Making the welding industry safer through technology

Those who are expert welders know the dangers involved, but they may not really understand all the technology that went into making the industry safer than it’s ever been. For those who are perhaps thinking of renting equipment to do a home welding project or for those new to the industry, here are just a few ways that technology has made the industry much, much safer in recent years.

Hi-tech safety gear
In the last century, the big thing was polarised sunglasses that shielded the eyes of pilots when flying first generation airplanes. These caught on and now the advantages are well known and everyone is wearing them: from designer shades to sports fitness gear. It’s the same in protective safety for the eyes when welding. Companies like Foster Industrial offer the very latest technology in such things as auto darkening helmets that are only made possible with today’s technology.

Technology for welder training and data storage
What about the computer side of things when it comes to welding and other potentially dangerous industries? Technology not only lets you control such things as auto shutoff features and temperature control but video technology has gone a long way in offering the type of training needed for apprentices. With colleges willing to look to new methods to train welders, products such as the Virtuweld Welding Simulator offer the potential to set up a welding bay in the classroom.

Students are able to be trained in butt, lap and tee joints and improvement monitored by a weld log file. The Virtuweld offers the user the chance to test their manual dexterity, utilising a virtual MIG torch and the ability to build a weld procedure specification. Everything is viewed on a 20” monitor, so there is absolutely no chance of getting arc eye from a welding flash.

Innovation in gas cylinder design
Industrial Gas bottle fire or explosion is a very real danger for all welding fabrication shops. This is why Air Product’s innovative Integra gas cylinder ticks a lot of boxes. The gas regulator is integrated into the gas cylinder and protected by a guard. This has a two fold benefit, if the cylinder topples over the cylinder valve is protected and secondly, the customer doesn’t have to think about buying, repairing or calibrating the regulator. Oxygen and acetylene cylinder (the most volatile) are also fitted with integral flashback arrestors, so all the customer’s safety concerns are addressed. The Integra cylinders are also more lightweight than conventional bottles meaning manual handling concerns are addressed to.

Sapce age materials
Without listing each and every one of them, we can thank technology for space age materials that are the protective barrier between extreme temperatures and the human body. Just as those auto darkening helmets protect the eyes from extremes in light, so too do space age materials protect the skin from flying sparks and hot metal.

From hi-tech gauges to space age fabrics, technology has made advances in welding possible. Not only is safety an issue, but so too is the speed and accuracy with which the welder can complete routine jobs. Hi-tech controls ensure that synergic type welding equipment is pre-programmed to weld a particular type of material, and auto timers ensure welding arc power is only switched on when demanded. Although welding is just one industry that has benefitted significantly from technology, it is one of the industries where innovation not only aids function but safety as well.