SEE BETTER, WELD BETTER WITH NEW ADF TECHNOLOGY

Fibre-Metal by Honeywell has produced the first real improvements in ADF lenses since their inception more than 30 years ago.

As the welding industry recovers, companies are looking to technology to help increase productivity to make them more competitive. While most of the focus is on processes and equipment, a recent technological breakthrough in auto darkening filters (ADF) by Honeywell will contribute to increased welder productivity on a par with any other advancement.

Unlike other PPE, a welding helmet is considered a tool of the trade. A welder cannot work without it and must wear it all shift long. The impact a welders helmet has on productivity cannot be over stated yet is frequently overlooked. 

When ADF’s were introduced to the trade, they improved protection by allowing a welding helmet to remain in the “down” position throughout the stages of the welding process. But their real value was the ways they helped a welder reduce downtime and increase productivity. For the first time, at start up, welders had both hands free to position the work piece and place electrodes in the crucial start position. Precision was improved resulting in more good welds, less grinding and increased productivity.

However, once the ADF switched to its “dark shade” and welding commenced, welders had the same limited, often murky view of their work they had with passive filter lenses. Poor electronics in some ADF’s added numerous optical flaws, and an inherent characteristic of the liquid crystals in the lenses resulted in “angle dependency” which was uneven shading and a halo of light or light spots at the periphery of the lens. Welders were often distracted or hindered by the optical flaws which offset the productivity improvements at start up.

Early supplier marketing campaigns focused on switching speed, how fast the ADF switched from its light to dark state to draw attention away from the optical flaws of their lenses. But switching speed occurs instantaneously as the arc is struck. It plays no role whatsoever in a welders productivity. Subsequent entrants into the ADF market focused on cheapening the lens which just made the optical quality worse and adding gimmicks to their helmets like graphics, “3 in 1”, side view panels, CO2 valves, none of which improved welder productivity in any way.

Now the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell brand has introduced the first real technological advancement in ADF lenses since their inception. Their patented advancements drastically improve the optical quality of the lens to give a welder a bigger, more consistent, clearer view of his work.  The FIBRE-METAL TIGERHOOD FUTURA XXL provides a full 10.2 square inch field of vision which is 40% bigger than most other lenses. Most importantly, the expanded viewing area provides consistent shading over the entire surface area. The patented ADC (Angle Dependency Compensation) Plus and proprietary new, high-tech liquid crystal technology built into the lens eliminates angle dependency. A welder can assume any work position necessary without adversely affecting his view of his work.

The optical clarity of the XXL ADF with ADC Plus lens is extraordinary. A welder sees a clear, distortion free view of his work with brighter color definition and in near natural color. A bigger field of vision with better visibility allows a welder to stay on the job longer and produce more and better welds with less downtime.

Other ADF brands have introduced “extra-large” ADF lenses but with less than satisfactory results. Some may even have a slightly larger physical lens size. But those that had angle dependency in their smaller lenses have it even worse in their large lenses which greatly reduces the functional size of their lenses. Brands that have optical flaws in their smaller ADF’s have them to a greater degree in their larger lenses. Only the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell TIGERHOOD FUTURA XXL ADF provides a greater viewing area, with improved optical quality and no angle dependency. The fact that the XXL ADF is installed in the traditional top quality FIBRE-METAL TIGERHOOD FUTURA welding helmet with its welder preferred classic 3-C headgear makes it a perfect blend of tradition and innovation.

But our role is not to promote any brand over any other. Our role is to provide information, keep you informed of what is new, and give you our opinion of it.  The Fibre-Metal by Honeywell TIGERHOOD FUTURA XXL is a truly remarkable advancement in ADF welding helmets. To borrow from Fox News, “we report, you decide”. Don’t take our word for it, try a FIBRE-METAL TIGERHOOD FUTURA XXL on your job, under your working conditions. Compare it with what you are using or what you may be considering using. If you like something better, by all means buy it.

In closing, just a word about brand comparison. Like many other products, there is a glut of ADF brands on the market today. You cannot compare them all so it is wise to narrow the field down to a “choice set” of brands from which you will make your choice. In the ADF market today, in our opinion, the “big boy” ADF brands for serious production welders who weld for a living are Fibre-Metal by Honeywell, Jackson by Kimberly Clark, SPEEDGLAS by 3M and Sellstrom Manufacturing. These brands were the pioneers in ADF technology and they have been the leading welding helmet manufacturers, producing every significant advancement in welding helmets for decades. If you compare and make your selection from among these brands, you will be sure of a quality product.

Eliminate the ADF welding helmets sold by welding machine manufacturers. They are the leading producers of quality welding machines but they import helmets and ADF’s from China or Taiwan, cover them in graphics, and try to superimpose the brand equity from their machine brands to the helmets. It doesn’t work. Also eliminate distributor “store” brands. They too are by and large imports from China or Taiwan and do not compare with the top brands. Finally, ignore the multitude of ADF brands from China that are available on the Internet or through direct resellers. The quality, service life and support simply are not there.

Do your homework. Only consider the best and most reliable brands. Make a wise ADF buying decision and you will see your welding productivity increase by 30% to 50%.

QSSP IS A MARK OF PROFESSIONALISM AND COMPETENCE

If nothing else, this blog has consistently talked about the importance of QUALITY in every aspect of PPE. We’ve done posts on PPE design, material, workmanship and performance quality. We’ve talked about only dealing with quality manufacturers and suppliers; we’ve stated the need for quality support materials and training. Now, we would like to talk about the quality of the sales and customer service people customers come in contact with as they move through the PPE buying and after sale process.

