Modified CV Waveforms

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Advanced Modes of Metal
Transfer

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Advanced Modes of Metal Transfer
• Modified Short Circuit
– Surface Tension Transfer (STT)
• Modified Short Circuit, Globular, Spray
– Power Mode
• Pulse Spray Arc
– Basic Pulse – CC Pulse
– Precision Pulse – AC Pulse
– Rapid Arc – Heat Wave
– Rapid X – Synchronized Tandem
– Rapid Z – Hot Wire Tandem
– Pulse-on-Pulse

• All are produced through “Waveform Control Technology”

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Waveform Control Technology™
What exactly is “Waveform Control Technology™”?
• Okay, this is waveform control…but not welding waveforms!

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What is a Waveform?
• A welding “Waveform” is a graph of welding voltage and current
(vertical axis) compared to time (horizontal axis)
• It can be seen on an oscilloscope or Lincoln Electric software
“Weldaq” as an electrical signature of the power source’s output

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Conventional Power Source Technology
• Hardware Based Output
– Conventional power sources have two
types of output
 Constant Current (CC)
 Constant Voltage (CV)
– One CC and one CV waveform
– Waveform controlled by power source
hardware.
– If a modification was needed to achieve
a different weld, new circuit boards,
chokes, or even new machines had to
be purchased

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Waveform Control Technology™
• A Waveform Control Technology™ power source electronically
controls the welding waveform form to produce the best arc for
different materials or gas mixtures
– Steel, Stainless, Nickel
– Varying material thicknesses
– All weld positions
– Different appearance
requirements
• degree of control over the

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Waveform Control Technology™
• Software driven output
– Through its computer , a Power
Wave® power source can generate
a variety of different waveforms or
different types of welding output

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The “Ideal” Welding Output Varies

Pulse Steel Pulse Aluminum

STT Steel Pulse on Pulse® Aluminum

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 Many modes - Waveforms
• Each power source contains a
Weld Set, or collection of modes
– Example: Weld Set # Z173918
– 17 – Year created

• 169 173 187 modes are in the

factory weld set for the most
common welding applications
Simple user interface
 Select correct waveform per
“mode number”

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Modified CV Waveforms

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Waveforms – Modified CV
Name Benefit Wave shape

Open Root Pipe, Gap

STT® Bridging, Thin Materials,
Very Low Spatter

Very Thin Metal, Low

AC - STT®
Spatter

Improves Current Stability,

Power Mode®
Thin Metal and Thick Al.

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STT®

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STT® (Surface Tension Transfer)

Description:
• A modified short circuit
mode
• Designed for minimal spatter
on sheet metal
• Also ideal for open root
welding, such as root pass on
pipe joint
Equipment:
Requirements:
- Requires use of optional “STT
Module” or “Advanced
Module”, which both contain
the high speed switching
hardware necessary for STT

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STT® (Surface Tension Transfer)

Applications:
- Open root pipe
- Thin material
- Poor fit-up
- When low spatter is required

Benefits: Not Recommended for:

- Bridge gaps without lack of - Aluminum and copper alloys
fusion issues - They require high heat input /
spray arc transfer
- Runs well on steel and alloy - STT is low heat input / modified
short circuit
materials
- Stainless steel, nickel alloys

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STT® Waveform

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STT ® Waveform – Non Synergic
• Background Current: Controls bead shape and provides
minimum heat to maintain a liquid ball (T7-T1)
• Peak Current: Controls arc length and promotes good fusion
(T5-T6)
• Tailout: Reduces puddle agitation, eliminates premature
shorts, and helps flatten the bead (time between T6-T7)

• Wire Feed Speed: Controls the rate at which filler metal is

added to the weld joint

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STT ® Waveform – Synergic
• With a Power Wave®, you can also select synergic STT
waveforms
• This gives you one-knob control in which the welder only has to
adjust wire feed speed and all other variables are adjusted
automatically
• Note that synergic STT® welding can be an adjustment for
welders used to setting peak and background current with non-
synergic STT®

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Root Pass: STT® vs. Other Methods
Mech.
GTAW SMAW STT GTAW

