COSTS WITH A 50 YR OLD, 2 CONTROL PROCESS?

 

WELD COSTS SHOULD BE SIMPLE WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS: 

In my visits to over 1000 plants in 13 countries, it was rare for to talk with weld shop management that understood the real costs of the common welds they daily produced. Managers who want control of their weld costs should be less concerned with the cost of their weld wires and gas mixes, (consumables typically account for around 12 - 17% of real weld costs), and be more concerned and knowledgeable about the MIG weld process controls and the daily weld deposition rates that are being attained. I simplify weld cost calculations in my self teaching - training resources.

 

 

WHO PUT THAT WELD DATA IN THE ROBOT?

IF YOUR WELD SHOP MANUAL MIG WELDERS PLAY AROUND WITH THEIR WELD CONTROLS, WHERE IS THE WELD PROCESS EXPERTISE GOING TO COME FROM TO MAKE THAT DUMB ROBOT PERFORM TO ITS FULL WELD POTENTIAL?

Considering a robot purchase? 

For those job shops that want to do low to medium volume, ever changing, common steel - stainless robot weld applications,(not pipe or ckadding) give serious consideration to the following;

[] When you examine each robot manufacture's product don't get caught up with the bells and whistles and fancy electronic pulsed MIG power source with it's 1 trillion wave forms. Stay focused on the practical features and weld capability of the robot cell. 

[] When an integrator advises you to use pulsed MIG for that steel application, remember this is the first indication this guy is full of more sales info than technical info.

[] Examine the length of time required to both program a common part and especially the time required to make weld changes to different welds.

[] Examine the ease in which the CV MIG weld data, the wire feed, voltage is evident and changed, and if uing pulsed the pulsed MIG examine how easy it is for the pulsed parameters.

[] Examine the logic layout of the welding programs, and make sure it's easy to swith from the pulsed mode to the more stable CV spray mode.

[] Examine the calibration accuracy between pendant and the power source weld data delivered.

[] Examine the automated TCP capability and repeatability.

[] Examine the requirement for touch sensing to find a joint and the ease of making touch sense or if used the through the arc tracking changes. Also carefully examine how effective and consistent these valuable features are.

[] Examine the weld weave program especially the logic of the program.

[] Examine the accuracy and repeatability of the robot with the positioner utilized.

[] Examine the complexity of programming the robot to work with secondary equipment such as the positioner or the torch cleaning stations.

[] Don't even consider buying a robot unless it can show that it will attain "100 weld quality - productivity success" with the applications intended, To ensure this, before you sign on the dotted line to purchase the robot, make sure (if you have to pay for this pay) the integrator shows he can do at least produce one hour's weld production, meeting the quality (zero rework) and production required without any robot down time.

[] Examine the robot instruction literature, the technical support and service capability, and most important, figure out during your initial discussions with the integrators or equipment reps, who's' supplying the most bovine fecal matter.

REMEMBER THE ROBOT YOU ARE CONSIDERING MAY BE WELL UTILIZED IN AN AUTO OR TRUCK PLANT WHERE THEY RARELY CHANGE THE WELD PROGRAMS AND THE POOR INCONSISTENT ROBOT WELD QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY IS ADDRESSED BY ADDING WORKERS TO THE END OF THE ROBOT LINE TO FIX THE DAILY WELD REWORK. HOWEVER THESE SAME ROBOTS AND THEIR EQUIPMENT MAY NOT MAKE THE GRADE IN A WELD JOB SHOP THAT'S SERIOUS ABOUT WELD QUALITY REPEATABILITY, ROBOT PROGRAMMING LOGIC, EASE OF USE, AND FAST PROGRAMING CAPABILITY.

 

IT''S NOT JUST THE WORLD'S MOST WIDELY USED WELD PROCESS (MIG) THATS A MESS, 

WITH MOST CARS - TRUCKS, TAKE A LOOK AT THE MESS AND ISSUES WITH SPOT WELDS.

 

WELD MANAGEMENT, & ENGINEERS & SUPERVISORS ABILITY IS MEASURED IN THEIR ABILITY TO ESTABLISH MIG - FCA WELD PROCESS CONTROLS & BEST PRACTICES.

Throughout the welding world, for every MIG welding robot that is not welding at peak performance, there are twenty resistance welding robots out of control and if you really want to

see other process issues visit a stamping plant or a robot paint line.

ANOTHER WELD PROCESS CHAOS: 

A walk through many automotive plant's robot resistance welding department, would likely reveal that the resistance spot weld data monitors and electronic process controls that have been available since the seventies, are typically none existent, none functional or simply turned off. 

Some of the resistance welding robots when striking the cars and truck steel bodies will give of great showers of weld sparks showing excess data, others welders will clamp their jaws together with barely an electrical whimper and many more will miss the location or simply not provide the welds. The bottom line, the resistant spot weld quality in many plants is typically so inconsistent that for every spot weld required on a car or truck, engineers are now in the habit of requesting three or four extra welds be applied and there is no guarantees with those welds.

 

 

 

In many manufacturing plants, when it comes to the robot MIG welds, the management will often make the unqualified maintenance department millrights ,mechanics or electricians responsible for the robot weld process issues. 

In more than 1000 plants I have been in, I have never seen a maintenance shop that has employed a person who had any expertise in robot MIG best practices - process controls. I have seen many maintenance personnel who can use MIG equipment after "playing around" with the two simple controls. The decision to

use these unqualified individuals (easily trained with my resources) lies solely with the management.

