March 27, 2014—Elektron announced this week that it has released the TrueAutoMode, a fully automatic spot welding system that the company says is the first of its kind in the industry.
The TrueAutoMode automates the welding process to provide “perfect, OEM-approved spot welds every time,” according to an Elektron release.
“As vehicle manufacturers use a wider range of high-strength steels, exotic metals and proprietary manufacturing processes, repairing ‘sheet metal’ gets more complex every day,” explains Mickey Swartz, director of global product management, collision, for Elektron parent company Vehicle Service Group (VSG). “TrueAutoMode takes the pressure off of the technician. When using an Elektron spot welder that’s TrueAutoMode driven, virtually all the technician has to do after preparing the metal is position the welding gun. There is no input needed — TrueAutoMode automatically controls all welding parameters, adjusting as necessary for changes in material composition and thickness, interference factors, and resistance.”
TrueAutoMode automatically detects which tools (electrodes and arms) are in use and makes any necessary adjustments as it welds. Other “automatic” welders still require technicians to stop and program the welder every time they change tips. Some systems also require the technician to enter additional information, such as the vehicle being repaired, sheet thickness and/or the type of weld.
TrueAutoMode measures weld resistance approximately 1,000 times per second and automatically adjusts current level, weld time and clamp pressure as needed. It provides instant feedback to the technician if there’s a bad weld and can log every weld. At the end of a job, it can print out a report that includes information on the settings, messages and actual weld parameters of every weld.
More information about TrueAutoMode can be found online.
