Grant: Alliance Grants

The use of gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is one of the most popular welding technologies in use today since it is easily automated in manufacturing. However, it is prone to disruption since metal spatter from the arc can disrupt the process when it accumulates on the torch nozzle, or degrade surface finish of complete parts. This partnership between the University of Waterloo (UW) and Nasarc Technologies, Inc. in Waterloo will develop new welding technologies to benefit the Canadian manufacturing landscape involving metal fabrication with GMAW. The proposed work will deliver on two main goals: i) optimizing a system to deliver much higher quality GMAW which is free of spatter, and ii) introduce novel machine-learning based strategies to increase reliability. These will be coupled in a new product which will enable Nasarc to gain a major advantage over other competitors in the welding industry, by avoiding the problems of spatter along with allowing for defect monitoring. The new power supply will help address the formation of spatter, by reducing the formation using various design strategies. The higher level of quality will enable Canadian manufacturers to gain a competitive advantage by reducing defect rates, increasing productivity, and reducing costs due to rejected components. New trainees will also be trained to identify methods to improve welding quality and support welding engineering in various metal fabrication industries.