 

WELDS MADE ON PRODUCTS SUBJECT TO LIABILITY CONSEQUENCES SHOULD FIRST BE QUALIFIED. IF CHANGES ARE MADE IN THE ROBOT CELLS TO THOSE WELDS, IS IT NOT LOGICAL THAT THE NEW WELD DATA SHOULD BE TESTED ON PARTS OR SAMPLE MATERIALS TO MAKE SURE THE WELDS MEET THE SAME SATANDARDS AS ACHIEVED WITH THE PRE- QUALIFIED WELDS?

Implementing effective robot weld practices is typically doomed for disaster if inexperienced personnel in the maintenance department are allowed to make weld changes. The following data will hopefully assist management and engineers in the task of achieving MIG weld process optimization. 

Note There is not one person in a global maintenance department that could answer the fundamental MIG process quiz questions at this site, yet daily in the auto - truck industry these guys are making changes to the MIG welds. This is the stuff lawyers love to find out. 

This weld as I mentioned previously was made by a Lincoln Power Wave pulsed MIG power source that at the time cost approx. $12,000.00. I believe this power source was unecessary for the application and overpriced by at least 50%. It's a point however that the sad fram welds you see which at that time were the norm, are not the fault of the infamous, Power Wave. These welds, all the bad welds on the Ford frame weld line, simply points to the manufacturing management - engineering ignorance that is completely unnaceptable for any company that employs manufacturing management and engineers. 

It's easy to fix weld problems like this, that is if you can find manufacturing managers who are sincere about process - equipment ownership and finding out and resolving the root causes of their daily weld process issues. If you are a manager or engineer looking for a no nonsense approach to your welding issues, consider Ed's process control CD power point training resources.

 

USE MY PROCESS TRAINING OR SELF TEACHING PROGRAMS TO;

[] INCREASE ROBOT WELD PRODUCTIVITY: This training will immediately enable the majority of robot cells to dramatically reduce down time related to weld issues and increase the robot welding productivity typically in the 20 to 50% range. 

[] IMPROVE WELDING QUALITY: The training is the only program available that shows robot weld defects and then shows how to ensure weld defects are minized. With this program a company should from a weld perspective to attain a goal of less than 2% robot weld rework

[] IMPLEMENT ROBOT WELD PROCESS CONTROLS: The training provides the tools a company requires to implement effective robot weld process controls which are a necessity to attain "consistent" weld quality and productivity.

[] ESTABLISH GLOBAL BEST MANUFACTURING PRACTICES: The training or self teaching program will be a companies key to setting practical realistic global manufacturing - weld standards for any welded parts.

Ed's process control training resources a great tool as a catalyst for change.  Click here.  

TO ATTAIN OPTIMUM ROBOT WELD QUALITY DOES NOT REQUIRE A BLACK BELT, A WHITE SHIRT WITH A UNIVERSITY TIE, OR AN UNDERSTANDING OF CONFUSED JAPANESE MANUFACTURING PRACTICES:

WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE ISO AS A TOOL OR EXPERIENCED PERSONNEL IN YOUR PLANTS? 

Today, there is a common theme in many manufacturing plants that "if you can control the plant's often useless, bureaucratic, European induced ISO paper work, you should get control of the manufacturing processes". With weld manufacturing, common sense, best practices, process controls, qualified personnel, with effective training programs and managers and engineers who will roll up their sleeves and actually get involved with processes such as welding and painting were all that was necessary in 1960, and all that is required today in 2103. After 50 years in this business, all I have seen is large corporations like the major USA and Japanese auto - truck companies tout their ISO and black belt qualifications yet continually pay an unnecessary premium for their paint and weld issues. From my perspective all ISO has achieved for most North American plants is, it has drained organizations of valuable engineering resources and man hours that could be better utilized. 

I suppose apart from building up the QA department empire many North American managers appreciate ISO as the bureaucratic, specification nightmare often masks the work results and the role of inefficient, inexperienced managers and engineers, decision makers who simply don't have the manufacturing process expertise

  

ROBOTS & MORE WELD MANAGEMENT FACTS:

GLOBAL ISSUE. In general, and of course there are always exceptions. Effective "MIG Welding Best Practices or effective Robot Weld Process Controls" have not been implemented at the majority of ISO global manufacturing plants that produce robot MIG welds.

WHO DRIVES YOUR TRAIN? Automated weld process controls and best practice are not derived from AWS specifications, from the QA department or inspectors, the advice of salesmen, weld / consumable manufacturers, or from the latest lean manufacturing methods.

THE CORRECT TRAINING PROGRAMS. Effective weld process controls require that engineers and workers be trained in the weld process and consumable requirements (not the conventional training provided by a weld school) and the required shop floor practices and disciplines necessary for consistent weld quality.

MANAGEMENT DISIPLINE. effective robot weld process controls requires that management and engineers ensure the pre-qualified weld data is maintained daily.

EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS TO MAINTAIN THE ROBOT CELLS. Effective robot weld process controls requires effective and timely PM robot cell programs.

 

PERHAPS YOU HAVE BEEN IN A WELD SHOP LIKE THIS:

As you looked around the weld shop you saw no evidence of weld equipment purchase logic or uniformity. In the weld cells throughout the shop, you saw a wide variety of MIG equipment from Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, ESAB and Airco. In this facility, in the daily quest to find a crutch or magic weld solution to the numerous and never ending weld shop issues, the weld shop manager who loved to frequently have lunches with the local weld sales reps, had purchased MIG weld equipment from just about every company that ever made it. When the new MIG weld equipment was found not to be the resolution for the

many weld shop issues, The weld shop management and supervision then placed their attention to trying the latest MIG gas mix or too the new welding wires. 

