Note: Due to the complexity of this product and its processes, this news release presents only a top-line view. Additional information is available at MillerWelds.com on the following topics: Accupulse and RMD processes, WaveWriter software, world record arc starts and Auto-Line technology.

APPLETON, Wis., September 30—For the welding engineer, operator or plant manager who has always wanted the dream system for advanced wire welding applications, Miller Electric Mfg. Co. has introduced the Axcess 450 and Auto-Axcess 450 multi-MIG welding systems.

Axcess provides the perfect arc for every MIG welding process. This includes traditional spray, pulsed and short circuit transfer MIG and two innovative Miller hybrid processes, Accupulse™ and RMD™ (Regulated Metal Deposition).

Axcess represents the next generation of Miller inverters. Its software driven controls operate faster than 50 microseconds (a microsecond is one millionth of a second). Axcess monitors arc conditions nearly continuously. With its faster response rate, it can sense arc conditions and correct fluctuations before they become a major problem. As a result, Axcess can improve weld quality and productivity. For example, Axcess set a world record 73,993 arc starts with a single contact tip under the most difficult conditions possible.

Revolutionary Concept

Axcess combines flexible primary power conversation “hardware” with welding application “software.” Through software changes, the system can produce any physical arc characteristics or wave forms that can be imagined. Axcess incorporates more than nine hardware and 11 software patents and trademarks, with the number of each growing. Key system concepts are noted below.

Key Axcess System Concepts

Randy Broadwater, a product manager with Miller’s Advanced Process Systems group, believe that, “The Axcess multi-MIG series is the most significant development in arc welding technology since the invention of the inverter. The hardware remains fixed while the software provides the flexibility for users to upgrade as needs change or new programs are developed. Axcess allows choosing the perfect welding process for the application at hand, or developing a new process if one isn’t available. Axcess makes obsolescence obsolete.”

Software is available for steel, stainless steel and aluminum wires; 100 percent CO2 and 98/2, 95/5, 90/10 and 75/25 argon/CO2 gas mixtures; and MIG, pulsed MIG, metal cored, Accupulse and RMD (note that software for RMD is optional). Accupulse is a hybrid, pulsed spray transfer process that cools the weld puddle and adapts to the joint condition at hand. RMD is an ultra-low heat input, low spatter, hybrid short circuit transfer MIG welding process ideal for filling gaps and welding thin materials or root passes on pipe.

Miller anticipates 95 percent of all welding applications will be met with existing programs. For exceptions, an existing program can be fined-tuned using Miller’s optional WaveWriter™ graphical software, which is designed for a standard M series Palm® PDA (see photo). This eliminates the need for data cards, bulky laptop PCs and remote pendants. It also allows developing custom programs, such as for specialty gas mixes or custom wire alloys.

Visit MillerWelds.com for more details on WaveWriter, Accupulse and RMD.

Optimum Performance

Since the invention of MIG welding, operators have controlled the arc by adjusting voltage and amperage (controlled by wire feed speed). However, the real question has always been, “What is the precise amount of energy required to melt a particular electrode at an optimum, controlled rate at the start of a weld (when the wire is cold) and while in the process of welding (when the wire is hot)?”

The processing power of a software-based system solves these complex physics problems. A simple interface prompts operators to enter the wire type, wire diameter, gas combination and process desired. Axcess then selects the data from its vast library of application software to provide the best solution. After that, the operator selects desired wire feed speed; the system maintains a constant arc length throughout the appropriate welding range.

The first Axcess products, the Axcess 450 and Auto-Axcess 450 (the latter for automated applications), will have an output of 450 amps/38 volts at 100 percent duty cycle and maximum output of 600 amps/38 volts at 60 percent duty cycle. Voltage range in the constant voltage (CV) mode is 10 to 44 volts with 85 VDC maximum open circuit voltage. They measure 22 x 15.5 W x 28.5 H (inches) and weigh 175 lbs.

Both feature Miller’s exclusive Auto-Line™ technology that enables the machine to accept any primary power from 208 V through 575 V, single- or three-phase, 50 or 60 Hz. Auto-Line can improve weld quality by compensating for voltage variations caused by large loads starting on the same line or utility “brownouts.”

Automation Ready

The Auto-Axcess 450 provides all the process benefits of the Axcess 450, and it includes several automation-specific benefits. Chief among these is the use of the Device Net™ serial communication standard for internal and external digital communication. Digital communication provides greater immunity to electronic noise, enhances diagnostic and enables future integration with plant controls and data gathering and troubleshooting tools.

Other automation benefits include optional analog control for connecting to the robot, automatic volt sensing lead, automatic calibration for reducing set-up time and errors, integrated touch sense, programmable wire jog length and automatic threading and many more.

“Customers and system integrators report that the Auto-Axcess 450 sets up faster and with less training than other systems,” says Broadwater.

The Axcess multi-MIG system is covered by Miller’s True-Blue three-year factory warranty. To download a product spec sheet, visit Miller's website at MillerWelds.com. For more information or the Miller distributor nearest you, call 800-4-A-MILLER (800-426-4553), e-mail info@millerwelds.com, fax 877-327-8132, visit the Web site or write to Miller Electric Mfg. Co., P.O. Box 100, Lithonia, GA 30058.

With headquarters in Appleton, Wis., Miller Electric Mfg. Co. is a leading worldwide manufacturer of Miller and Hobart brand arc welding equipment and related systems for metalworking, construction, maintenance and other applications. Miller Electric is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), Glenview, Ill. ITW is a diversified multinational manufacturer of highly engineered components, assemblies and systems.