Rechargable Welding System Lets Users Make High-Quality Welds Anywhere
The new Fronius (Portage, IN) AccuPocket 150/400 Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) system from Fronius USA utilizes high-performing lithium-ion rechargeable batteries to provide a high-powered quality weld almost anywhere. The first of its kind, weighing less than 25 pounds, the AccuPocket gives users unprecedented freedom of movement in manual electrode and TIG welding, resulting in a more productive and efficient operation without sacrificing quality.
The integral rechargeable battery can momentarily deliver above-average high short-circuit currents during a weld job when necessary, which prevents electrode-sticking.
The system’s battery takes only 30 minutes to recharge to more than 90 percent of its total capacity, and just 50 minutes to fully charge. The ActiveCharger, a unique battery charging system designed for recharging the AccuPocket, is specially tailored to the requirements of the welding unit and based on the company’s Active Inverter Technology. An intelligent control system using AccuBoost Technology ensures the battery and the welding electronics work in sync, resulting in superior welds, better job efficiency and reduced maintenance work compared to mains-only powered SMAW welding units.
“Due to the unit’s compact dimensions and sturdy design and construction, AccuPocket is the ideal solution for repair welding or site-erection work in remote terrain where there is no direct access to a main electrical source,” said Gerald Obritzberger, director sales/marketing at the Fronius USA Welding Technology Division. “Although it weighs less than 25 pounds, the rechargeable battery delivers rated energy of nearly 400 watt hours.”
Major advancements in welding technology and the latest high-performance rechargeable batteries in the welding system provide improvements in ignition properties, arc stability and arc dynamics. The integral rechargeable battery can momentarily deliver above-average high short-circuit currents during a weld job when necessary, which prevents electrode-sticking. AccuBoost electronics ensure high welding voltage at high power, which prevents the arc from breaking.
Compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries, the rechargeable batteries used in the AccuPocket (lithium-iron-phosphate, LiFePO4) have the highest safety and environmental compatibility currently available, lower self-discharge and no memory effect. Built-in battery-management functions and the specially adapted external ActiveCharger – with Active Inverter Technology that detects the state of the battery and optimally adapts the charging characteristic – together ensure safe operation and long battery-cell life.
In addition to the normal battery operation, the welding system can operate in hybrid mode while attached to the ActiveCharger or run from a generator. During run-times, the energy from the battery is used to ensure a constant arc under all operating conditions while battery welding off-times are used for recharging.
The battery exercises a buffering function which lessens the load on the supply network, in turn preventing the annoyance of circuit-breakers being tripped at the jobsite. The AccuPocket won the 2013 Red Dot Award for Product Design and the Plus X award for innovation, design, quality and function.