THE BIGGEST CON GAME IN THE WELD BUSINESS HAS ALWAYS INVOLVED WELD GAS MIXES:.

I should know about MIG gases as I was a key member of the AWS shielding MIG gas specifications and helped write those specs. For several years I attended the AWS gas committee meetings. I always took a king sized shovel which helped me to scrape up the biased, product bovine fecal matter that spewed out of some of the committee, gas marketing managers mouths. 

Note: In the last three decades many of the AWS Weld Specifications have like the AWS Journal been frequently were heavily influenced by corporate individuals who were involved in the marketing of their companies products.

In the USA at one time I counted 40 MIG gas mixes for welding carbon steels. From my 50 years in this buisness I know I need only three MIG gas mixes to provide optimum MIG welds for all carbon, low alloy and stainless steel applications. The frequent, erroneous MIG gas mix marketing statements and lies that for decades spewed forth from the major, industrial gas manufacturers always provided a ray of hope for the inexperienced, frustrated weld department manager or supvisors who struggle daily to get their weld personnel to control the 50 year, old two control MIG process.

With the advice of their local gas suppliers, most global weld shops will be keen to try any new gas mix that comes through the weld shop door. After all the major gas companies should know what they are offering right? and who could refute the gas weld data presented by the salesman in that unique, glossy brochures. Most medium to large weld shops will have a wide variety of useless gas mixes sitting in the weld gas rack and out on the weld shop floor. Just as these companies will also typically have a variety of unnecessary MIG and flux cored welding consumables sitting on the shelves. This is the way its been for 50 years and in 2013 little will change till the weld decision learn and take ownership of the processes that generate the profits for their companies.

Note Ref Fuel Gases: It's not just the MIG and flux cored weld process that cause most weld issues. When it comes to "cutting" steels, few shops understand the real difference between propane, propylene, natural gas or acetylene, and for gods sake don't ask anyone in the shop for either a weld cost analysis of a 1/4 (6 mm) fillet weld or an oxy propane cut versus a plasma cut.

APATHETIC MANAGEMENT & LACK OF GLOBAL WELD MANUFACTURING STANDARDS? 

 REALITIES OF WELD PROCESS OWNERSHIP.

 

2008: FROM THE HANDS OF MANAGEMENT, "WE DID OUR JOB NOW LET OUR WELD TEAM DO THEIRS": 

To often, managers and engineers are under the impression that they had carried out their weld shop responsibility when they had approved the budgets for the robots - weld equipment expenditures for the weld department. Then it was left to their so called "weld team" to deal with the day to day weld issues. By the way, from my perspective, when a weld

team is required to deal with any weld issues, that simply reveals the company has UNQUALIFIED weld managers, engineers supervisors and technicians, which points out the need for that the company to get involved with weld process control - best weld practices training. Please always remember that training is a necessity also for the front office personnel that have any role with the welding process.

MILL WRIGHTS, ELECTRICIANS, MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS MAKING WELD DECISIONS WITHOUT FIRST GIVING THEMSELVES A WELD PROCESS CONTROL EDUCATION:

To achieve partially acceptable robot welds, many companies especially in auto - truck plants placed a maintenance person or "mechanical or electrical engineer in charge of the welding robot weld lines, this individual often ends up as the unqualified "weld team leader". The company then wastes resources by placing skilled welders in the cell to operate a robot that provides the skills. Since the 1980s till the present (2013), most of robot programmers have had minimal weld process control expertise and in this manufacturing enviroment it's not unnusual to find the maintenance electricians, millwrights or robot operators will be the individuals that daily make the unqualified robot weld changes to so called pre-qualified welds.

 

 

 

2000: UNIONS, SKILLS - EXPERTISE AND AUTOMATION Welding responsibility in many automotive plants is also affected by unions and their often "out dated seniority clauses" that end up putting the wrong man on the job.

In many manufacturing plants with union employees, the unions and management would benefit by reviewing the union agreements from a "weld automation perspective". Many union personnel especially in the time period between 1980 - 2000, believed the delivery of robots into their plants to be a key cause of job losses. It took more than two decades for for these personnel to find out that the high volume manufacturing companies that adopted robots were the ones that retained the work and grow.

IN UNION PLANTS YOU WOULD THINK THAT IT WOULD BE A NORMAL MANAGEMENT FUNCTION TO CORRECTLY DEFINE, THE ROBOT JOB DESCRIPTIONS OF BOTH THE PLANT AND FRONT OFFICE EMPLOYEES..

It was always simply illogical for any manufacturing plant that worked under a labor contract to have clauses in the labor requirements that hinder the success of weld automation. Unions who have struggled with weld automation are often influenced by corporate management that does not understand robot automation which brings us to management and job descriptions which are an

extremely important tool in defining manufacturing accountability and responsibility.

I could ask ten plant managers in Chrysler, Ford and GM plants to define and provide the following job 5 job descriptions;

[1] a manual MIG welder, [2] a MIG welding robot operator,[3] a robot technician programmer,[4] a plant weld engineer, [5] a plant weld manager. 

I would expect that nine out of the ten plant mangers will have provided inappropriate job descriptions.

Robot Weld Programmers and Weld Process Control Expertise:

[] The required expertise to optimize a robot's MIG weld quality and productivity performance has never required a person with a university or college degree, it does however require a person who will have a combination of in-depth robot programming and has extensive weld process control and best weld practices expertise. 

It's important that mangers be aware that they don't teach engineers what a company needs to know about robot MIG weld process controls at any college or university in North America, Europe or Japan. If any technical college or university disagrees with this point, invite me to your facility and in less than one hour with your fourth year weld engineering students and instructors and I will prove otherwise.

