How Anti Spatter Spray Cut Post-Weld Cleanup Time in Half

In welding operations, an effective and efficient use of resources is key. Whether your business operates in the construction, metal fabrication, automotive manufacturing, shipbuilding or oil & gas sector, there will always be room for improvement in terms of producing goods more quickly and at lower costs while increasing productivity with reduced downtime. One area of welding that many companies overlook when seeking to improve welding efficiency, is the amount of time needed for post-weld cleanup. Too much weld spatter can cause production delays, injury to surfaces and/or increase finishing expense. To overcome these post-weld cleanup challenges, many companies today are using anti-spatter spray which is a simple yet very effective solution for reducing post-weld cleaning and helping increase overall productivity. The following article reviews findings from one company that utilized anti-spatter spray to reduce the amount of time required for post-weld cleanup by (nearly) 50 % while simultaneously; improving the quality of their welded parts, improving their equipment's performance and improving their operational efficiency. Challenge - Excessive Weld Spatter and Production Delays A UAE-based metal fabrication company, engaged in structural steel projects, had a growing production problem. The welding team regularly experienced excessive levels of weld spatter during the course of their MIG welding operations. There were multiple operational challenges caused by the spatter problem such as, Increased time to grind and clean Increased labour cost Surface damage to the finished products Frequent clogging of welding nozzles Reduced welding productivity The welders were spending a large proportion of their workday removing spatter from the surface of the metals and also cleaning their welding equipment. They have also discovered that although the welding speed was normal, the post-weld clean-up had been slowing down the production rate and delaying the completion schedule of their projects. This type of situation is very typical of most industrial operations that utilise welding as being integral to their manufacturing and fabrication processes. What Causes Weld Spatter? Weld spatter is the result of molten-metal particles that are ejected as a result of welding. The main cause for excessive spatter includes: Incorrect voltage Incorrect wire-feed speed Contaminated surfaces Low quality consumables Lack of protective anti-spatter solutions In high-volume industrial applications, there will always be some degree of weld spatter, despite optimally configured welding parameters. If no protective measures are in place, weld spatter will adhere to: Your workpieces Welding fixtures Your nozzles Contact tips Surrounding equipment Manually removing these metal deposits can be very labourious and time-consuming. The answer: Introducing Anti Spatter Spray To make operations more efficient, the fabrication company added a professional anti-spatter spray to their welding process. Anti-spatter spray forms a protective layer around the welded area that will keep hot spatter from permanently sticking. These surfaces included: Weld Nozzles Contact Tips Fixtures Metal surfaces around weld seams Within days, the welding team was amazed at how much spatter they were able to remove. In addition to having to grind off hardened spatter, the workers were able to simply wipe off any loose spatter after the weld was made. The outcome: Cleanup time was reduced by almost 50%! With the implementation of anti-spatter spray on a continuous basis throughout their production lines, the company saw an increase in overall production efficiency. Key performance indicators included: Almost 50% reduction in post-weld clean-up time Faster welding processes Less need for grinding and polishing Lower costs for consumables Improved appearance of welds By reducing clean-up time, workers could spend more time on production instead of doing the finishing touches after t...