Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding is a fabrication process that fuses (or melts) non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, magnesium, copper or titanium together to create sturdy and permanent bonds.
During the welding process, a continuous solid wire electrode is heated and fed into a weld pool from the welding gun. As the solid wire material melts onto the edges of the surface being welded, a “join” or fusion takes place.
Two types of movement take place in a MIG welding gun:
- The solid wire electrode (which gets melted to create the weld) must be steadily fed through the welding gun.
- The welding gun also feeds a shielding gas alongside the wire electrode, which helps to protect the weld material from airborne contaminants.
This movement through the welding gun is accomplished by a PITTMAN motor, which steadily and evenly pushes the materials into the welding range. PITTMAN has many welding torch customers around the world.
-
Compact Size: diameters should be less than 30mm, to facilitate torch positioning and to prolong welder comfort.
-
Motors must be available in different voltage options, with a minimum service life over 3000 hours.
-
Stable, low noise, small vibration makes welding more regular
-
Large axial and radial forces, so that the wire will not slip
Typical Motion Solutions:
DC030B/ DC026C Brush Motor with Spur gearbox and Planetary gearbox
The DC026C series brush commutated DC motor is a 26 mm diameter unit, offered in 3 lengths with continuous output torques of 0.0134 to 0.0226 Nm.
Features:
- Speeds up to 10,000 RPM possible
- DC bus voltage up to 48 Vdc
- Eight standard windings – Special windings available
- 2 pole stator with neodymium magnets
- 7 slot skewed armature cogging reduction
- Ball bearings
- Copper graphite brushes – RFI suppression available
EC033A BLDC motor with Spur gearbox and Planetary gearbox
The EC033A series brushless DC motor is a high torque density model brushless motor in a 33 mm diameter housing, offered in 3 motor lengths with continuous torque from 0.025-0.06 Nm.
Features:
- Speeds up to 12,000 RPM
- DC bus voltage up to 60 Vdc
- 33mm diameter housing
- Eight standard windings - Special windings available
- 4 Pole Rare Earth design
The future of welding technology holds immense potential. Emerging advancements in laser welding and robotic systems will still require motor solutions from HKP to deliver high levels of precision, productivity and efficiency.
Even as AI-driven robotic technologies mature, there are few scenarios where robots will replace human welders, because experienced welders will always outperform robots when it comes to unique jobs that require complex decision-making. Many signs point to a promising future for welders. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to see 3% growth per year over the next 5 years for the employment of welders – potentially creating tens of thousands of jobs by the end of the decade.
Regardless of whether a MIG welding tool is wielded by a person or a robot, PITTMAN motors will be part of the solution. To learn more about PITTMAN motors contact us today