[] Weld process expertise & the required controls to optimize a robot does not require biased, inexperienced weld advice from MIG weld equipment and consumable manufacturers.

[] Obtaining optimum robot weld quality - productivity is rarely influenced by the QA department manager or by his inspectors. In the majority of global manufacturing plants, the QA department inspectors who are critical of

the weld quality will have never bothered to learn the practical weld process knowledge necessary to provide the weld solutions to their criticism. Surely it's much more cost effective to hire personnel that can prevent rather than find weld defects especially when that training requires less than 15 hrs and is available at this site for less than $400.

[] Both unions and management would do well to review their robot weld job descriptions. The weld job descriptions in too many plants are typically based on experience attained from the "manual weld practices" which means the information is tainted and inappropriate before it's delivered. 

RIDICULOUS JAPANESE HIRING PRACTICES REVEAL MANAGEMENT PROCESS IGNORANCE. 

2013: It's a been a common theme for at least two decades that in Japanese manufacturing plants they will only allow engineers with degrees to be in charge of their robots which has always been ridiculous (management ignorance) as the irony is their has never been any Japanese, USA or European universities that offered relevant robot weld process controls and best weld practices courses. Also keep in mind that for three decades, the majority of robots in the USA were run and controlled by technicians not engineers. 

Note In over the 1000 plants I visited in 13 countries, I never met a USA or Japanese plant manager or HR director who understood the fundamental requirements for robot MIG weld process controls.

Here's a resolution to end those time consuming useless weld team meetings. "Some one get some balls and stand up and say, "the majority of robot weld issues are simply management Issues".

Understanding Job Descriptions - Best Weld Practices and Process Controls, starts out with "Qualified Managers - Engineers - Supervisors".

Maybe I am old fashioned, but on a ship, if the captain and officers show little interest in the ships operating equipment, you know the ships crew is going to run the ship their way, and one day all hell is going to break loose.

.

 

WHEN THE WELD ENGINEER AND TECHNICIANS HAVE TO REPORT TO UNION EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW IT WILL BE A SCREWED UP AUTOMOTIVE PLANT OR POSSIBLY IN SOME GLOBAL SHIP YARD.

In June 99, I noticed a news paper classified add listed on the web. A company that makes automotive parts was looking for a weld engineer. Now remember weld engineers in contrast to mechanical or electrical engineers have always been in short supply in North America. And

weld engineers that are affective in implementing process controls are in even shorter supply

The position advertisment was "Required, an engineer with robot and MIG weld process expertise. The engineer would have FULL RESPONSIBILITY for the robot weld productivity and quality. The engineer required at least five years of practical hands on expertise. What was remarkable about the add was the add then went on to state that "the company wanted the engineer to report to the plant union personnel". 

I don't believe that the function or mandate of any union involved in manufacturing was to ever "control any engineers". In this plant a reasonable question would be, "does the cart control the horse? I would make a bet that this companies mechanical or electrical engineers do not report to the union. 

This sad add for a weld engineer is just another indication of the frequent lack of management process ownership and the lack of respect shown to the welding profession. This crap unfortunately is happening in too many auto plants.

 

 

WELD PROCESS CONTROL EDUCATION AND RESPECT SHOULD START IN THE FRONT OFFICE.

You will find that most shop floor workers will increase their respect for management, supervisors, engineers and technicians when they see them rolling up their sleeves and striving to learn about the core weld processes and equipment that are critical to their company. With MIG welding this expertise has been simplified and is available simply by going through my self teaching MIG process control training - best practices resources.

TWO OF THE BEST ROBOT INTEGRATORS IN NORTH AMERICA USED MY BEST WELD PROCESS CONTROL TRAINING CD PROGRAM.

ED'S MIG ROBOT WELD PROCESS CONTROL TRAINING BOOK / VIDEO ARE USED IN THE USA BY GENESIS ROBOT TECHNICIANS AND IN CANADA BY PRODOMAX ROBOT PERSONNEL. THESE TWO COMPANIES ARE TWO OF THE LARGEST AND MOST QUALIFIED ROBOT INTEGRATORS IN NORTH AMERICA. Click here.

ROBOT CELL OPERATORS AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS: Few robot cell operators have a clearly defined job description. These personnel need to be able to carry out specific manufacturing and robot instructions like when contact tips and nozzles should be replaced. Operators should know they have the responsibility to provide house cleaning for the robots, fixtures and the cell, (a wise management should allocate time for this at the end of each shift). A person with weld process expertise would manually train the operators to understand what a change in weld "arc sounds means" and the resulting weld consequences that will occur in the robot cells. Operators must also be able to visually inspect the parts and welds understand what an acceptable weld and looks looks like. Operators should also each shift record in a robot weld cell log any issues that influenced the weld quality and productivity. Operators must also be trained on what they "must not do" to those pre-qualified welds.

APATHETIC. DESIGNERS OF ROBOT WELDED PARTS. If there is one profession that does not deserve respects in large volume manufacturing plants it's typically the designers of the welded parts. From my perspective its a disgrace that these university educated guys typically lack the fundamentals on the processes that they recommend to to weld the parts they design. Most designers of robot welded parts would benefit from weld process theory training. Its likely that the designers in your organization do not know the minimum thickness that MIG short circuit transfer can be used on, what an acceptable MIG weld gap dimension is, or why that single pass, MIG fillet weld maximum size is restricted. The designers of automotive / truck parts are rarely aware of their negative influence on weld productivity and quality. All designers would benefit from weld process expertise resources available at this site, resources that will allows them to make their designs optimum parts for robot MIG welds.

