Based on Industry 4.0, Welding 4.0 outlines the digital networking and visual representation of a welding company's value creation process. The aim is to maximize efficiency and quality in planning, production, quality management, welding supervision and administration. To this end, welding management systems network any number of MIG/MAG and TIG welding machines in a company and allow them to communicate - even in real time - with the PCs in the planning, administration and welding supervision offices via LAN/WLAN or USB stick. This results in numerous evaluation possibilities and options for optimizing specific production processes that were previously almost impossible to implement.

The extent to which a company can benefit from Welding 4.0 depends in particular on its certification and product diversity: EN 1090 in the 1st or a higher design class, standard or customized workpieces? Professional Welding 4.0 welding management systems such as ewm Xnet 2.0 have a modular structure and can be individually adapted to the actual requirements on site.

Perfect for qualified welding processes: With the WPQ-X Manager from ewm Xnet 2.0, precise welding procedure specifications (WPS) can be quickly created on a PC and transmitted to a welding machine. © EWM

Cost estimates for welded constructions are still often calculated on the basis of perceived empirical values. Whether stairs, canopies or steel halls - "pi times thumb" usually works approximately. Ewm Xnet 2.0, on the other hand, provides all calculation-relevant data for exact quotations. Among other things, the system records the effective arc time and the demand for electricity, gas and filler materials. This information is based on the company's previous projects, in which the welding management software determined the values and stored them centrally.

A few mouse clicks on the system's platform-independent, browser-based interface are all it takes to call up the calculation. Even simple questions are answered, for example: What does it cost to produce one meter of weld seam in a specific welding process already documented in the company? This documentation and evaluation function of ewm Xnet 2.0 (Module 1) is already worthwhile for companies that are certified in the 1st execution class of EN 1090 and manufacture a large number of different welding products.

Precise specifications for the welder - for every seam on every component

Efficiency under control: Thanks to ewm Xnet 2.0's component management, the welder can confirm a completed seam directly on the workpiece by pressing a button on the torch and start the next seam with the automatically correct settings. © EWM

Welding 4.0 becomes even more interesting for companies with certification in the 2nd or higher execution class of EN 1090. This is because where qualified welding procedures and processes as well as welding procedure specifications (WPS) are mandatory, the planning and documentation effort for the company increases enormously. WPS, for example, can be created and managed on the PC using the graphic editor of the WPQ-X Manager in ewm Xnet 2.0 (Module 2) by means of sketches and transmitted directly to the welding machine of the welder responsible. Before starting work, the welder identifies himself via his personal hardware key, the Xbutton, on the welding machine. If his qualification stored in the welder database corresponds to the required welding task, he can start work in accordance with the WPS. The welding management software permanently documents both the actual welding parameters and the welder's qualification. In this way, the company fulfills its documentation obligation. Welding 4.0 even makes it possible to determine and qualify each individual step of welding production in advance and document it in real time during production. This is what the component management of ewm Xnet 2.0 (Module 3) does: Component drawings are imported here directly from CAD or newly created. In the next step, the welding supervisor defines the welding sequence plan and assigns a WPS to each individual weld seam. Thanks to the program's many useful functions, work preparation is very quick. The welder then scans a barcode printed out by the office and the connected welding machine automatically receives all relevant data about the component and welding tasks via ewm Xnet 2.0. If specified, the welding machine even sets the welding process parameters for the respective seam according to the order. The welder then only needs to confirm the respective completion after each bead or layer by pressing the up/down button on the torch. The component management module of ewm Xnet 2.0 is particularly interesting for companies that manufacture a wide variety of products. The concrete advantages for a medium-sized company: significantly less preparatory work for the welding supervisor, minimized set-up time for the welder, assured quality thanks to defined parameter specifications and detailed traceability of each bead/layer thanks to automatic digital documentation. Component management also opens up maximum evaluation options for post-calculation and controlling: as each individual weld seam produced is assigned to a component or order, detailed, order-related insights are possible at any time: for example, how much time, gas, electricity and wire were used for a single railing section or for a specific beam with connecting plates?

Simple data transfer - up-to-date online and offline

With ewm Xnet 2.0, the welding machines can exchange data with a central server online via LAN/WLAN or offline via USB stick. If you opt for LAN networking, the welding machines are connected to the company network via a stationary network cable. With the WLAN option, the connection is wireless via radio. Online networking with LAN/WLAN offers major advantages over data transfer via USB stick: From the office, the current operating status of all connected welding machines can be clearly displayed in real time as a list or site plan. For example, the welding supervisor can see at any time which device is currently welding which component, which parameters are set in detail and how far the work has progressed.

Any error messages from the welding equipment are also displayed immediately in the office, for example in the event of a wire feed malfunction. This allows prompt intervention, if necessary, to prevent welding faults that may go unnoticed over a longer period of time as a result of a malfunction or to minimize the costs of rectifying faults that have already occurred. The allocation of work can also be adjusted in real time to increase efficiency, for example if a welder is working faster than planned.