OTC DAIHEN Welding Glossary & Core Parameters Guide

Whether you are a novice new to OTC DAIHEN welding equipment or a technician responsible for daily maintenance, mastering professional OTC welding terminology is a prerequisite for efficient troubleshooting and precise parameter setting. Anhui Oujie Automation has compiled this core welding glossary guide to help you quickly and thoroughly understand the welding process!

1. Welding Power Source & Equipment Interfaces

The equipment body is the heart of the entire welding system; understanding these terms aids in proper equipment selection and connection.

1. Arc Welding Power Source

The equipment that directly controls and outputs the electrical energy required for arc welding. In the industry, it is also commonly referred to simply as the “welding power source” or “welder.”

2. Robot-Dedicated Welding Power Source

Specifically designed for automated welding, featuring a built-in welding power source capable of direct communication and interfacing with industrial robots. Examples include OTC’s classic Welbee Inverter Series and D Series welding machines, which seamlessly integrate with the robot mainboard for precise control.

3. Welding Power Source Interface

The necessary conversion interface board added when you need to connect a “semi-automatic welding power source” that originally lacks robot communication capabilities to a robot. It acts as the crucial bridge for achieving fleet synchronization.

2. Arc & Gas Control

Arc stability directly determines the quality of the weld seam, making this the area where alarm codes are most frequently encountered during daily maintenance.

4. Arc Start

The process of establishing and igniting a stable arc at the exact moment welding officially begins.

5. Arc Start Failure

Refers to the failure to successfully establish an arc at the designated welding start point. Common troubleshooting causes include: poor electrical conduction due to impurities on the base metal surface, misaligned wire TCP (Tool Center Point), wire breakage or blockage, wire feeder faults, or poor power supply caused by a worn contact tip.

6. Arc Extinction

Refers to the phenomenon where the arc extinguishes abnormally during regular welding without the robot issuing an “arc stop” command. Common troubleshooting causes include: sudden wire breakage, severe blockage in the wire feed liner, wire burn-through, or poor contact tip connection.

7. Pre-flow

To prevent porosity at the moment of arc initiation, this is the action of pre-setting the shielding gas to blow from the welding torch nozzle for a few seconds before the arc is officially established.

3. Core Welding Parameters

These are the critical data values you will frequently need to adjust on the teach pendant or control panel.

8. Arc Voltage

Refers to the voltage across the two ends of the arc. Parameter Impact: Increasing the voltage lengthens the arc and widens the weld bead; while it effectively suppresses spatter, it can easily lead to poor weld overlap or porosity.

9. Welding Current

The heat indicator provided to melt the base metal and welding wire. Parameter Impact: Higher current results in deeper penetration. However, during thin plate welding, excessive current easily causes burn-through or distortion; simultaneously, as the wire melting rate increases, the leg size will correspondingly enlarge.

10. Welding Speed

The travel speed of the welding torch across the workpiece, typically expressed in cm/min (centimeters per minute). Parameter Impact: Excessive speed leads to insufficient heat input, resulting in a narrower weld bead, shallower penetration, loss of gas shielding, or even undercut. Conversely, moving too slowly easily forms weld overlaps (cold laps).

11. Welding Conditions

The comprehensive data set that determines the final welding result, covering all correlated parameters such as welding current, voltage, travel speed, and stick-out (contact tip to work distance).

12. WCR (Welding Current Relay)

Abbreviation for Welding Current Relay. In the robot system programming, it is commonly used as the signal name to feed back the “Welding Current ON/OFF” status.

4. Welding Termination & Defect Handling

Proper handling during the crater fill phase is crucial to preventing weld seam cracking.

13. Crater

The distinct depression formed at the end of a weld bead due to the rapid cooling and contraction of the molten pool. Improper treatment easily leads to crater cracks.

14. Crater Treatment

To fill the aforementioned crater, this is the process action of maintaining the arc for a brief period at the terminus using a lower current and voltage than the main welding parameters, after the primary welding path is completed.

15. Burnback / Sticking

The phenomenon where the incompletely cooled wire tip sticks firmly to the base metal at the exact moment welding ends. This is typically prevented by executing a wire retract during crater treatment or enabling the Anti-stick function.

16. Anti-stick

A feature specifically designed to prevent burnback/sticking. After welding concludes and wire feeding stops, the equipment applies a no-load anti-stick voltage to the wire. Once contact with the base metal is detected, the instantaneous short-circuit current uses resistance heating to melt and burn off the wire tip, perfectly preventing sticking.

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