3/27/2019 0 Comments Types Of Welding HelmetsSome welders work with only a particular type of material, some use different materials. Based on the type of the job, there are different kinds of welding like arc welding, MIG welding, TIG welding, and so on. To meet the different needs of the welders, manufactures always try to make the most perfect one for that very specific welding job. That’s the reason, there are so many types of welding helmets. Common Welding Helmet Types No matter what type of the helmet is, every welding helmet must meet the standards set by the National Safety Standards. You can't compromise about the welding safety. In this article, I will explain some of the most common welding helmets. Auto Darkening Welding Helmets Most safe and efficient types of welding helmet out there. Only they have the ADF (Auto Darkening Filter), so it can detect the arc because of their sensors automatically. The cool thing is, when the arc is not active, it can still protect your eyes and act as a normal passive welding helmet. This is possible because they have 3 to 4 lenses. The usual response time to activate the ADF is 1/25,000 seconds and you can adjust the response time as well. The adjustment facilities let the welders complete their job must faster. You can learn more about auto-darkening helmet from here. Passive Welding Helmets Before the introduction of the auto-darkening helmet, welders around the world used to use the passive welding helmets massively. They use this helmet till now, but not in such a great scale. Because of the strong architectural design of the helmet, it can outlast any other helmet types. For any rough welding jobs, these helmets are second to none. They are way cheaper than their auto-darkening helmets counterpart, but they meet same safety standards as set by National Safety Standards. Welding helmets with Fixed Shade Lenses Since the lenses are fixed, that means you can’t adjust it as per the various arc brightness. Yes, you won’t be having same advantages as the auto-darkening helmet, but if you work with only a particular type of material, this can be a great choice to work with. Welding helmets with Variable Shade Lenses They are lot more convenient that their fixed shade lenses counterpart in the sense that you can change the lenses. Depending on the type of your welding, you can adjust the shade lenses. Also, you can use it to join any kinds of materials as well. Conclusion There are other types of helmet like solar-powered helmet and so on. But the most important and used helmets are discussed already. If you have a decent budget for the helmet and you want precise welding, you should always stick to the auto-darkening welding helmet.
0 Comments
2/20/2019 0 Comments Welding Shades ExplainedWelding is a serious job and there is no doubt about it. The welding safety concerns should be taken seriously whether you love MIG welding or TIG welding. From face burn to the loss of eye-sight, the damages could be unthinkable. There are lots of protective gears that the welders’ uses like the welding helmet, respirators, goggles, and so on. You need to understand how they work to get the maximum benefits out of it. In this article I am not gonna talk about all of the equipment. However, I will try to briefly explain what welding shades are and what they do to protect the welders. Just to give you a fresh start; shades ranges from 2 to 14. The number 14 is the darkest. The darkest shade will allow you to filter out the harmful UV and IR that can seriously damage your eyes. Welding Lens I need to talk about it because the welding lens plays a great role protecting your eyes. Are you familiar with the photokeratitis? It’s so painful condition in your cornea that caused by electromagnetic energy generated from the arc. If you use the lens with the perfect shade number, these horrible conditions can be avoided easily. That’s why understanding the welding shades is so important. Shades number can go as high as 14. Light radiation is common in arc welding. The shade number gives you the hint exactly how much of this light radiation is allowed to enter into your eyes though the lens. So, the principle is simple: The higher the shade number the lower the light radiation enters into your eyes through the lens. Wearing eyewear in addition to the lens is common to lessen the impact of the light radiation. Getting the right shade could be tricky and troublesome for the beginner. They don’t know which shade number to use. In that case OSHA recommends going for the high shade number first so that the weld zone becomes too dark to see. Then go for the lighter shade to see the weld zone to ensure your welding safety. Conclusion Understanding and using the right shade during the welding will protect your eyes from the dangerous UV rays, no doubt. If you had any confusion about the lens shade, I hope I have explained it pretty well. To answer shortly whether