Real Time Monitoring of Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) Welding Process
Résumé
The CMT welding process was investigated in this work. The transfer of Al-4043
filler metal during welding was visualized using a high-speed camera with a green
laser as an illumination source. Three phases were identified during the transfer
cycle. A hot phase during which a molten droplet is formed on the end of the wire
electrode under a high current. A cold phase corresponds to the move of the wire
toward the weld pool. The contact between the droplet and the weld pool creates
a short circuit during which the material transfer is initiated and the arcing current
reduced. After a set time (in the middle of the short circuit phase), the wire is
retracted mechanically to contribute to the droplet detachment without increasing
in current welding. The effect of the current waveform on the metal transfer is
investigated too. The reduction in the hot phase duration of the current waveform
decreases the volume of liquid drops at the wire tip and allows to increase the
short-circuit frequency, inducing a similar or higher deposit rate.