The importance of calibration for welding machines

If you want to guarantee that the quality of your welding equipment is up to scratch in the long term, you’ll need to calibrate them on a regular basis. For companies working with welding technology, it is essential that systems deliver consistent welding results without fail throughout their service life.

The process of calibrating welding systems involves them being connected up to a calibration station to have their voltage, amperage, and wire feed speed measured. It is also an option to determine the gas flow rate of the welding current source. The calibration software analyzes the values recorded for your welding systems and compares them against the standard specifications in order to identify the discrepancy between the two. This result must fall within the permissible tolerances as set out by the European (EN) 50504 standard, “Validation of arc welding equipment.” If the results of the calibration process are not acceptable, the necessary measures will need to be taken. If a company does not take these required steps, they should not continue to use the welding machine for production—not least based on considerations surrounding quality assurance and product liability.

Benefits and Requirements

As a general rule, MIG/MAG, manual metal arc welding, and WIG systems can be calibrated. Metal-processing companies certified to a standard are required to calibrate their welding equipment on a regular basis. The standards covered here include the ISO 9000 series as well as EN ISO 3834-2, which set out the principles for the quality assurance process for welded products. EN 1090 defines the production standards and CE markings for steel and aluminum supporting structures. A manufacturer who complies with the standards will find themselves in a position to gain their customers’ trust and to build up a reputation as a professional enterprise. Not to mention that being able to prove calibration has been performed can come in handy in the event of complaints.

There’s no denying that regular system maintenance comes at a cost. But it’s nothing compared to the price you will pay if you cannot prove that your production process is in line with the standards in the event of damage occurring. Remember that accidents can cause harm to people as well as steel constructions. With that in mind, it is a company’s responsibility toward their customers to guarantee product quality and regularly calibrating welding machines is the first step on the path to achieving this.

TIP: Combining safety inspections with calibration is an effective way of saving time and money.

If you’re interested in finding out more about calibration, head over to the Fronius-website to read up on our services.