Lincoln Electric Pulsed GMAW User Manual

S U C C E S S
W A V E F O R M C O N T R O L
Pulsed GMAW
Automation
Valley Industries, of Lodi,
California, has produced trailer
hitches and towing accessories
for 57 years.
- C H A L L E N G E -
Valley Industries was looking to
increase welding productivity and
improve product quality.
- S O L U T I O N -
• A pulsed GMAW (MIG) process using
Lincoln Power Wave® 455M power
sources embedded with Nextweld®
technologies with FANUC® 120iLB
six-axis robot cells.
• A Lincoln System 40 robotic workcell
with a FANUC® 100iB six-axis robot.
• Lincoln SuperArc® L-50 MIG wire
supplied on 1000 lb. Accu-Trak®
drums.
- R E S U L T S -
Valley experienced a 60 percent
increase in productivity, improved
process control and higher quality parts
resulting from the move to automation
with a Pulsed GMAW process.
Valley also improved manufacturing
delivery times and reduced inventories.
T E C H N O L O G Y ®
Valley Industries
A
s the manufacturer and
distributor of 400 different
trailer hitches and
accompanying towing accessory
components, Valley Industries, LLC
of Lodi, California, was looking for a
way to increase welding productivity
and improve product quality. To do
this, the company made the switch
from a semiautomatic GMAW (MIG)
welding process to robotic GMAW-P
(Pulsed MIG) welding systems from
The Lincoln Electric Company. The
move to automation has resulted in
a 60 percent increase in productivity,
improved process control and higher
quality parts – adding up to a
competitive advantage for Valley
Industries among its OEM and
aftermarket customers.
In addition, the robotic systems,
which combine Lincoln's Power
Wave® 455M power sources with
FANUC® robots, allowed Valley
Industries to improve order delivery
time on popular products like
receiver style, fifth wheel, and
gooseneck hitches. This, in turn,
reduced inventories for work-in-
process and finished goods.
Brad Ownbey, Manager of
Manufacturing, Maintenance and
Special Projects for Valley Industries,
indicated that half of the company's
products involve some type of
welding. Therefore, efficient welding
practices are extremely critical to the
57-year-old company's success.
"Welding, and especially automated
welding, have been key elements in
addressing sales, operating cost,
new products, quality, and
efficiency," said Ownbey. "Valley is
also very much about people. You
cannot be successful without them.
Sustained business growth, year over
year, has afforded us the ability to
maintain employment levels while
integrating automation into the
operation."
The Move To Robotics
When management decided that
automation was a viable option for
Valley Industries, the company set
out to evaluate several robotic
NX-4.310 2/06