Meet D17.2 Specifications
Meet MIL-SPEC specifications for resistance welding for Aerospace applications with the WeldComputer Adaptive Control
The WeldComputer Adaptive Control features automatically detect and correct welding problems, making it a perfect Control for any aerospace resistance welding manufacturer to improve their welding consistency and meet the requirements for MIL-SPEC welding.
- Better weld quality. Adjust welding in real-time to improve production reliability and remove variances regardless of your machine’s age.
- Reduce the need for destructive testing. Eliminate your reliance on costly destructive testing as a quality assurance testing method. Let the monitoring data identify bad welds for you.
- Cut out unnecessary maintenance. Focus on welding not maintenance. Let the Control tell you when to perform maintenance so you can improve throughput and minimize production downtime.
What is D17.2?
During the mid-1990s, the American Welding Association (AWS) D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries recognized the need to update the MIL-W-6858D Specification (MIL-SPEC) for resistance spot and seam welding. The intention was to elevate the industry’s welding practices to emphasize welding quality and precision while also establishing a fundamental resistance welding standard for aerospace hardware. The specification encompasses resistance spot and seam welding of various materials, including aluminum, magnesium, iron, nickel, cobalt, and titanium-based alloys. Additionally, D17.2 identifies qualification procedures, production witness samples, and acceptance criteria for aerospace hardware.
How Can WeldComputer help you meet AWS D17.2?
5.2.3 Alternate Testing Requirements.
As an alternate to the testing requirements of 5.2.2, a real-time non-destructive system may be used when it can be demonstrated that the test results are correlated with the production weld requirements approved by the Engineering Authority. As a minimum the system shall address: part fitup, precleaning, electrode monitoring, and in-process monitoring of critical process parameters. This system of controls shall include, but is not limited to, real time adaptive controls or in-process monitoring of critical process parameters to detect problems such as flattening electrodes, poor part fit-up and material surface variation. As a minimum, the system shall have the capability of identifying welds complying with strength or size requirements with 99.5% reliability.
How WeldComputer Helps:
Using a WeldComputer Adaptive Resistance Welding Control, you’ll be able to monitor every weld produced and instantly alert the operation when a problem weld is detected. By doing so, your operation can reduce your annual costs by eliminating destructive testing. Destructive testing has high material and labor costs and provides no information about any specific weld that is not destroyed. Therefore, monitoring every weld is the only way to prevent random problem welds from passing through production undetected.
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5.1.5.1 & 5.1.5.2
The Control adjustments shall apply from start to finish of the weld nugget formation. Any control adjustment made beyond the constraints set forth in 5.1.5 taken to minimize part damage during the occurrence of a welding fault shall be excluded as a condition that would require the establishment of a new certified welding procedure.
How WeldComputer Helps:
The WeldComputer Adaptive Control is able to automatically take corrective action to compensate for welding variables. By doing so, the Adaptive Control is able to minimize part damage and electrode degradation when expulsion occurs by instantly cutting off the weld heat within one millisecond of the detection of the event, and then immediately and automatically performing a repair weld operation to mediate the condition.
5.1.4.2
Use of in-process weld control monitoring capable of detecting when a micro-ohms shift outside of the specification range occurs may be substituted for the surface resistance checks as deemed appropriate by the Engineering Authority.
How WeldComputer Helps:
WeldComputer’s Adaptive control will automatically monitor the resistance of each weld as it is produced, and instantly alert the operation to any problems with the resistance of the parts being welded. This enables a manufacturer to reduce their reliance on manual surface resistance checks which can be unreliable and reduce worker productivity.
4.3.4 Maintenance of Equipment
For machine characteristics wherein the behavior of the machine can be monitored, and criteria exists for those monitored parameters that would trigger maintenance when required, such monitoring techniques may be employed in place of periodical machine inspection.
How WeldComputer Helps:
Periodic maintenance is a delicate balance: it must be timed just right. Performing it too soon or too late can both have drawbacks. Maintenance performed when it’s not needed (too soon) has negative consequences for your operation – increased downtime, lower productivity, unnecessary wear and tear on the machine, and in some instances it can lead to problems stemming from unneeded maintenance. On the other hand, waiting for the next scheduled maintenance interval to perform adjustments can reduce your quality over time, potentially allowing compromised welds to leave the production floor. The WeldComputer Adaptive Control can assist with this issue by proactively alerting the operator to any need for maintenance when it needs to be performed. Using the WeldComputer Control allows the manufacturer to remove the guesswork and unnecessary downtime as a result of maintenance, reducing their annual operation costs.
4.3.3 Jigs and Fixtures.
Jigs and fixtures that are necessary to support the resistance spot or resistance seam welding applications shall be deployed in a way that minimizes the variability of the welds produced (see Annex E2).
How WeldComputer Helps:
The WeldComputer Adaptive Control is able to improve weld consistency by adjusting the current to compensate for shunting conditions, as well as many other variations to achieve superior weld quality and consistency.
4.2.2.1
Preconditioning steps to compensate for fitup variations that involve the controlled application of heat and/or force may be employed, provided such actions are demonstrated to reduce weld variability from what would occur if such actions are not taken. Such preconditioning actions shall not be considered to represent an adjustment of the welding schedule parameters pursuant to 5.1.5.1 that are responsible for the actual formation of the weld nugget.
How WeldComputer Helps:
The WeldComputer Adaptive Control automatically compensates for fit-up problems in real-time by applying corrective measures such as adjusting current and electrode force, to ply the materials together prior to welding.