Joint Detail
Req'd Skill Level High High Medium Medium-High
5G Progression Vertical-Up Vertical-Down Vertical-Down Vertical-Up
Filler Wire Size 1/8" (3 mm) 5/32" (4 mm) .045" (1.2 mm) .035" (.9 mm)
Volts 11 23 17 10
Amps 100 120 160 120
Travel Speed (in/min.) 3 12 10 3
Travel Speed (mm/min.) 76 305 254 76
Heat Input (kJ/in.) 22 14 16 24
Depostion Rate (lbs/hr) 0.61 3.2 4.6 0.64
Deposit Thickness 0.060" (2 mm) 0.080" (2 mm) 0.160" (4 mm) 0.080" (2 mm)
Grind Wirebrush
Cleaning wagon silicates, grind
tracks starts/stops
18" Pipe Cleaning Time (min.) 0 3 1 0
# of Passes 3 2 1 2
18" Pipe Time per Pass (min.) 18.84 4.71 5.652 18.84
Total time to complete a root (min.) 56.52 12.42 6.652 37.68
Operating Factor (%) 30 40 50 50
18" Pipe Joints per 8-hour day 3 15 36 6

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 Pipe Schedule Chart

Front Office, back office, shipping, machinist toolbox, welders toolbox

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Pipe Fab Shop Solutions Menu

Transition

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STT® for Open Root Pipe Welding
Power Wave®
 Improved Quality Pipe Shop System

• First pass X-Ray yield

• Low Hydrogen
• Lack of fusion
• Spatter
 Improved Productivity
• Low learning curve
• High operating factor
• Thicker deposit thickness

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Lab 3 STT
• STT modes are hidden if you do not have STT module.
• Sense lead mandatory for STT modes.
• Compare mode 21, 329 and 309 arc stability and spatter.
• Weld short and slow with STT, stay on the puddle.
• Non-Synergic STT is not adaptive – Prove it is non-adaptive by
changing CTWD.
• STT works best with a very short CTWD. If possible, use a short
gas nozzle which allows for an extended contact tip.

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AC - STT®

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AC STT® (Surface Tension Transfer)

Description:
• A modified short circuit
mode
• Designed for high speed
welding on very thin material
(1 mm or less) without burn
through

Equipment:
Requirements:
- Requires use of optional
“Advanced Module”, which
contains both the high speed
STT and AC switches

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AC- STT®

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Power Mode®

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Power Mode®
Description:
- A modified constant voltage
(CV) mode
- Regulate power* instead of
Voltage to control arc length
- Conventional CV
- Short Circuit Transfer
- Globular Transfer
- Spray Arc Transfer

- Power Mode®
- Short Circuit Transfer
- Globular Transfer
- Spray Arc Transfer

* Power (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (I)

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Power Mode®
• Mode “40”
– In all 2nd and 3rd
generation Power Waves®
• WFS Range
– 30 to 815 ipm (0.8 – 20.7
mpm)
• Power Range
– 0.10 – 11.0 kW

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Power Mode®

Applications: Equipment:
- Use anywhere conventional
CV is used
- Use in short circuit mode for very
thin material
- Use in spray arc mode for very
thick material…particularly
aluminum
- Use on a variety of materials
- Carbon Steel
- Low Alloy Steel
- Stainless Steel
- Aluminum
Power Mode® is standard in all
Power Wave® machines

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Power Mode® on Aluminum
Benefits:
- Power Mode® spray arc
produces very consistent
penetration levels, particularly
beneficial on aluminum
- Power Mode® is less sensitive
to changes in electrical
stickout (ESO)
- It is more adaptive / responds
quicker to correct ESO
- Suitable for high travel speed
welding
- Excellent at welding thicker
aluminum plate in semi-
automatic and automatic
modes
- Weld appearance is excellent
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Potential Challenges with Power Mode®

Challenges:
- Not a synergic process
- Requires independent settings for
wire feed speed (WFS) and Power
- Can be complicated for a new user
to set “Power” in kW
- Instead of voltage or trim
- Some customers may be resistant to
this change and not willing to go
through learning curve

WFS? Power?

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Setting Power Mode®

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Power Mode® Procedure Guide

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Power Mode® Aluminum Welding Process Guide

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Summary - Why Use Power Mode®
• Show your customers Power Mode® as a solution for a more stable
process on every application where they now use conventional CV
• Power Mode® is particularly suited for low current, short circuit
welding on thin carbon and stainless steel sheet metal and spray
arc welding on thicker aluminum
• Let your customers decide if they prefer Power Mode® to other
processes
• Finally, Power Mode® is patented by Lincoln Electric and no other
company has it. This gives you an exclusive solution to your
customers’ welding needs

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Lab 3 Power Mode
• Power mode is available if you do not have STT module.
• Compare mode 21, and mode 40 arc stability and spatter.

• Power Mode is non synergic and non adaptive – Prove Power

Mode is non-adaptive by changing CTWD and recording voltage at
short, medium, long CTWD.

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Domande?

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