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

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Source
A. Pinar, B. Wijnen, G. C. Anzalone, T. C. Havens, P. G. Sanders, J. M. Pearce. Low-cost Open-Source Voltage and Current Monitor for Gas Metal Arc Weld 3-D Printing. Journal of Sensors Vol. 2015, Article ID 876714, 8 pages, 2015. doi:10.1155/2015/876714 open access

Full hardware source available at: https://osf.io/k2jcv

Abstract

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.

Keywords

3-D printing, gas metal arc weld, GMAW, metal inert gas welding, MIG welding, power monitoring

See also

• Open-source metal 3-D printer
• MOST open-source metal 3-D printer v2
• Open Source Arc Analyzer: Multi-Sensor Monitoring of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
• Applications of Open Source GMAW-Based Metal 3-D Printing
• Slicer and process improvements for open-source GMAW-based metal 3-D printing
• 3D Metal Printing Slicer Plugin
• Integrated Voltage—Current Monitoring and Control of Gas Metal Arc Weld Magnetic Ball-Jointed Open Source 3-D Printer
• Substrate Release Mechanisms for Gas Metal Arc Weld 3D Aluminum Metal Printing - how to get your print off the substrate with a hammer
• In Situ Formation of Substrate Release Mechanisms for Gas Metal Arc Weld Metal 3-D Printing
• Hypoeutectic Aluminum–Silicon Alloy Development for GMAW-Based 3-D Printing Using Wedge Castings
• Aluminum substrate cleaning for 3-D printing:MOST
• Open-source Lab
• Open source 3-D printing of OSAT
• Life-cycle economic analysis of distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printers
• Environmental impacts of distributed manufacturing from 3-D printing of polymer components and products
• Building research equipment with free, open-source hardware
• Delft University of Technology - MIG+ Prusa I3
• Weld 3D - 1st commercial spin off
• see literature on "wire arc additive manufacturing" (WAAM)