Welding sample trials: what to test and how to accept the result
How to choose representative parts, write acceptance criteria before the trial and keep a record that still means something after delivery.
WeldOrigin Editorial ·
Welding equipment buying guides
Read about equipment selection, compare published information and explore related manufacturers.
Welding fixtures and tooling for cells and special machines
Why clamps, electrodes, nests and horns decide whether an automated welding machine works on your parts, and what to settle about tooling scope and ownership before ordering.
WeldOrigin Editorial ·
Welding duty cycle ratings: what the percentage and current tell you
How to read 40 °C, ten-minute duty points, find the continuous current and spot ratings that need a question before you compare machines.
WeldOrigin Editorial ·
Verifying welding equipment certificates: what each document proves
How to read CE declarations, CCC, ISO 9001 certificates, standards-drafting records and historical company listings when sourcing welding machines from China.
WeldOrigin Editorial ·
Ultrasonic plastic welding: stacks, joint design and process choice
How the ultrasonic stack works, what decides whether a part can be welded, and when hot-plate, spin or vibration welding is the better route.
WeldOrigin Editorial ·
Reading a welding power source nameplate, line by line
Supply phase and voltage, input current, no-load voltage, VRD, IP code and insulation class, explained with values from published Chinese machines.
WeldOrigin Editorial ·
Laser welding cells: sources, heads, tracking and safety
What actually separates one laser welder from another, from fit-up limits and source options to seam tracking, enclosures and laser classification.
WeldOrigin Editorial ·
Comparing welding equipment quotations like for like
How to turn offers with different models, scopes, services and delivery terms into one comparison that reflects the same finished capability.
WeldOrigin Editorial ·
Start with the decision you need to make
Welding equipment purchasing involves a component, a process and a supplied system. The process briefs below organize those questions before you compare machines or request a quotation. Each one gives the selection questions and a quotation checklist; your own engineers still set the welding procedure.
Choose a process-specific brief
- MIG / MAG: configuration questions, quotation checklist and example enquiry
- TIG: configuration questions, quotation checklist and example enquiry
- MMA / Stick: configuration questions, quotation checklist and example enquiry
- Laser welding: configuration questions, quotation checklist and example enquiry
- Resistance welding: configuration questions, quotation checklist and example enquiry
- Welding automation: configuration questions, quotation checklist and example enquiry
Move from a drawing to a comparable quotation
Begin with material grade, thickness, joint geometry, part variation and access constraints. Explain the production sequence and facility supply, then ask each supplier to identify its proposed model and included system. Use the same drawing revision and delivery boundary across offers. Where a value is not published, ask for it rather than borrowing a figure from another model.
Keep three records side by side
A published specification tells you what the maker states for a model. A supplier proposal tells you what it offers for your job. A representative trial shows what happened on your parts under stated conditions. Keep all three, and tie any revised quotation to the configuration used in the trial. Ask for a trial on your own parts before relying on a video or a similar job.
Prepare the handover questions early
Ask which manuals, spare-part information, training and installation support are included. For automation, identify programme handover, interfaces, fixtures and service responsibilities. For laser equipment, arrange competent review of the actual installation and system documentation. Put these items in the purchasing scope before you compare prices.
Who writes these guides
Guides are written by WeldOrigin Editorial. Each one lists its sources and the date they were checked. Send a correction if something has changed.