New Skilled Personnel in No Time Thanks to Weld Sequencing

It is more acute than ever, puts a strain on the economy and creates problems in many companies: we are, of course, talking about the shortage of skilled personnel. The welding industry has been severely affected and solutions are urgently needed. It is vital that new professionals are trained quickly so that they can complete high quality welds and give companies a little breathing space as soon as possible. One possibility for achieving this is weld sequencing. So, what is it all about and why is it such a helpful tool in the struggle for new skilled personnel?

Better Control for Better Results

Welding requires craftsmanship, in-depth knowledge and a great deal of experience. The last of these, in particular, cannot be acquired overnight, so support is needed, especially at the outset. Weld sequencing delivers this in the form of sophisticated digital weld sequencing for welders, which guides them step by step through their welding jobs, and kills two birds with one stone in the process. The precise instructions enable skilled personnel to start production quickly and companies to enhance their welding processes and quality in manual mass production at the same time.

Personnel from many different sectors can achieve excellent results quickly using weld sequencing. No matter what industry they come from and what previous training they have had, if people retrain as welders, they usually take a basic course in which they learn how to hold a welding torch or the speed at which they should weld. However, beginners usually have little experience in the welding process itself. Other factors, such as the effect of heat input on components, distortion or material strength, are also often not clear to new welders at the start of their welding career. But that no longer matters because all this knowledge can now be provided thanks to weld sequencing:

“The worker does not need to know how the parameters interact in the background during the welding process. All they need to do is guide the welding torch using good manual skills and be able to read from the display where the weld has to be positioned. The welding sequence software takes care of everything else. This means that even fresh arrivals from other professions who do not have a lot of welding experience can achieve great results and learn faster so that they are more likely to enjoy their work,” says Anita Beck, Product Manager Welding Data & Applications, Fronius International GmbH.

How Exactly Does Weld Sequencing Work?

To put it simply, the welder is located at the work station looking at a screen at regular intervals on which each production step is displayed in the correct sequence.

The software guides the welder through the job step by step, making it easy to maintain the correct welding sequence and to ensure that the defined parameters for each weld are used. In addition, welders receive feedback on the welds and can monitor their progress. All the important welding parameters are defined in advance together with the correct reactions if the welder fails to adhere to the plan. General work, such as preparations or intermediate steps that do not involve welding, can also be included.

Weld sequencing software also excels in terms of sustainability: “For example, some companies use large design drawings or plans of components with marked welds and detailed descriptions, as well as numbering the individual steps. If these companies switch to a digital weld sequencing, they no longer have to print the plans, saving themselves both time and the costs of paper,” says Anita Beck.

Eliminating Errors

Errors happen; that's just part of being human. When you start a new job, you are even more prone to errors and the consequences for companies can be serious. After all, high quality welds are crucial for many components, and faulty or forgotten welds can result in huge manufacturing costs. The earlier these errors are detected in the production process, the quicker you can react.

This is where weld sequencing comes into its own. If the worker deviates from the weld sequencing, the system will immediately flag it up. For safety-relevant welds, any deviation from the correct procedure ensures that further welding is not possible until a welding supervisor provides approval. This means that errors are not repeated or duplicated, and instead they are corrected immediately. The result is high quality for large numbers of workpieces and the amount of waste can be significantly reduced.

A Look at a Weld Sequencing System: Fronius WeldCube Navigator

One example of digital weld sequencing is Fronius WeldCube Navigator. The combination of sequencer and editor will guide both new and experienced personnel safely through their daily welding work. The sequencer guides the worker through all the jobs using a suitable screen in the welding cell and the output is monitored with regard to the permitted number of welds. One particularly practical feature is that the welder can control the WeldCube Navigator throughout the process using the welding torch as instructions can be selected, the next process initiated and confirmation given on the actual welding torch.

The editor digitizes and visualizes instructions for production. It can create and save digital work instructions for manual welding production. For example, individual images can be uploaded for each process together with the information that the welder needs. Specific instructions such as the number of permitted welds, the welding method to be used and the reaction in the event of a fault can also be defined. That delivers maximum flexibility for both design and information delivery.

Tackling the Skills Shortage

If you look around the world, the situation is similar almost everywhere: there is a shortage of skilled personnel in the welding industry. The American Welding Society (AWS), for example, has predicted that there will be a shortage of around 300,000 to 400,000 welders by 2024. Those are alarming numbers which means solutions are essential.

Weld sequencing systems such as the WeldCube Navigator cannot simply conjure up new welders. But once they have been set up, they provide excellent support to companies finding it difficult to produce efficiently with the appropriate quality due to a shortage of workers or personnel fluctuation. Controlled, well designed digital work instructions enable companies to reduce long, arduous training periods and enable new personnel to focus on the actual welding from the outset.

A genuine win-win situation which enables companies, welders and the entire industry to benefit from solutions aimed at efficiently addressing the shortage of skilled workers. A complete package of measures is needed to help ensure continuous production at companies and to reduce dependence on skilled workers to alleviate the current situation. The WeldCube Navigator is undoubtedly an important step in this direction as it enables companies to pool their expertise and maintain or even improve manufacturing quality with step-by-step digital support, saving time and money in the bargain.

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