Wire Payout Drum minimizes welding quality defects.
Press Release Summary:
Suited for automatic and robotic welding applications, eXacto-Pak(TM) is available in 400 and 600 lb drums and is specifically designed for high-volume production using .045-1/16 in. diameter metal-cored wire. In addition to providing precision payout, unit also protects wire from dirt and dust to promote contaminant-free welds. X-Pak essentially eliminates quality defects attributed to wire wander, including undercut and lack of sidewall fusion.
Original Press Release:
Hobart Brothers' eXacto-Pak(TM) (X-Pak) Drum Improves Precision and Reduces Quality Defects
TROY, Ohio. April 25, 2007-To increase precision and improve quality on automatic and robotic welding applications using metal cored wire, Hobart Brothers offers its eXacto-Pak(TM) Precision Payout Drum. The eXacto-Pak, also called X-Pak, pays out accurately to maintain the highest of weld quality by ensuring that wire stays consistently focused in the center of the joint. Available in 400 and 600 lb. drums, the X-Pak is specifically designed for high-volume production using .045- to 1/16-in. diameter wire. In addition to providing precision pay out, the X-Pak also protects wire from dirt and dust to promote contaminant-free welds.
Straighter Wire, Better Welds
The X-Pak essentially eliminates quality defects attributed to wire wander, including undercut and lack of sidewall fusion, while also improving wire feedability. To provide better weld joint tracking by ensuring that the arc is consistently focused in the center of the weld joint, X-Pak pays out wire in a straight and reliable pattern. Keith Packard, tubular wire product manager, Hobart Brothers, cites the drum's special design for providing such benefits. "In robotics or automated welding, any system is going to be limited in its ability to track the weld joint. With the X-Pak's design, the wire comes out so precisely and hits the same spot each time, so you don't have to be concerned with whether you are going to have an accurate weld placement. You will."
To prove that point, Hobart Brothers conducted a "Wire Straightness Shoot Test," in which a MIG gun was held six inches away from a sheet of dense grid graph paper and wire was fed through the gun until it punctured the paper. The procedure was repeated multiple times, resulting in only a 15mm wire deviation when using the X-Pak and a 75mm wire deviation when using a competitive drum. With these results, Hobart Brothers shows the X-Pak's reliability and accuracy, while making certain that users will receive the highest quality payout drum possible.
Improved Productivity
Along with providing precision wire feed and superior weld tracking capabilities, X-Pak improves productivity by reducing the amount of downtime needed to change liner and contact tips due to excessive wear. Packard explains, "The X-Pak creates less cast to the wire as it feeds out, so there is significantly less friction on the welding components. This is going to save time and money with any welding system, not just in terms of parts, but also labor." By lessening the amount of quality defects, the X-Pak further reduces the need for rework and increases a welding system's overall throughput time.
Hobart Brothers is dedicated to the highest level of Performance Welding.(TM) For product spec sheets or to learn more about Hobart Brothers, visit Hobartbrothers.com, call 1-800-424-1543, fax 1-800-541-6607, or write Hobart Brothers Company, 101 Trade Square East, Troy, OH 45373.
Hobart Brothers Company of Troy, Ohio, is a leading manufacturer of welding filler metals marketed under the brand names Hobart, Tri-Mark, McKay and Corex. Hobart Brothers Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, Inc., Glenview, Ill., a diversified multinational manufacturer of highly engineered components, assemblies and systems.
