Edited by Kimberley Gilles, associate editor

Ridg-U-Rak equips its 90 MIG welding stations with 200-amp and 300-amp Q-Guns with 15-ft. power cables.

Some of Ridg-U-Rak's components require 30 or more welds.

High-quality, heavy-duty power pins in the connector (arrow) maintain tighter connections and prevent bird-nesting.

Eliminating MIG gun maintenance problems helps Ridg-U-Rak welders to produce more than 100 million lbs. per year of pallet racks.

Ridg-U-Rak (www.ridgurak.com) fabricates pallet storage racks in its two facilities in North East, Pa. Welding operators are required to produce full-penetration welds in flat, horizontal or overhead positions to ensure the maximum strength of each component. Welders work on piece rate, and must produce quality welds in sufficient quantity to earn a living. Some components require 30 different welds, and any downtime or maintenance problems directly impact their take-home pay. To maximize up-time, the company switched to Bernard's (www.bernardwelds.com) Q200 and Q300 MIG guns with 15-ft. long power cables and a blend of argon and CO2 gas.

During one of his regular courtesy visits to Ridg-U-Rak, Ken Dougan, branch manager of General Welding Supply Co. (www.generalwelding.com), spoke with Ridg-U-Rak's maintenance supervisor, Tom Landhl, repair technician, John Ramsdell, about MIG gun maintenance. Ridg-U-Rak welders rely heavily on the maintenance department to support their welding output. If a welder has a problem with a gun, he calls the maintenance department. Ramsdell is the guy who has to fix the MIG guns and keep the operators welding with as little downtime as possible, says Dougan. "He (Ramsdell) wanted a gun that was more durable, had a better strain relief and would hold up better, so the operators would spend less time contacting him for issues such as wire misfeeds," says Dougan. "Our operators demand a lot from our MIG guns. They're used on two different shifts by two different operators," says Landhl.

Dougan proposed that Ridg-U-Rak run a trial of the Bernard guns. The trial period allowed Ridg-URak to compare the difference in maintenance time to their previous MIG guns.

During the trial, the company reduced maintenance in four areas of its MIG guns.

A powerful pin
"The power pin — the component that connects the gun and power cable to the wire feeder — has a major impact on wire feed capability," says Emil Vasek, a MIG specialist at Bernard. Low-quality power pins lose their ability to maintain tight connections over a shorter period of time than higher quality pins. The result is the loose power cable and wire feeder connections that cause higher electrical resistance, over-heating, gas leaks and erratic arcs.

Ridg-U-Rak's previous guns used a power pin adapter link that did not provide a strong connection between the wire feeder and power cable.

"The power pin adaptor is the weak link in the wire feeding system. "What happens is that the adapter breaks or causes bird-nesting within the wire feeder," says Dougan.

Strain relief
Strain reliefs protect electrical products by absorbing any forces that may be exerted on flexible wires, cables, or tubing, and strain reliefs extend cord life and reinforce the cord connection to equipment. A weak strain relief causes a welding gun cable to droop at a sharp angle as it comes off the wire feeder. Weak or nonexistent strain reliefs on the back end of a gun are a major cause of wire misfeeds, according to Bernard.

For this reason, Ridg-U-Rak maintenance technician John Ramsdell asked Dougan for a gun with a better strain relief to eliminate bird-nesting and misfeed problems. According to Bernard, a gun with a rigid strain relief at the connection between the power cable and wire feeder prevents the power cable from kinking.

A kinked power cable is similar to a kinked water hose: Just as water pressure may be weak at the end of the hose and the hose may wear prematurely at the kink, kinks in power cables also diminish the full flow of power and shielding gases and cause premature wear. Strain reliefs keep power cables straight so the wire and shielding gas flow freely, and eliminate excess liner wear at the bend point.

Gun liners
Liners are another critical component of MIG guns. "Many feeding problems originate with the liner, and its replacement can be among the chief causes of downtime and maintenance issues. During manufacturing, Bernard's liners undergo a proprietary in-house coiling process that helps achieve optimum wire feed performance," says Vasek. "Ridg-U-Rak's welders also help reduce downtime by practicing preventative maintenance: They take a few seconds between wire changes to blow compressed air through the liners to remove debris or obstructions that might cut the life of the liners.

The results
Ridg-U-Rak's Ramsdell says that after four months of service, the front end of the guns have held up and the cable has not pulled out of the feeder, giving welders more time welding and less time waiting for maintenance.