Welding Problems and Solutions – Start with These 4 Things AMADA WELD TECH When it comes to resistance spot welding problems, I think I can say I have literally seen them all. I’ve been in the troubleshooting trenches for years and have worked to overcome weak welds, metal expulsion, and electrode sticking, as well as discoloration and sparking (there are many more!) Whenever I look at a problem, I begin by looking at the four most likely causes. I start with common material-related issues, and move on logically to electrode, weld head, and finally power supply-related issues. Here is a useful list of common problems within these areas: Material Related Poor plating of or oxidized dirty parts Poor projection design Parts mis-positioned Incompatible metals Requires cover gas Electrode Related Dirty electrodes Electrode tip shape Mushroomed electrodes Wrong electrode material Weldhead Related Poor weldhead follow-up Insufficient force Wrong polarity Excess force Power Supply Related Excess time Insufficient time Insufficient upslope Insufficient hold time Excess current/energy Insufficient squeeze time Insufficient current/energy Some colleagues and I have developed what we modestly think is a great tool for identifying welding problems and solutions for resistance spot welding applications. Just “spin the wheel” to get your issue to show up in the bottom area, and the tool gives you the likely causes, in order of priority. Click on the cause to see what action you should take. You can find this tool here. Category: Resistance Welding Tags: troubleshooting