auto darkening helmets are safe or not, yes they are safe when you buy from a reputable brand. Having said that, there are some other critical stuff that you must know whether you should use an auto-darkening helmet or not. At the end of reading this article, you will learn all the advantages and disadvantages of the auto darkening helmets. Are Automatic Welding Helmets Safe? From any sort of welding process like stick welding, MIG/TIG welding, Arc welding, or simply plasma cutting, bright light emits that is very hazardous to eyes. Your eyes are the most vulnerable part of our body during the welding. UV rays is really bad and harmful for them. You are familiar with the sun burn, right? Well UV rays can do the same to your eyes! Most commonly these conditions are known as ‘Arc Eye’ and it feels like there is sand in the eye. Arc eye can also lead to cancer ultimately. Unlike the traditional passive helmets, an auto darkening welding helmet can protect your eyes from such horrible conditions. They can do so not only because of the auto-darkening filter, but also for the special permanent coating which is similar to at least 15 glass. So, if for technical or other reasons, even the filter does not work, the special coating will protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays. However, there are some disadvantages (not a safety issue) with ADF helmets. In addition to protect your eyes from the sudden strike of the bright light when strike the arc during any flux core welding, stable positioning is a great advantage of ADF helmets which you can’t get from the passive helmets. Without this positioning advantage, you would have to on and off the helmet several times during the welding process. But the auto-darkening helmets stays in the same position once you set it correctly. It saves time greatly since you don’t have to position and reposition it several times. Disadvantages Of ADF Helmets Lens adjustment is a crucial part of ADF helmet. But if your helmet has a fixed-shade ADF, then you can adjust it as per your need. So most people prefer variable shade ADF helmets to avoid such troubles. Another troublesome feature of such helmets is that the price of the auto-darkening filter is costly. That’s the reasons such helmets tend to be more expensive than their non-ADF counterparts. The last disadvantage of ADF helmet is that their weights are a little bit higher than their passive helmet counterparts. Summing Up In no way, auto-darkening helmets are any risky for the welders. In fact, they are most safe and comfortable helmets out there. So, without worrying about the riskiness of such helmets, use them with full confidence. An auto-darkening helmet is a must for every welder. Whether you are a professional or novice welder, to protect your face, neck, and eyes – there is no alternative to a welding helmet.
The problem is how do you know you have got the right one among all of those welding brands? If you are an expert, maybe it’s not a problem for you. But I think a lot of people out there who need to know how to test auto darkening welding helmet. Testing The ADF Helmet If you are wondering how to test your new adf helmet, you are in the right place. Follow these easy to follow instructions to learn how to test it yourself.
With the adjustable lens settings, you can configure it to work in a small project and big industrial size projects as well. Test the lens to check whether if meets your requirement.
Modern auto-darkening helmets should be able to protect you completely from the UV rays, filter infrared, and ability to operate in a temperature between 23 degrees Fahrenheit to 131 degrees F. In short, check whether your helmet meets the NSI Z87.1-2003 standards. If it does, it meets industry standards.
ADF helmets are available with different kinds of batteries like replaceable and non-replaceable. Some are only solar-powered and some uses both the battery and the solar. If your helmet has the non-replaceable battery, you have to completely replace the helmet when the battery dies. Thing is different for replaceable battery. All you have to do just replace the battery and you are good to use your old helmet.
There are adjustable knobs in every modern adf welding helmet. You need to adjust the knob to get the perfect sensitivity settings. It should perfectly react to change in light, though it should not be extremely sensitive to slight change in light as well.
When you strike the arc, large sparks will be a common thing and it can happen anytime. That’s the reason reaction speed is so important. If the reaction speed is 1/2500ths seconds, then you have a standard helmet. Anything lower than the rate is even better. You can check the manual to see the reaction speed.
Because of using high-quality materials, auto-darkening helmets should be lightweight. You will feel comfortable wearing it during the entire welding time. Great for welding for a very long time. |