COURSE: WEL 211 ASAP Name:

TOPIC: GMAW GMAW-S vs. Modified Short Circuit (LSC/STT/RMD) Date:

INSTRUCTOR: RYAN GOOD

PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Introduction

One of the newer advancements in GMAW technology is the advent of the modified short-circuit transfer. This is a
combination of a low energy mode of transfer (GMAW-S) coupled with a waveform and a monitoring process. In
traditional GMAW-S, when the wire touches the material (80-200x/sec), the resistance drops and the power supply
increases the amperage to clear the short. How much amperage it increases to is influenced by the slope setting, and
how long it takes to increase to that amperage is determined by the inductance setting. With modified GMAW-S, the
waveform now reacts and limits the amperage, then determines how to adjust the power supply output to achieve a
spatter-free, low energy transfer. Because this process is low energy (even less than regular GMAW-S), it should never
be used on anything other than thin material (less than 1/8”), material with gaps, or open root configurations.

In this lab, you are going to set-up a GMAW-S process and dial the parameters in for a consistent arc and consistent
weld profile. You are then going to switch into a modified short circuit process on your power supply and set the
parameters to produce the same amount of amperage that the GMAW-S parameters produced. You will then record
the difference in the wfs settings and determine how much more/less metal was deposited using the modified short
circuit vs. short circuit. Selecting the appropriate mode of transfer can have a significant impact on productivity. The
following exercise should highlight the differences in deposition rate between two different modes of transfer. The
first step of all of this is to grab a manual for the power supply that you are using and identify all the parameters that
are associated with he modified short circuit process that you are running. Once you have identified all the
parameters, you must then identify what their ranges are. Then you will grab some scrap material for parameter
development. For this lab, all the welds will be in the 5G v-down position, with the pipe being horizontal and the weld
positioned vertically.

Exercise

Your goal is to establish the relationships between these parameters to answer the following questions:

1) What wfs produces the correct amount of amperage for a 5G pipe joint weld using gmaw-s?
2) What voltage setting produces the correct amount of voltage for the correct wfs so the transfer is close to
spatter-free and the arc is stable for gmaw-s?
3) What are all the parameters associated with the modified short circuit, and how do they influence the
arc/puddle?
4) What wfs matches the correct amount of amperage for a 5G pipe joint weld using a modified gmaw-s
waveform?
5) What trim setting produces the correct amount of voltage for a given wfs so that the arc length creates a weld
that is close to spatter-free and the arc is stable for modified gmaw?
6) Calculate the increase/decrease in the amount of arc-on time.
7) Calculate the increase/decrease in the deposition rate between the two processes.
Start with the following setup:

Wire Diameter: 0.045” Shielding Gas: 90%Ar / 10% CO2

Amperage: 90-130 amps Flowrate: 35-40 cfh

Voltage: 18-22v Material: (5) – 12” pipe beveled to a 60-degree included angle, 3” wide

