Next Steps in Capacitive Discharge Welding

Taylor-Winfield Technologies, Inc. (Youngstown, OH) has announced their exclusive license agreement with Germany-based Kapkon GmbH to offer Capacitive Discharge (CD) power supplies equipped with their Multi-Capacitor Source (MCS) system to the North American marketplace. Capacitive Discharge (CD) welding is frequently used in parts production applications such as transmission components or joining nuts and studs to vehicle structural pillars with different material types and wall thickness combinations. Until now, control of the CD welding current was determined by the design characteristics of the machine, the current capacity of the capacitors, the design of the transformer and the inductance of the welding current circuit. Variation of the welding parameters is only possible to a limited degree via the charging voltage of the capacitors. These tightly restricted limits can now be expanded with the MCS system.

This system allows for greater flexibility in the settings of the weld power (comparing single pulse welding to multi-pulse sequences) by dividing the capacitors into four individual and independently controlled capacitor banks. With four capacitor banks connected in parallel, it is now possible to specifically influence the output of the welding current with the MCS system. This allows the system to customize the process control for a specific joining task. For example, a capacitance change can take place without mechanical adjustment. Furthermore, it is possible to simulate the progressions of the welding current using software connected with the welding system. Included with the MCS system is Kapkon’s Q-Check quality system that automatically monitors up to ten process parameters. The monitoring focuses on the evaluation of the dynamic displacement signal, which is supplemented by the voltage and resistance curve.

Taylor-Winfield will build all CD welding machines with Kapkon power supplies and transformers. “This relationship between these two companies is mutually beneficial,” explained Blake Rhein, the vice president of sales and marketing at Taylor-Winfield. “Kapkon power supplies with MCS and the Q-Check system directly aligns with our mission of bringing advanced material joining process solutions to our customers to help them succeed in their markets.” In addition to offering the latest breakthrough capacitor discharge power supplies, all Taylor-Winfield machines have the ability to be “smart” machines. This remote connectivity service, called TWConnect, makes off-site diagnostics and problem solving simple. This service gives customers the immediate ability to monitor data and diagnostics from geographically dispersed locations. In addition, real-time errors and diagnostic messages can be remotely viewed by company engineers to troubleshoot an issue and get the machine back into production. This online service helps to minimize or eliminate the need for onsite service, which reduces customer downtime and expensive service trips.

Taylor-Winfield Technologies, Inc., 3200 Innovation Place, Youngstown, OH 44509, 330-259-8500, Fax: 330-259-8538, taylor-winfield.com.