A system for controlling a weld-current in an arc welding apparatus for short arc welding comprising a current regulator included in a voltage feedback loop from a power supply to a welding electrode and a ramp generator arranged to provide current ramps during a short circuit phase at said welding electrode.

A system for controlling arc length by regulating short circuit events during a welding process includes a welding power supply configured to conduct a free flight transfer pulsed arc welding process between a welding electrode and a workpiece, and a controller operatively connected to the welding power supply to control a welding waveform of the free flight transfer pulsed arc welding process. The controller is configured to automatically determine whether or not tethered incipient short circuits are included in said welding waveform, monitor a short circuit event characteristic during the free flight transfer pulsed arc welding process, and automatically adjust, based on said short circuit event characteristic, at least one parameter of said welding waveform to regulate tethered incipient short circuiting of the welding electrode to the workpiece during the free flight transfer pulsed arc welding process after determining that tethered incipient short circuits are included in said welding waveform.

A welding system has a welding current source providing a process parameter that varies periodically with a period; a process controller specifying the period of the process parameter; a power unit; a sensor for acquiring process variables when triggered and/or a process actuator for influencing process parameters when triggered; and a port connecting the sensor and/or the process actuator to the welding current source. At least one of the sensor and the process actuator is triggered by the periodically varying process parameter according to a predefined trigger condition. A user interface connected to the welding current source is operable to specify the predefined trigger condition for triggering the sensor and/or the process actuator within the period of the process parameter and to set a defined trigger signal. If the predefined trigger condition is satisfied, the defined trigger signal is transferred via the port to the sensor and/or the process actuator.

Embodiments of systems and methods to relate welding wire to a welding power source are disclosed. One embodiment is a wire docking station for use in a welding environment. The wire docking station includes a loading platform configured to accept a replaceable source of consumable welding wire, and a scale configured to generate a weight status of the source of consumable welding wire when docked with the loading platform. The wire docking station also includes a communication module and a contact mechanism configured to form an electrical connection between the source of consumable welding wire and the communication module. The communication module includes a transmitter configured to transmit docking station data as current draw pulses to a welding power source over the consumable welding wire of the source of consumable welding wire.

A system for controlling a weld-current in an arc welding apparatus for short arc welding comprising a current regulator included in a voltage feedback loop from a power supply to a welding electrode and a ramp generator arranged to provide current ramps during a short circuit phase at said welding electrode.

A system for controlling a weld-current in an arc welding apparatus for short arc welding comprising a current regulator included in a voltage feedback loop from a power supply to a welding electrode and a ramp generator arranged to provide current ramps during a short circuit phase at said welding electrode.

A welding regime may implements cyclic short circuits under a closed loop voltage control approach. Upon clearing or imminent clearing of the short circuit, a current recess is implemented. The current recess reduces the current that would otherwise be applied to the weld, resulting in multiple benefits. The recess may be implemented by suspending voltage command signals. Following the current recess, normal control is resumed with the then-current voltage command.

A welding system comprises a welding power source that provides an alternating current in a selected wave form having a set of positive and negative portions, the negative portion consisting of a peak, tailout, and background phase, and the positive portion consisting of a peak, tailout, and background; wherein the power source provides an upward ramping current during the pinch and detachment phase, switches to an electrode negative current during the negative peak, tailout, and background phases, and switches to a subsequent electrode positive portion; wherein, the positive portion may repeat prior to the next shorting event.

A system may include a current source; a first metal or alloy component with a first major surface electrically coupled to the current source; a second metal or alloy component with a second major surface electrically coupled to the current source; a metal or alloy powder disposed in at least a portion of the joint region; and a controller. The first and second major surfaces may be positioned adjacent to each other to define a joint region. The controller may be configured to cause the current source to output an alternating current that passes from the first component, through at least a portion of the metal or alloy powder, into the second component. The frequency of the alternating current may be configured to cause standing electromagnetic waves within at least a portion of the particles of the metal or alloy powder.

A system may include a current source; a first metal or alloy component with a first major surface electrically coupled to the current source; a second metal or alloy component with a second major surface electrically coupled in series to the first component and the current source via an external electrical conductor, where the first and second major surfaces are positioned adjacent to each other to define a joint region; a metal or alloy powder disposed in at least a portion of the joint region; and a controller. The controller may be configured to cause the current source to output an alternating current that conducts through the first component and the second component to induce magnetic eddy currents, magnetic hysteresis, or both within at least a portion of the metal or alloy powder disposed in at least the first portion of the joint region.