HEADS BURIED IN THE SAND FIXTURE MAKERS: For companies that use robots one of the most difficult thing to find is a fixture builder that actually understands the robot MIG weld requirements for good weldability. Many fixture makers need to improve communication with the individuals responsible for the part design, the person who provides the robot programming, the maintenance manager. There is a time for group discussions and this group weld discussion would be beneficial in ensuring that fixtures are designed to meet the ergonomic requirements of the robot operators, that the fixtures will not impede optimum robot techniques and programming, that the fixtures will have protection from spatter, be durable and easy to clean and maintain.

IF YOU FEEL THE NEED FOR A ROBOT WELD TEAM. In contrast to many of the weld teams we now see in manufacturing facilities, this would be a team, comprised of the maintenance supervisor, the production supervisor, the robot programmer and someone who will get his hands dirty from the engineering office. The team would meet once a week to discuss the issues which have been well documented by the operators in the robot cell logs. As it' important for the team to all walk the same welding path, all the members will have received my best practices - process control training program.

 

As a manager you will rarely provide the correct training programs, if you don't understand the process training requirements necessary to attain consistent, optimum weld quality - productivity.

While employed as the robot weld manager with ABB, one of the world's largest suppliers of arc welding robots, I provided my unique "robot weld process training" for many of the top North American, fortune 50 manufacturing companies. 

I found it amusing when doing the training to find that frequently automotive senior managers from GM - Ford and Chrysler and their tier one companies would send robot personnel to the robot programming school, yet many of these individuals could barely read or write. You would think that innovative manufacturing management that does not have their heads stuck up their

rear ends would be aware that if there engineers could not fix the robot weld problems what hope would there be sending guys that cant read or study

After years being around robots, few engineers in the auto and truck industry have mastered the robot programming and process control requirements. These are the first people that should be in line to become experts on the processes and equipment that are vital to their organizations. 

Sending poorly qualified individuals to robot training school is again simply a reflection of poor management practices and also reveals the level of their weld automation expertise.

 

 

Typically welding robot lines are the most sophisticated and sometimes the most costly automated equipment installed in a manufacturing plant. The caliber of the individuals controlling this complex equipment has the greatest influence on attaining the equipment's full production potential.

Weld Reality. Robots have been in manufacturing plants for approx three decades, yet only a few of the "manufacturing engineers" employed in the the fabrication industry have shown they have the will or enthusiasm to learn what it takes to take ownership and optimize the daily robot welding production. 

Its 2013 and I am still waiting. Perhaps one day an enlightened manufacturing management will encourage their engineers to learn to how to control the equipment that creates their profits.

 

 

HOW DO YOUR ENGINEERS RESPOND TO THOSE ROBOT WELD ISSUES?

The arc welding robot is a multi-axis, computerized controlled machine that manipulates a weld gun with a preset welding program that is rarely optimized for the application.

In the big three and tier automotive plants, it's not unusual to find dozens of highly paid engineers dispersed throughout the plants, yet when the robot line goes down and the auto or truck production comes to a grinding halt, and then watch as many of the engineers will reach for their cell phones or radios and try to find the lower paid robot technician to resolve the robot / weld line issue that's influencing the plants weld quality or production.

ENGINEERING DEFINED BY WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY.

"The application" of scientific principles to practical ends." It's a pity today that with arc welding robots, we see few engineers applying the "application of scientific principles". In contrast, we do see them taking too much advice from salesmen and applying marketing - sales induced principles which which provide few practical attributes

Another Traditional Management Perception: 

There is a common perception again especially in the auto companies and with large fabricators that when it comes to manual MIG welding, many managers believe the requirements are nothing more than a body, a head, two eyes, two legs two arms and a few skills and lets not forget they should be able to play around with the weld controls. 

Another common management perception, if a costly robot is going to do production welds that were initially produced by hourly paid welders, then the already simple, semi-skilled task of MIG welding should be further simplified by the large investment in the sophisticated, costly robot equipment.

Lets not forget that the most ironic point about the common lack of MIG process expertise that prevails, is the "MIG process" attached to the robot arm has been around for more than five decades. 

The following is an important point which will has to be repeated many times. The majority of manufacturing managers responsible for welding are unaware that their highly skilled welders and weld supervisors who focus on skills have rarely mastered the "MIG weld best practices and process control theory which is necessary for all robot welds.

If you are an individual that does not believe the above statement, ask the most skilled MIG individuals in your plant the following simple weld question.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A FUNDAMENTAL WELD PROCESS QUESTION: 

Without looking in a book, could anyone in your organization tell you that when using either the common 0.045 or 0.035 (1.2 - 1 mm) carbon steel MIG wires, what is the the wire feed rate, in./min or m/min, in which spray transfer starts with an Argon 10 - 20% CO2 mix?

How important is this fundamental MIG question? Well as over 75 percent of all MIG welds are made with spray transfer, the question should be relevant, and you and I know that if 5 welders at your facility were asked this question, we would get 5 different answers with at least 4 of those answers incorrect. So you pay $50K a year for each welders annual wage and you pay

over $100k for each robot cell, with more than $250K a year on consumables and new weld equipment, and yet it

never occurred for you t0 pay $400 for a training program that would optimize the weld quality - productivity.

Apathetic Chrysler management & their multi-million dollar robot weld fiasco.

The following weld fiasco was caused by the corporate weld engineer at Chrysler. As is common in the auto - truck industry, this corporate engineer lacked hands on ability and weld process expertise. 

