Spot Welder (not yet commissioned)

Induction Required

This equipment requires an induction prior to use. For your own safety and to avoid damage to the equipment do not attempt to use it until you have been inducted.

Burn Hazard

This equipment is hazardous to the user or those around them, take care during use.

Electrical Hazard

This equipment is hazardous to the user or those around them, take care during use. Metal jewellery, watches, and clothing with metal zips must be removed before use. The area must be cleared of metallic items.

Lithium Battery Hazard

If using the welder with lithium batteries they have their own set of risks. Fire if they are punctured or short circuited. Thermal runaway. Cooling the cells is the best way to prevent neighbouring cells from also catching fire. Do we want to suggest water for this? Otherwise a bucket of sand can be used to limit the impact of the fire somewhat When working with lithium batteries care must be taken to avoid metallic objects coming into contact with the cells as this could cause a short circuit. It is advisable to cover the ends of cells that are not currently being welded with tape to prevent accidental contact. .

PPE Required

This equipment requires the use of eye protection protection and gloves during use.

A spot welder operates by passing an electric current through metal sheets, generating heat at the point of contact and causing them to fuse together. This process creates localised welds known as “spots,” characterised by high strength and minimal distortion.

This is our spot welder: *Picture of it*

What Can I Use the Spot Welder For? The spot welder is for attaching thin pieces of metal together. This is commonly done in the assembly of lithium batteries. Other uses of a spot welder

kWeld Operation Manual - External Link

kWeld Assembly Manual - External Link

Setup and Preparation for a Spot Welding

Clear the area of of metallic objects that could cause an accidental short.
Material Preparation: Clean the surfaces of the metal sheets to be welded, removing any dirt, oil, or debris that could interfere with the welding process.

Setting Up the Welder

Turn the welder on
Ensure the spot welder is securely connected to a suitable power source and turned on. Provide more detail about the order in which is should be turned on. Plug in kettle lead, plug in foot pedal, plug in welding pen, turn on switch below kettle lead. Include pictures of the kettle plug and switch, foot plug, and welding pen jacks.
Need to select automatic or manual mode, this is prompted once it boots up (or maybe it is set when it's turned on depending on whether the foot pedal is pressed or not)
In manual mode the pulse is triggered when holding down the foot pedal, in automatic mode it is triggered shortly after the device detects that both electrodes have made contact
At this point if the electrodes are shorted a warning will be displayed
If it is booted up correctly the screen will now display the energy that will be used for the next weld and it is ready to go
The energy can be adjusted with the dial
When welding pure nickel strips onto 18650 cells the manufacturer suggests 20J for 0.1 mm thick strips, 50J for 0.2 mm, and 100J for 0.3 mm.

Making a Spot Weld

Clamping: Position the metal sheets between the electrodes of the spot welder, ensuring proper alignment and contact. Firmly push both electrodes down to the weld material at a slight angle as shown below. Make sure that the electrodes do not touch each other, or you will likely weld them together instead.
Activation: Trigger a pulse by stepping on the foot switch - and keeping your foot down. Don’t be frightened, the cables will jump from the high current flowing through them, and the weld spot may emit sparks. You’ll see the LCD illumination dim briefly - this is done on purpose to save power during the pulse.
Listen to the sound from the welder, as it tells you if the welding process has succeeded or not:

a. one short beep signals success

b. a higher tone, followed by a lower tone, signals that something went wrong

Cooling: Allow the welded area to cool sufficiently before removing the electrodes, ensuring the integrity of the weld joint.
When finished reading, release your foot from the switch. The results disappear from the LCD and the welder is instantly ready for another go. If you keep your foot on the pedal more information about the weld will be displayed on the screen, please refer to the manual for more information about this.

After spot welding

Inspect the weld for quality and integrity, addressing any defects or inconsistencies as needed.
Clean the electrodes and workspace to maintain optimal welding conditions and prevent contamination in future welds.
Turn off
Clear the area of left over metal pieces
Place the main box back on the shelf?? It must be positioned in a way that allows the cooling fan to draw in air to cool the discharge resistor.

Spot Welder Components

The box consists of multiple components, many of which from keenlab,
kWeld complete kit
kCap ultracapacitor module
kSupply high current voltage regulator and charger
Power supply
Power resistor
Cooling fan
Think it's the Fujitsu DPS-800GB
U.S. Solid 70B Integrated-style Welding Pen https://www.sunkko.net/products/u-s-solid-70b-integrated-style-welding-pen.html

Maintenance

Some content