Safety in general and PPE specifically are complex disciplines with a lot of moving parts. Safety sales, marketing and customer service personnel need a high level of technical and regulatory expertise to establish credibility in helping customers make the best possible buying decision.

But how do customers distinguish a true safety equipment professional from general industrial sales representatives? Trial and error can be a long and costly process. They need something to give them an early indication of the qualifications and skill set of sales people they engage with before the sales cycle gets too far along. There is a way to help with the sorting out process.

PPE products that meet a certain standard contain an ANSI designation; manufacturers that go the extra mile to assure their quality earn an SEI designation; and supplier sales, customer service and marketing people who take an intensive training course designed to enhance participant expertise and knowledge in critical technical and regulatory areas of occupational health & safety, pass a comprehensive Competency Exam, and have at least two years experience, are certified as Qualified Safety Sales Professionals and can use the designation QSSP.

The course, taught by an experienced faculty of safety professionals, covers core elements of occupational health and safety including industrial hygiene in one intensive, week-long session. Participants gain proficiency in fundamentals of occupational health and safety; industrial hygiene, risk management, safety engineering, health and safety regulations, workers comp, the full range of safety equipment and how to integrate it all into their customers' needs.

Today, more than1000 sales and marketing representatives in the safety equipment industry are Qualified Safety Sales Professionals. They represent the quality segment of their profession. When evaluating potential suppliers, the presence of QSSP certified contact people should go on the plus side of the ledger. This is not to imply that only QSSP sales and service reps are competent to satisfy a customer’s PPE needs. There are many top notch, highly professional and competent sales and customer service reps in the industry with years of experience and tons of expertise. But if you want to be sure you are dealing with a “pro”, the QSSP designation is a good place to start. A Directory of QSSP Graduates is available at:
http://www.qssp.org/search.htm

INCREASING ADF LENS VIEWING AREA REQUIRES TOP OPTICAL QUALITY

Happy New Year!

Since their inception, auto darkening filter lenses (ADF) for welding have gone through a number of phases as producers sought a differential competitive advantage. First, it was "switching speed", how fast the lenses switched from their light to dark state. But when it was determined that all major brands switched many times faster than the human eye can see and switching occurs at the instant welding commences and plays no further role in the welding process, switching speed became an expected feature rather than a differentiator.

Once the switching speed phase passed, new suppliers, looking to break into the market and establish a position, started marketing elaborate shell graphics. Graphics caught on in certain segments of the market (casual welders, home hobbyists) but it was soon learned that often the most attractive graphics masked a flimsy, inferior helmet and a low quality, poor functioning ADF. In addition, in any kind of real, industrial welding environment, the graphics quickly turned brown or gray. So serious production welders learned to look beyond graphics and look for quality, durable helmets with high performance ADF's to help them do their jobs better.

The "gimmick" phase followed the "graphics" phase. Unable to enhance the basic ADF technology, some manufacturers resorted to gimmicks to try to set their products apart from the field. "3 in 1", shade 5 side panels, exhalation valves, flashing display lights and a host of other gimmicks flooded the market. But none of them helped a welder be more productive by making more and better welds with fewer accidents.

It is important to note that none of the ADF phases improved the basic function of the lens or the most important ADF attribute - the optical quality of the lens. Once the arc is struck, the ability of a welder to see his work clearly with no distortion determines his ability to produce,safely. From the beginning, a number of the major ADF lenses had numerous optical quality flaws. Poor lens clarity resulted in shadowing, fluttering, halo-effects around the edges of the lens, and "image persistence."  Image persistence, for example, occurs during stick welding when the shower of sparks persists as images in the lens (like tracers). Those distractions expose a welder to a higher level of risk than is necessary.

So all of the phases ADF's have passed through have essentially missed the mark. Welders want a top quality lens with as large of a viewing area as possible. To date, no supplier has been able to put those attributes together. The ADF's initially plagued with optical flaws, still have the flaws. And attempts to increase viewing area has been mostly done with smoke and mirrors. At first, the overall size of the lens was increased but not all of it was "active". Only a small portion of it actually turned dark while the surrounding area remained at a fixed shade. More recent attempts to increase viewing areas have resulted in even worse optical flaws. ADF's with angle dependency have even worse angle dependency in larger size lenses.

But there is some good news. Fibre-Metal by Honeywell, a top quality ADF supplier, now provides the only ADF in the world with a perfect optical quality EN standard rating of 1/1/1/1. That means the lens performs at the highest level in every measurable optical quality characteristic including, and especially angle dependency. That is the only real, practical, improvement in ADF technology since its inception. The Fibre-Metal by Honeywell ADF lens allows a welder to see more clearly, with no distracting flaws, and in more natural colors. Most importantly, he can use the entire viewing area because the lens is angle dependency free.

The trend toward larger ADF lens viewing areas will no doubt continue. But enhanced lens size without the requisite optical quality is useless. Learn to distinguish between the physical size of the lens (usually measured in square inches) vs the functional viewing area measured by how much of the lens is actually usable.

January is a good month to review the ADF's you are using. Are they the best that they could be? Do they actually help your welders be more productive with less downtime and fewer injuries? Talk to your and other suppliers. What improvements have they made in their ADF's? What are they working on? Compare what is available. If you are not using the highest optical quality ADF, with the largest functional viewing area, you are not getting all of the value you should be getting. The start of a new year is a good time to change that.