A few years ago, a brand new, multi million dollar robot weld line was installed at a primary Chrysler stamping plant located near Cleveland OH. A new costly multi-robot line was placed in the plant to weld weld the Neon cross members. The stamping plant had no welding exoerience so the weld equipment and consumable decisions were made by the Chrysler corporate weld engineer. The Chrysler weld engineer had selected a large diameter, self shielded flux cored electrode manufactured by Lincoln Electric. The large wire selected was for welding very thin, galvanealed, cross member parts which were approx. 2 to 2.5 mm thick. 

EVEN A BOY SCOUT COULD FIGURE OUT THAT WHEN SELECTING A WELD CONSUMABLE, THE WELD CURRENT RANGE OF A WIRE MUST BE COMPATABLE WITH THE PART THICKNESS: 

The 5/64 diameter, flux cored wires selected by the Chrysler corporate weld engineer required a minimum 320 to 380 amps. The weld current range required by this large electrode was simply too much for the thin, gage, 2 mm cross member parts. Typically parts this thin should be welded with small diameter 0.035 (1mm) MIG wires using current in the range of 180 to 240 amps. As a result of the excess weld current used with the flux cored wires, there were so many weld holes in each cross member part that eventually 13 manual welders were required for the weld rework required on the robot parts each shift. 

AN ENGINEER DOES NOT SELECT WELD WIRES THAT CREATE DANGEROUS WELD FUMES, EXCESS WELD SLAG AND HIGH POROSITY AND SPATTER:

The weld smoke from the obnoxious Lincoln flux cored consumables was so bad that even with exhaust units compressed air masks were necessary and because the fume issues were so bad. the manual repair welders could only weld for four hours before they had to be relieved by another crew. The slag produced by these wires was very difficult to remove which of course also effected that weld repairs and coatings required after the parts were welded. 

Apart from the extensive weld burn through holes, the Neon parts also had excess spatter, excess porosity and undercut from the high weld heat. The weld defects were so extensive that the manual repair welders simply welded over the top of all the welds on the parts. As it was impossible to remove the slag from these robot welds, you can imagine the finished weld quality. The excess weld heat from the additional welds also did not help the mechanical strength of these high strength steels, This robot welding fiasco went on for more than a year, with the repairs costing the plant approx. $750,000.00 per month for more than 12 months.

Chrysler employed many corporate VPS that were engineers. With the multi-million dollar

losses on this project you think this management would have stepped up to the plate. However as the subject was "welding" they choose not to question their inexperienced weld engineer's decision, even after the weld process evidence was provided to them.

CHRYSLER CORPORATE MANAGEMENT WERE GIVEN MY REPORT ON THE NEON ROBOT WELD ISSUES. FROM THE REPORT EVEN THE MOST INEXPERIENCED VP AT CHRYSLER SHOULD HAVE ASKED; 

[1] WHY HAS OUR CORPORATE WELD ENGINEER ALLOWED THE USE OF A WELD CONSUMABLE THAT CREATES EXCESSIVE WELD BURN THROUGH HOLES IN THE PARTS?

[2] WHY HAS OUR CORPORATE WELD ENGINEER ALLOWED WELD CONSUMABLES THAT PRODUCED DANGEROUS WELD FUMES?

[3] WHY HAS OUR CORPORATE WELD ENGINEER ALLOWED WELD CONSUMABLES THAT CONSUMABLE CANNOT CONSISTENTLY PROVIDE OPTIMUM WELD QUALITY?

[4] WHY HAS OUR CORPORATE WELD ENGINEER ALLOWED A WELD CONSUMABLE THAT CANNOT MAKE A WELD WITHOUT PRODUCING EXCESS SPATTER AND POROSITY ISSUES?

[5] WHY HAS OUR CORPORATE WELD ENGINEER ALLOWED A WELD CONSUMABLE WHICH GENERATES A WELD IN WHICH THE SLAG REMOVAL IS VERY DIFFICULT, INFLUENCING THE RUST PROTECTION COATING AND THE WELD REPAIRS? 

[6] WHY HAS OUR CORPORATE WELD ENGINEER ALLOWED THE "SINGLE PASS" FLUX CORED WIRES TO BE USED FOR THESE WELDS WHICH WITH REPAIRS HAVE NOW BECOME A TWO WELD PASS APPLICATION. THE EXCESS ALLOYS AND EXCESS WELD HEAT FROM THESE WIRE CAN NOT BENEFIT OUR HIGH STRENGTH LOW ALLOY STEEL PARTS.

[7] WHY IS OUR CORPORATE WELD ENGINEER CONTINUE TO INSIST THAT THE LINCOLN ELECTRIC, SELF SHIELDED FLUX CORED WELD CONSUMABLE THAT IS COSTING ONE PLANT, WELD REWORK OF APPROX. >10 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR, BE ALSO USED AT ALL OTHER PLANTS THAT ARE WELDING GALVANIZED OR GALVANEALED PARTS. ESPECIALLY WHEN ED'S REPORT POINTS OUT THAT FOR DECADES EVERY OTHER MAJOR AUTO PART MANUFACTURER HAS SUCCESSFULLY USED MIG CONSUMABLES AND ATTAIN FAR SUPERIOR WELD QUALITY - PRODUCTIVITY?

By the way, I was requested by the very frustrated Chrysler stamping plant manager to visit his plant and find the solution to his Neon robot weld problem. I knew the wires were wrong and that the engineer who selected them had one to many lunches with a consumable salesman. Rather than waste my breath arguing with the Chrysler corp. eng I suggested to the plant mgr that I would simply weld the parts with a robot using the MIG wire that should have been recommended for this application. I used an 0.035, E70S-3 MIG wire. In a few hours with the MIG process I was able to produce consistent, optimum weld quality - productivity results that would have required minimum weld rework. I then sent my galvanealed, robot MIG welded Neon parts to be tested at the largest weld testing facility in Detroit. The destructive and mechanical test proved that all the MIG welds met the destructive test mechanical requirements. My report also pointed out how the poor weld design effected the weld quality with the cross member parts.

