Inadequate or No Gun Equalization

Definition

The welder is not able to close on the workpiece with approximately equal force on each tip.

Description

An equalizing system compensates for welding conditions in which the closing weld tips are offset from the plane of the workpiece (Fig. 1). As one of the tips first touch the workpiece, a force is created that slides or rotates the gun to a position that centers the gun tips about the workpiece (Fig. 2).

Detection

• Excessive Indentation
• Poor Class A Appearance
• Sheet Metal Distortion
• Deformation or movement of workpiece when the welder is closed prior to current flow
• Excessive mechanical wear or stress in equipment
• Excessive weld zone distortion
• Unequal weld indentation

Significance

Quality, Workplace Issues, Cost, Downtime, Maintenance, Throughput (cycle time; PPH), are all potentially affected by this condition.

Subordinate Causes

• Wrong Cables/Shunts
• Inoperative equalization mechanism
• Equalization spring too stiff
• Workpiece outside of the equalization mechanism's range
• No equalizer