Low-cost Open-Source Voltage and Current Monitor for Gas Metal Arc Weld 3-D Printing

[MOST]

Arduino open-source microcontrollers are well known in sensor applications for scientific equipment and for controlling RepRap 3-D printers. Recently low-cost open-source gas metal arc weld (GMAW) RepRap 3-D printers have been developed. The entry-level welders used have minimal controls and therefore lack any real-time measurement of welder voltage or current. The preliminary work on process optimization of GMAW 3-D printers requires a low-cost sensor and data logger system to measure welder current and voltage. This paper reports on the development of a low-cost open-source power measurement sensor system based on Arduino architecture. The sensor system was designed, built and tested with two entry-level MIG welders. The full bill of materials and open source designs are provided. Voltage and current were measured while making step-wise adjustments to the manual voltage setting on the welder. Three conditions were tested while welding with steel and aluminum wire on steel substrates to assess the role of electrode material, shield gas and welding velocity. The results showed that the open source sensor circuit performed as designed and could be constructed for <$100 in components representing a significant potential value through lateral scaling and replication in the 3- D printing community.



For more information, visit the project's page on Appropedia:
https://www.appropedia.org/Low-cost_...d_3-D_Printing

Download the paper here:
https://www.academia.edu/15282691/Lo...d_3-D_Printing

[Altair]

Thanks MOST! We've added your 3D Welder Current and Voltage Monitor to our 3D Printing category,
as well as to your builder page: MOST's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

3D Welder Current and Voltage Monitor by MOST

tags: welder

[wizard69]

I might st say Appropedia.org sucks as a way to distribute information about an open source project!

on the other hand this is a really cool circuit and has potential in a way that maybe they didn’t think of. I’m thinking in this way, add a display unit to allow monitoring old welders for operation voltage and current. Ideally it t would hold the current reading so that one could flip the hood to see what the machine is actually running at. On old weoders this would provide a sound way to log old process settings.