African Fusion March 2017

March 2017

AFRICAN FUSION

Above:

The VRTEX® 360 is Lincoln Electric’s most advanced simulation trainer.

Right:

Lincoln’s REALWELD® Advanced Trainer

engages students in real welding, but it includes all of the coaching features associated with VRTEX simulation.

Left:

Used

with advanced welding equipment such as the Power Wave® C300, REALWELD exposes students to the advanced manufacturing

technologies used in today’s industry.

from virtual to real welding

sumables. The system includes

introductory welding lessons,

including safety, machine and

process selection, welding

procedure set up, welding

theory and more.

A version one up from

Engage is VRTEX Mobile™,

designed to provide mobility

in an easy to use and engaging weld-

ing training tool. The VRTEX Mobile is

ideal for initial, basic welding training,

as a recruitment tool for education and

industry, for employment and screening

for human resources, or as anevaluation

tool for instructors and educators to get

a baseline on student skills.

The VRTEX 360 is Lincoln Electric’s

most advanced welding simulation

trainer. With an innovative full-scale

welding table, student can practice in

all positions. Coupons are available for

a great number of welding joints, includ-

ing pipe and pipe on plate.

Inaddition, through theExtensions

Upgrade Program, the VRTEX 360 can

grow with the training programme. The

systemhas abend test capability, carbon

steel, stainless steel andaluminiumweld

simulation routines, DemoMode toshow

optimal welding technique and Replay

Mode to play back the trainees’ weld

performance from any angle.

“People think the systems are ex-

pensive,” continues Lamotte, “ but

training itself is expensive and these

machines are very cost-effective when

used to complement a high quality

training programme. While saving time

and consumables, they give welding

students live and continuous feedback

aboutwhere they gowrong, whichaccel-

erates skills development and success

rates significantly,” he explains.

REALWELD: The next step

By adding a REALWELD® Advanced

Trainer to a welding programme, train-

ing speed and results canbe accelerated

even further. “This system involves real

arcs and real welding, but it includes all

of the coaching features associatedwith

VRTEX simulation. It takes the student

out of the classroom, but maintains

continuity with the skills development

approach completed in the virtual

world,” Uys explains.

Used with advanced welding equip-

ment such as the Power Wave® C300,

REALWELD exposes students to the

advanced manufacturing technologies

used in today’s industry. This is accom-

panied by audio coaching, instructor

reviews and objective scores based on

five welding parameters: weld speed,

torch angles, aim, contact tip to work-

piece distance/arc length and the posi-

tion in the weld seam. Audio cues can

also be turned off at any time, allowing

the student or prospective employee to

demonstrate learned behaviours.

“REALWELD is ideal for the student

starting to learn how to weld and we

see its main function as a training tool.

But it can also be used it to validate the

skills of experienced welders based on

specific welding procedures or approv-

als,” Uys adds.

As well as the GMAW (MIG) process,

SMAW (stick) and FCAW processes can

be accommodated. The system has a

multi-pass monitoring capability for fil-

let, flat and vertical positions and pipe

and pipe to flange welding can also be

accommodated.

“REALWELD uses motion sensors,

not cameras. This means that ideal ma-

nipulation and weld path parameters

are constantly being analysed, which is

far more useful than simply recording

video footage of the welding.

“With the REALWELD system, feed-

back is immediate and accurate, which

will obviously speed up the skills devel-

opment process,” Uys argues.

“This revolutionary training ap-

proach allows each student in the mod-

ern training centre to have their own

personal live coach in a training cubical

with fume extraction, a real welding

machine and real welding conditions

and positions,” Uys tells

African Fusion

adding that the trainer’s role is changed

to recording, analysing the results and

identifying next steps in the programme.

As part of its commitment to im-

prove welding training standards in

South Africa, Lincoln Electric will be

hosting a training seminar at its Weld

Technology Centre in Midrand during

May this year.

“Training standards in South Africa

can be improved. The combination of

VRTEX and REALWELD offers an alterna-

tive approach that is already proving

highly effective in the US,” concludes

Lamotte.