CONTACT TIPS REDUCE ARC START FAILURES BY UP TO 50 PERCENT
To reduce arc start failures that can lead to costly rework and downtime in robotic welding applications, Tregaskiss (Windsor, ON, Canada) offers its SureStart? contact tips. According to extensive field trials and R&D lab tests, SureStart? contact tips reduce arc start failures by up to 50 percent and prevent early, unexpected burn backs, making them exceptionally reliable on even the most critical robotic welding applications.
These contact tips are especially beneficial for applications with a high volume of tacking and short welds using solid wire in CV (Constant Voltage) welding modes. SureStart? contact tips come in 20-count blister packages, which offer excellent protection against welding environment contaminants and can be easily stocked in facility vending machines.
SureStart? contact tips are designed for use on Tough Gun? Robotic MIG Guns, and are part of Tregaskiss' patented Tough Lock? Contact Tip family. They can be paired with Tregaskiss' Tough Lock Retaining Heads and offer all the same features and benefits as Tough Lock Contact Tips, including a dual lead-thread design that allows them to be rotated 180 degrees to create a new wear surface and extend their life.
SureStart? contact tips are available for multiple wire diameter sizes ranging from .030 in to .052 in. www.Tregaskiss.com
PREMIUM PUSH-PULL WELDING GUNS
Lincoln Electric (Cleveland, OH) has introduced two new premium push-pull welding guns models – the Panther? and Cougar?. Designed for demanding aluminum fabrication and production welding environments, both guns offer fatigue-reducing features, better protection and wear-resistant security, as well as fast changeover and easy repair features.
PANTHER? GOOSENECK GUNS
The Panther? semiautomatic, gooseneck-style, push-pull guns provide smooth wire feeding performance with exclusive dual-driven rolls for added pulling power without damaging the wire. They also feature a full-length internal wire conduit to minimize aluminum wire shaving. The gun's innovative ball-and-joint socket relieves operator strain, making the gun feel like an extension of the user's arm.
The gooseneck's Sure Grip? handle has a snag proof rear-mounted trigger and a multi-turn potentiometer to make precise wire feed speed changes. Its Quick-Mate? gun cables reduce downtime and can be upgraded to different lengths or water-cooled operation. The Panther's? tough leather cable cover prevents the power cable from chafing. Its electrically isolated gearbox and motor are protected to ensure long life and prevent drive roll micro-arcing.
COUGAR? PISTOL GRIP GUNS
The Cougar? is a semiautomatic gun intended for operators who prefer an upright pistol grip. Lincoln's Sure-Grip? handle is lightweight and well-balanced to fit comfortably in either hand. Other new features include refined wire feed speed adjustment and improved strain relief.
The refined wire feed speed adjustment features a multi-turn potentiometer that allows both left- and right-handed operators to make precise wire feed speed changes. The Cougar? also features enhanced trigger protection with a recessed gun trigger configuration designed to eliminate accidental breaking. The gun's abrasion-resistant cable cover prevents power cable from chafing and protection against wear from regular use.
Both Panther? and Cougar? guns are designed for fast, easy wire or drive roll changes and repair. Drive rolls can be removed and replaced without tools and the D-shaped inner diameter interface prevents unwanted drive roll spinning. In addition these guns share interchangeable parts and Lincoln Copper Plus? contact tips with Lincoln's new Magnum® PRO guns to minimize parts stocking. Copper Plus? tips offered by Lincoln are larger in diameter for improved heat dissipation to increase the life of each tip.
Lincoln Electric's Panther? and Cougar? welding guns are available at local welding distributors. www.lincolnelectric.com
DURA-FLUX OPTIONS FOR INCREASED VERSATILITY
Offering flux-cored welders increased durability, versatility and a simplified ordering process, Bernard Welding Equipment (Beecher, IL) announces several new improvements to its popular Dura-Flux self-shielded flux-cored welding gun.
Continuing Bernard's commitment to providing product lines that can be customized to the demands of nearly any application, customers can choose between a variety of trigger guards, cable lengths, neck styles and direct plugs to arrive at the ideal flux-cored gun for their application. Bernard now offers six different cable lengths (8 ft to 25 ft) and the choice between a small trigger guard and a large heat shield. The small trigger guard provides increased maneuverability and access to tight weld joints, whereas the large heat shield increases operator comfort by blocking radiant heat from the welding arc.
Recognizing the heavy-duty demands of some self-shielded flux-cored applications, Bernard is also offering an optional heavy-duty contact tip insulator that will be included along with the standard insulator on all new gun purchases. The heavy-duty insulator has a thicker wall above the base of the tip and is longer than the standard insulator, providing increased heat resistance and allowing a shorter contact tip stickout to prevent arc-out against the side walls of deep joints.
The Dura-Flux also offers direct plugs for Miller, Lincoln, Euro and Tweco 4 wire feeders, allowing customers to use the gun with all of the major wire feeders commonly used in self-shielded flux-cored applications. www.bernardwelds.com
EASE MIG GUN CONSUMABLES SELECTION
To help customers make an easier, better-informed decision when selecting their MIG gun consumables, Tregaskiss (Windsor, ON, Canada) offers a new 12-page, full-color Consumables Catalog.
This Consumables Catalog provides detailed information on the company's premium consumable offering, most of which comprise Common Consumable Platforms and are useable for both semi-automatic and robotic MIG guns. The catalog includes specific information on Tregaskiss' popular Tough Lock? Consumable System, as well as specialty products like its Surestart Contact Tips, which have been designed to reduce arc-start failures on robotic applications. Other products detailed in the catalog are Tregaskiss' MIG gun nozzle offering and its Quick Load? Liners.