I presented the test report and my weld report to the corporate Chrysler weld engineer and his engineering peers and mangers. I informed this team that apart from the unacceptable weld gaps on the new parts, the primary root cause of the robot weld issues was the Lincoln Electric "flux cored consumable type and size selected". After I left. extensive discussions took place with the Chrysler corporate engineering team, however

the corporate weld engineer would not change his mind on the welding consumables used. 

ENGINEERING COMMON SENSE, ENGINEERING RESPONSIBILITY - ACCOUNTABILITY - OWNERSHIP WERE NOT PART OF THIS CHRYSLER TEAM.

I suppose if the Neon team had approved the weld consumable change, it would have indicated where the real root cause and responsibility was for the annual > 10 MILLION dollar weld fiasco. Shortly after the meeting, the Chrysler management did make a decision which they should have been ashamed. They decided that the two year old, multi-million robot line was shut down. The robots, the application, the jobs, and the oversized weld wires were moved to Mexico where the Neon weld quality - production and safety issues would be out of sitethose corporate engineers.

THERE ARE MANY REASONS DURING THE 1990s, WHY THE USA LOST GOOD PAYING JOBS. WITH QUALIFIED ENGINEERS AND MANAGERS, WELL RUN ROBOT WELD LINES SHOULD BE LITTLE INFLUENCED BY LABOR COSTS, AND THEREFORE ROBOT JOBS SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE IN NORTH AMERICA. IN THIS CASE CHRYSLER ENGINEERS PROVED THEY WERE NOT UP TO THE TASK OF EFFECTIVELY MANAGING A SIMPLE ROBOT WELD LINE WITH STATE OF THE ART ROBOTS AND FIXTURES. THE USA CHRYSLER JOBS ENDED UP IN MEXICO SIMPLY AS A RESULT OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT INCOMPETANCE AND LACK OF PROCESS EXPERTISE. 

If the chrysler engineers involved had invested $400 in my robot weld program and spent 30 minutes in the flux cored section at this site they would have had the knowlege to have saved Chrysler 10 to 14 million dollars they must have wasted. 

AT LEAST NOW IN 2012 THERE IS HOPE FOR CHRYSLER, IT'S CALLED FIAT.

 

From my perspective I found it completely illogical that any corporate or plant management would allow "inexperienced, hands off engineers to influence their companies reputation and profits. 

 

WHY WOULD A WELD CONSUMABLE MFG RECOMMEND A WELD WIRE THAT ONLY THEY MAKE? THIS IS ONE OF THOSE QUESTIONS THAT PROVIDES IT'S OWN ANSWER. It's a

common weld consumable sales tactic by some weld wire manufacturers and suppliers to try and promote their so called unique name brand weld wire. This weld consumable when targeted at a plant or corporation such as Chryslers that will purchase large amounts of weld wires, ensures that once purchased the wire is in the system and no one else can bid on the future plant's consumable business. Lets face it once a consumable gets into an auto / truck plant, its there till chapter 11 hits that company.

 

E-mail: From England.

Ed. I have just read your Chrysler Neon article regarding the Cross members and self shielded flux cored wire issues. I fully endorse your views and comments. It's a shame that many "welding engineers" in the automotive industry lack the actual knowledge and skills to fulfill their critical role. I myself am a welding engineer for a tier one supplier to the auto industry and see this too often. As a time served boilermaker in the UK, I feel that there is extensive lack of weld process knowledge and experience with the majority of the weld and engineering personnel in the auto industry. I must also thank you for your book 'A Management & Engineering Guide to MIG & the Training' materials both of which we as a company refer to regularly. 

Cheers Ed. PL - England

ONLY MANAGEMENT CAN CHANGE THESE POOR PRACTICES AND LACK OF EXPERTISE:

How do you feel about a technical industry that for five decades has watched it's workers PLAY AROUND with their weld equipment controls?

We have a double standard in the manufacturing trades in which we expect an electrician or a machinist to be a professional in their trade, however when it comes to welding we will allow welders, technicians, maintenance personnel and engineers to "play around" with the welding controls.

We have another common, double standard. In manufacturing plants when a part is being formed in a press it will typically have part tolerances which are frequently less than a human hair, however if the parts are to be MIG welded the manufacturing engineers are generous and frequently allow the welded part to have a weld gap the size a mouse could crawl through.

ALL IT TAKES TO STOP PLAYING AROUND WITH MIG CONTROLS IS PROVIDE YOUR EMPLOYEES WITH THIS TRAINING BOOK, CD OR AND VIDEO.

 If a ship does not run efficiently, the ship owners will quickly find a new captain. It's a pity that in many manufacturing plants, accountability for weld productivity and quality is often placed on the wrong shoulders.

An important Management step towards Robot Weld Process Controls, is called PROCESS OWNERSHIP .

AS A MANAGER OR ENGINEER, ARE YOU AN ACTIVE PARTNER IN YOUR PROCESS - EQUIPMENT OWNERSHIP? 

Manufacturing shops will benefit when the managers and engineers decide that they should be a partner in the ownership of the core processes and equipment that plays a key role in meeting their daily production needs.

Being an active partner in weld process and equipment ownership, means management recognizes the required process or equipment expertise and ensures the persons responsible for this equipment has the training that provides that expertise. 

Note: The individual responsible for the welding decisions should have ability to make rational welding process decisions without the aid or the advice of a salesmen.

