When viewing a weld, the fireball can easily saturate part of an image leaving other parts dark. Even if very powerful extra lighting is used, it is very difficult to see anything other than the fireball itself. VisiWeld systems combine two techniques to allow good images to be captured.
In a VisiWeld system the fireball is illuminated using a special laser and the camera is fitted with a special filter that only allows the illuminating wavelenght through. This means that most of the light from the weld fireball (which emits a broad range of wavelengths) is blocked. Using this technique the light from the fireball can be reduced by a factor of 100 or more.
When imaging some bright subjects this technique can often allow good images to be obtained. However, welding processes tend to be too bright and a second technique must be used in combination with the narrow band illumination so that good quality images to be obtained.
The weld fireball emits light continuously whilst lasers can be configured to deliver short pulses of light. Fitting the camera with a fast shutter that is only open during the laser pulse, allows the light from the fireball to again be minimised without reducing the amount of laser light seen. In this way the light from the fireball can be decreased by a factor of 100 or more. Combining the two techniques can reduce the effective brightness of the fireball by a factor of over 10,000 allowing welding processes to be imaged with remarkable clarity.
Three standard VisiWeld systems are offered.
| View Weld Puddle | Record Images | High Speed Recording/ Slow-motion playback | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VisiWeld 30 | Yes | No | No |
| VisiWeld 60 | Yes | Yes | No |
| VisiWeld 1000 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The VisiWeld 30 is designed for system monitoring and applications which require a human operator to control the process. The 60 fps system is suited to studies where time resolution is not essential. Where a time resolved view is needed, the 1,000 fps system allows time resolved imaging. Frame rates up to 5,000 fps are possible with a reduced field of view.
Other configurations are available - for more information Contact Us, or see the detailed applications brief.
Arc welding
Laser welding
R&D
Troubleshooting
Portable Package
Allows real time melt pool viewing
Non destructive viewing
Live view of the Weld
Complementary with other visualization techniques