In addition to providing important feature and benefits for its consumable offering, Tregaskiss has also included a new one-page reference chart that outlines additional technical information and shows compatibility between its most commonly used nozzles, retaining heads and contact tips. www.Tregaskiss.com
FLEX-NECK TORCHES OFFER BETTER JOINT ACCESS
To help provide better joint access, Weldcraft (Appleton, WI) offers several TIG torches with flex-neck designs. The company's popular WP-9, WP-17 and WP-26 Series of air-cooled TIG torches all feature an optional 'F' or flex-neck model (e.g. WP-17F) for welding applications featuring limited joint access and/or difficult joint angles. Weldcraft also offers valved versions of each of these flex-neck torch models (e.g. WP-17FV) for use with power sources that do not have gas solenoids.
Weldcraft's WP-9F and WP-9FV torches have been designed for welding thin gauge materials – up to ¼ in – and offer 125 amp DC and 100 amp AC welding capacity at 60 percent duty cycle. The torches feature a lightweight body that adds to operator comfort and control, even when welding on hard-to-reach joints.
Adding to Weldcraft's flex-neck torch model offering are its WP-17F and WP-17FV TIG torches. Designed to provide high-capacity performance on thin- to medium-gauge materials, these torches provide 150 amp DC and 115 amp AC welding capacity and are ideal for both professional and hobbyist welding operators requiring better access to difficult joints. Weldcraft offers both of these WP-17 Series torches in 12.5 ft and 25 ft, one- or two-piece cable lengths and also has multiple accessory kits, cable covers and extension kits available.
Rounding out Weldcraft's offering of air-cooled flex-neck torch models are the WP-26F and WP-26FV, both 200-amp DC/150-amp AC torches (based on 60-percent duty cycle rating). These WP-26 torches have been designed with maximum performance and dependability in mind. They are ideal for use on heavy-duty continuous welding applications with limited joint access, and like the WP-9 and WP-17 models, are designed to adjust to any angle the welding operator needs.
The WP-9, WP-17 and WP-26 flex-neck torch models all feature reliable air-cooling capabilities that eliminate the need and expense of water-cooled systems. www.weldcraft.com
RETAINING HEADS UPGRADED WITH DUAL TAPER TECHNOLOGY
Adding to its already high-performing Tough Lock? Contact Tip System, Tregaskiss (Windsor, ON) upgraded the design of its Tough Lock Retaining Heads. At no additional cost to its customers, the Tough Lock Retaining Heads now feature Tregaskiss' Dual Taper Technology: a second rear taper between the gooseneck and the contact tip that further improves electrical conductivity and heat dissipation to provide consistent welding performance and extend the life of the Tough Lock consumables. The upgrade also complements the existing taper design between the retaining head and contact tip, which helps keep the tip secure, centered and cool.
As part of this Contact System, the new retaining head design complements the company's Tough Lock Contact Tips. These tips are machined with exceptionally tight tolerances and feature a dual-lead thread design that allows the tips to be rotated 180 deg to create a new wear position and extend tip life. These Tough Lock Contact Tips operate at cooler temperatures than many competitive tips, reducing wear and minimizing downtime for changeover.
Useable for both semi-automatic and robotic MIG guns, the Tough Lock System also acts as a Common Consumable Platform to help minimize inventory and reduce consumables cost. www.Tregaskiss.com
WATER-COOLED MIG GUNS AND CONSUMABLES INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY AND IMPROVE WELD QUALITY
Bernard Welding Equipment (Beecher, IL) introduces its customizable W?-series water-cooled MIG guns and new water-cooled Centerfire? consumables to meet the wide ranging needs of high-amperage, water-cooled MIG applications. Featuring exceptional durability and hundreds of possible configurations, W-Guns offer users their choice of neck style, cable length, handle style, consumables and direct plugs.
W-Guns feature a more-durable and easily replaced power pin housing with an improved coolant hose strain relief. The dedicated side-entry coolant channel and strain relief greatly reduce the potential for premature gun failure due to kinked coolant lines. Plus, a highly efficient coolant channel keeps the consumables cool under high-amperage, high-heat applications.
W-Guns are rated to 600 amps at 100 percent duty cycle and offer direct plug connections to all major wire feeder brands, including Miller, Lincoln, Tweco 4 and Euro.
Bernard's new water-cooled Centerfire consumables offer all of the durability, weld quality and productivity benefits of their air-cooled counterparts. Water-cooled, Centerfire consumables come with either a 1/8 in or ¼ in contact tip recess and feature a unique spatter shield that improves shielding gas flow to better protect the weld puddle and keeps spatter from clogging the shielding gas diffuser. www.bernardwelds.com
MULTIPLE GAS LENS STYLES IMPROVE TIG WELDING PERFORMANCE
To optimize shielding gas coverage and help ensure consistent, quality TIG welding performance, Weldcraft (Appleton, WI) offers multiple styles of precision-machined gas lenses. Available for both its WP Series and Crafter Series? air- and water-cooled TIG torches, these gas lenses are comprised of high quality materials that also provide superior current capacity and effectively dissipate heat for longer, trouble-free performance. The gas lenses fit competitive TIG torches as well.
The Weldcraft gas lens product line consists of three main styles: standard size, large diameter and 'stubby' to fit TIG torches with 10N or 13N series front-end parts and to accommodate tungsten electrode diameters ranging from .020 in to 5/32 in. Regardless of the style, each gas lens features durable screens that consistently direct the shielding gas flow around the weld puddle, minimizing weld defects and improving productivity. www.weldcraft.com