With an established 50 year old manufacturing process, you should not require team discussions to resolve manual or robots welding production issues. The person who provides the robot weld data should have the required weld process expertise. If they do not have the necessary process control expertise, the solution is simple. 

The majority of welding issues that can occur with a robot MIG weld are discussed on this site, or in my books and training CD's . With process control training comes instant weld process solutions. So rather than have your employees sitting around a conference table chewing the fat, provide them with process training and let the most experienced individual get on with providing the robot or weld resolutions.

Being an active partner in process and equipment ownership means the weld decision makers listens to the workers on the shop floor. However the weld decision maker should have more weld process expertise and therefore should make the final process decisions based on; 

[a] the requirements necessary to attain optimum productivity and quality, 

[b] decisions that protect the company from a product liability situation.

* Being an active partner in process and equipment ownership means the management and engineers establish Best Weld Practices that reduce weld equipment and consumable costs.

* Being an active partner in process and equipment ownership means the management and engineers are focused on placing "weld process controls" on the shop floor.

* Being an active partner in process and equipment ownership means the managers and engineers will not allow manufacturing double standards in which weld part tolerance discrepancies are not given the same priority as brake press part dimensions.

* Being an active partner in process and equipment ownership means that when a PM program is recommended for the robot cells, it's put in place and strictly adhered to.

* Being an active partner in process and robot ownership means the management will attain for it's employees effective robot programming and MIG process control training. Before you allow a consultant or trainer into your plant, ensure the welding quality and productivity expectations are clearly spelled out. Keep in mind, in most cases your workers already have the necessary skills, yet

it's this area of expertise which many trainers or consultants will focus on. Ensure the process training is provided to all personnel involved with the welded parts.

* Being an active partner in process and equipment ownership means the management is aware that for robot programming, that the 5 day training program at a robot companies training facility should be seen only as the introductory training course. Ensure robot training follow up. Provide the training till the programmer believes they have the ability to completely control the robots.

* Being an active partner in process and equipment ownership means the management will not put up with individuals who make weld process changes outside the pre-qualified weld data.

* Being an active partner in process and equipment ownership means, that for the equipment or processes which are critical for an organization, the management will encourage engineers to captain the shop and encourage these individuals to attain equipment and process expertise that is at least compatible with your technicians.

A KIS MESSAGE FOR MANAGERS - ENGINEERS: 

The yearly review and job descriptions of engineers who work with robots should clearly encourage engineers to take a pre 1980's approach to manufacturing. Some of you may remember the good old days when engineers dedicated to Keep It Simple (KIS) manufacturing, could be seen "shirt sleeves rolled up" working with the equipment and processes on the shop floor.

If the engineers in your organization don't understand the robot programs, the GTAW, plasma, laser or oxy fuel cutting machine program requirements, encourage them to take process or equipment training. For their MIG / flux cored process requirements, and for the implementation of effective weld process controls, I would recommend my books.

IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT THE AUTO INDUSTRY:

Question: What does a ship yard and automotive plant have in common? 

In these union dominated industries, the misguided unions frequently discourage engineers from hands on participation with the manufacturing processes used on the shop floor. This was fine in the good old days when manual welding skills meant everything and process expertise meant little. 

As the complexity of the manufacturing equipment and environment changes and plants strive to increase their automation efficiency in a highly competitive global industry,

engineers should be encouraged to rise up from their desks and to do what they are supposedly trained and hired for. There is only one logical approach to successful manufacturing and that is a working partnership between the skilled workers, technicians, engineers and managers.

WE WOULD ALL BENEFIT IF ALL FACTORIES WERE MANAGED LIKE A WELL RUN LIKE A SHIP:

Its unfortunate that the trend in weld manufacturing in the last two decades has been "hands off, inexperienced managers and engineers". In contrast examine the ship factories at sea. A good ship's captain or any of the ship's engineers typically could operate or take apart anything on their ship. I am not suggesting that this radical, hands on, technical expertise should be part of a manufacturing managers job description. I am suggesting that today we need a compromise in which managers and engineers show more interest in the plant equipment and manufacturing practices that generate their pay check. 

To get manufacturing management and engineers back into the equipment process ownership loop, an important first step would be for these individuals to show the workers that they have process knowledge. Try this  book   "A Management and Engineers Guide To MIG"

Management can benefit by careful evaluation of the qualifications of the personnel responsible for production robot welding. Ensure all personnel that either set up, or operate the high volume production equipment have the capability and aptitude to meet a clearly defined job description for that specific operation. 

MANAGEMENT AND EXPERTISE AWARENESS. Management and engineers will benefit once they are aware that there are very different expertise levels between:

[a] a production worker,

[b] a robot operator,

[c] a production welder,

[d] a maintenance person,

[e] a robot programmer,

[f] a weld process expert, 

[g] a robot weld process expert.

 

The $400 cost of MIG Weld Process Control training, is the price of a good "executive" dinner,

How many companies are prepared to invest a few dollars per supervisor, robot personnel or welder, for a training program designed to optimize both the manual or robot welding quality and productivity in their organization?

I had my MIG process training book translated to Spanish, believing it would be a great tool for the Mexican workers who are paid a few dollars a a day to control the costly European and Japanese robots welding the North American auto / truck parts. What I did not figure on was the management apathy in these plants. Managers who have no problem spending millions on robots lines have to think twice before they spend a few dollars purchasing books for their workers.

 

 

WHILE FOR DECADES WE EXPECT ONLY LIES FROM WASHINGTONin engineering and science we should deal only with the truth. Ed Craig

2000.

Remember Keep Smiling , it's all good...