Lincoln Electric IM877 POWER WAVE SYSTEM INTERFACE - Manual (Page 7)

1 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
POWER WAVE ® SYSTEM INTERFACE
1
PRODUCT INFORMATION FOR
POWER WAVE SYSTEM INTER-
FACE
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The Power Wave System Interface enables a number
of Power Wave AC/DC 1000 machines to be easily
integrated into a multi-arc system. Its primary role in
the system is to provide the means to synchronize the
AC wave shapes of up to four different arcs to a com-
mon carrier frequency. This frequency can range
from 10 hertz to 300 hertz, with the most practical
range being 10 to 100 hertz. The phase angle
between arcs can also be adjusted to reduce the
effects of welding related issues such as "Arc Blow".
In such a system each welding arc may be driven by
one machine or multiple machines connected in paral-
lel. The actual number of power sources per arc will
vary depending on the application. When only one
machine is required for an arc group, it must be con-
figured as a Master. When multiple parallel machines
are required, one is designated as the Master and the
rest as Slaves. The Master controls the AC switching
for the arc, and the Slaves respond accordingly. In a
multi-arc system, the Master for each arc relies on a
dedicated external synchronization signal from the
System Interface to determine its frequency and bal-
ance. The arc to arc phase relationship is determined
by the timing of each arcʼs "sync" signal relative to the
"sync" signal of ARC 1.
In a typical multi-arc system, each arc is controlled by
its own Power Feed 10A Controller. The basic charac-
teristics of the individual arcs such as WFS, ampli-
tude, and offset are set locally by each arcʼs dedicated
controller. The frequency, balance, and phase shift
parameters of each arc are controlled by the Power
Feed 10A Controller for ARC 1, which must be con-
nected to its Master through the Power Wave System
Interface (see Connection Diagram).
An alternate method of control utilizes a PLC inter-
face. The PLC is typically connected directly to the
Power Wave System Interface and each power
source group in the system through a DeviceNet con-
nection. In this method, only the Master of each power
source group need be connected to the PLC.
RECOMMENDED PROCESSES
The Power Wave System Interface is designed to be
part of a multi-arc Power Wave AC/DC 1000 sub-
merged arc welding (SAW) system. Its primary role is
to provide a means to synchronize the output wave-
forms of up to 4 different arc groupings.
EQUIPMENT LIMITATIONS
The Power Wave System Interface is not to be used
in outdoor environments.
Operating Temperature Range is 0° C to + 40° C.
The Power Wave System Interface is currently limited
to the synchronization of 4 different arcs.