Engine-Drive Remote Solutions Give Welders More Control
Adjusting parameters with a remote can optimize efficiency, performance, and cost savings in field welding By Jake Zwayer, product manager, engine drives, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Appleton, Wis. Reprinted with permission: The AWS Welding Journal When welding and repairs are done in the field, there are plenty of challenges that can add time and costs to the project. On a jobsite, operators may be working far away from their trucks. If they want to turn their machine on or off, or when parameter changes are inevitably needed, they are ultimately required to return to the power source. To avoid that hassle, operators often leave their machine running constantly and are tempted to weld with the parameters already set — even when those parameters aren’t ideal for the job at hand. These scenarios present opportunities to improve quality and efficiency on the jobsite while also reducing operating costs. As operations continually look for ways to save time and money and improve safety, there is growing demand for having complete independence from the welding machine/generator with total control of the machine wherever the operator is working from. New and evolving engine-drive technologies with comprehensive remote solutions give operators access to this much-needed level of control. Accuracy on the Spot Working far away from the welding machine/generator can make it difficult and time consuming for operators to make the necessary adjustments to parameters or the arc when they’re welding on a jobsite. As a result, they might use less than ideal parameters, which can impact weld quality. The ability to easily adjust processes or parameters with a remote eliminates this issue and gives operators both convenience and the ability to dial in a perfectly tuned arc. Available remote solutions for a welding machine/generator in the field range from simple to more advanced. The complete control provided by some remote solutions, such as Wireless Interface Control from Miller, allows operators to adjust amperage and voltage, customize welding programs, change processes, and fine-tune arc control — Fig. 1. This provides more responsiveness to better handle changing joint conditions.
Fig. 1 — Wireless Interface Control for the Trailblazer® and Big Blue® places full control of the welding machine/generator in the palm of the operator’s hand, so he or she can remotely adjust amperage and voltage, customize welding programs, turn the machine on and off, select processes, and fine-tune the welding arc.