Wire Classification: ER70S-6 Joint and Position: 5G

1. Clean your material. Mill scale acts as an insulator and doesn’t conduct electricity very well. Additionally, it is an
oxide layer and the heat of the arc will create free oxygen in the weld zone. This is problematic with GMAW as
there are very little deoxidizers in the wire, and it will affect arc stability. Weld zones should be cleaned at least
½” away from the welding area, and in some cases as much as 1”, depending on the code.
2. Grab some scrap and tack it into a 3G butt joint to define the parameters.
What wfs produces the correct amount of amperage for a 5G pipe joint using GMAW-S?
3. First you will setup GMAW-S to identify what wire feed speed produces an amperage of around 90-120 amps.
That is about the max amperage that it can handle and not start to have drooping in the center of the weld from
being fluid for too long, or blowing through the root. Record the wfs and welding amperage.
a. Actual WFS: b. Welding Amps:
What voltage setting produces the correct amount of voltage for the correct wfs so the transfer is close to spatter-free
and the arc is stable for gmaw-s?
4. Identify what voltage setting produces the correct frequency of electrical shorts that allows the transfer to be
relatively free from spatter. If you are experiencing excessive spatter, you need to drop your voltage in 0.5 – 1
volt increments.
a. Set Voltage: b. Actual Voltage:
5. Grab 2 pieces of of the 12” pipe material that has been beveled and tack up an open root groove in the 5G
position (weld is vertical, pipe is horizontal)
6. Weld both sides of the pipe joint and have your partner time how long it takes you to weld the root. Only
measure the arc-on time, not the total time.
a. Seconds:
7. Now that the root is put in, cap the pipe using a vertical up technique (6 o’clock to 12 o’clock).
What are all the parameters associated with the modified short circuit, and how do they influence the arc/puddle?
8. Now that you have the correct settings for a GMAW-S transfer, you are now going to setup a modified short
circuit process (STT/RMD/LSC) at the same amount of amperage for the same joint and orientation. First you
need to identify what all the parameters are for that particular waveform (STT/RMD/LSC). Use the attached
sheet at the end of this lab to document what the associated parameters are, their ranges, and perform some
quick tests to determine how they impact the arc and the weld.
What wfs matches the correct amount of amperage for a 5G pipe joint weld using a modified gmaw-s waveform?
9. Grab your scrap and identify what wfs produces an amperage of around 90-120 amps using the modified short-
circuit process.
a. Actual WFS: b. Actual Amperage:
What trim setting produces the correct amount of voltage for a given wfs so that the arc length creates a weld that is
close to spatter-free and the arc is stable for modified gmaw short circuit?
10. Identify what arc length/voltage setting provides an adequate amount of arc length so there is a relatively
spatter free transfer. If the volts are too low, there will not be enough arc length and there will be spatter. If the
arc length is too long, there will be undercut at both sides of the weld and the center of the weld will be sagging.
a. Arc Length Setting: b. Actual Voltage:
11. Attach one of your prepped pipe pieces to one side of the completed pipe and weld both sides of the pipe joint
and have your partner time how long it takes you to weld the root. Only measure the arc-on time, not the total
time.
a. Seconds:
 12. Now that the root is put in, cap the pipe with a pulse waveform of your choice (but it can’t be the modified short
circuit waveform as that would be too low energy).
Calculate the increase/decrease in the amount of arc-on time.
13. Now that you have a time study for gmaw-s and modified gmaw-s, identify which process was faster, and by
how much:
a. Process: How much: seconds
Calculate the increase/decrease in the deposition rate between the two processes.
14. Now you need to calculate if there was any increase in the deposition rate as a result of switch from one mode
of transfer to the other. An 0.045” diameter wire produces 1.2lbs/hr of deposition rate for every 70ipm wire
feed speed. Calculate the difference in the deposition rate between the two appropriate setting for the different
modes of transfer to determine if there would be an increase in productivity between the two modes of
transfer.
a. gmaw-s wfs: b. pulse wfs: c. difference:
d. difference / 70ipm: e. quotient x 1.2lbs:

15. Now that you have the difference in deposition rates, write a 300-word summary on what you have learned in
this lab. Discuss things that you noticed from setting up the gmaw-s and modified gmaw-s parameters. What did
you notice differently between the two transfers? How did the arc react differently between the two? Which did
you find more appealing and why? How does the profile of the weld look between the different modes? What
was the difference in the level of spatter? Are you surprised by the deposition difference between the two
modes? What are the different parameters associated with the modified processes, and how did they affect the
arc/weld? Any other relevant information regarding what you thought going into the lab vs. what occurred
should be included as well. Upload the answers from questions 3-7 along with your 300-word reflection on the
lab to the appropriate PLATO dropbox by the due date (typically one week from the completion of the lab.
NOTES:
 Lincoln STT Parameters and Ranges
 Parameter Name: Range:
 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

Miller RMD Parameters and Ranges

 Parameter Name: Range:
 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

Fronius LSC Parameters and Ranges

 Parameter Name: Range:
 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences:

 Parameter Name: Range:

 What parameter influences: