Stud welding is not the same as other types of welding including MIG, TIG, and gas welding processes. Generally, most companies assume that their employees have the ability to use a stud welder gun correctly without the need to have a specific employee training on the methods.
However, with just as short training or discussion, it is possible to quickly teach everyone on the job how to correctly use this equipment. It can also help to extend the life of the stud welder gun, power supply, and cables. Even with the fixture mounted tools having a general understanding of the equipment will allow employees to have a better understanding of signs of problems or issues with the welds.
Keep It Simple
The purpose of the stud welder gun is to keep the process of attaching weld studs simple. The new devices are designed to allow for easy and quick setting for different applications and use needs.
One of the biggest mistakes that occur is when operators either fail to make the necessary adjustments when changing jobs or when the alter the pre-settings to try to “tweak” the gun. There is no benefit in increasing plunge or decreasing the time of the arc and, in fact, it will weaken the final weld and result in a poorly formed fillet.
Heat Issues
Heat is needed from the arc to melt both the ignition tip of the stud weld as well as the surface of the base material. The heat is generated by the arc, not through a specific amount of time spent during that phase of the stud welding process.
If resulting weld is incomplete or only under the center of the stud welds, operators typically consider this to be a power and time issue. In fact, it is a lift problem, but it can be easily corrected with an adjustment.