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I'd imagine this tool is meant for welding schools who want to be able to do something like: 1) Pull intro classes out of their shop to increase capacity 2) Re
by elil17 4y ago
I'd imagine this tool is meant for welding schools who want to be able to do something like:
1) Pull intro classes out of their shop to increase capacity
2) Reduce costs associated with power/gas/metal/etc.
3) Give people a taste of what welding is like without having to do safety training
- idiotsecant 4y agoIf I'm paying for welding classes it's damn well going to be on actual gear.
- dsfyu404ed 4y agoI think that if you made people "get good" on the simulator before they touched the real thing they'd get better at the real thing much faster/cheaper.
- kevviiinn 4y agoI think you overestimate the expense of scrap metal for laying practice beads. This simulator is waaaay more expensive
- metal_am 4y agoWire and gas costs aren't the issue. It's the cost of the welding machine because only one person can use it at a time. You can buy multiples of these for the cost of one industrial machine.
- rpmisms 4y agoIf you're teaching people, you give them crappy little stick welders. $200 each, maybe.
- kevviiinn 4y agoDoes a welding school not have multiple welding machines already? Are they buying new machines every year? Is it actually less expensive than a MIG welder from the same company? https://www.millerwelds.com/equipment/welders/mig-gmaw/millermatic-211-mig-welder-m30024 https://www.millerwelds.com/equipment/welders/mig-gmaw/mille...
- convolvatron 4y agoI've worked with the sub-$1k 200A knockoffs and they are quite usable
- zamnos 4y agoHell, Harbor Freight sells really shitty welders for less than $150, so if someone was looking to practice at home, for cheap, with a slightly different system, it seems you could get a lot of mileage out of that for cheaper than a $3,000 VR system, or having to fight for limited time on an industrial grade system. Obviously it's not the same thing, but practice practice practice.
- metal_am 4y agoThat's why I specified an industrial machine. No fab shop is going to use a 20% duty cycle machine. Granted, you can weld just as well with a cheap machine.
- elihu 4y agoI'd imagine that space requirements are pretty significant too. I've never taken a welding class so I don't know how it's normally done, but it seems like having thirty people in a room, even a big one, would be pretty tough to do while maintaining appropriate ventilation and without people arc-flashing each other. Whereas I could see having thirty people in a normal classroom using this augmented reality system. Or using it while they wait for their turn at a real welding station.
- zamnos 4y agoBeing able to practice at-home seems like a win too. You don't have to booking time at a busy workshop if you rented the VR system as part of your class. You need to finish X hours in the sim and Y hours in person in order to graduate, but if you can do the X hours at home, at your leisure then it becomes that much easier to finish on your schedule, boosting completion rates and skill level.
- dsfyu404ed 4y agoThe consumables are basically free. The cost is all in kitting out and compliance of running the hot work facility. Lots of nickels and dimes to add up.
- tekla 4y agoOnly someone who hasnt welded would think this is something amyone wants. Welding is a very "real world" activity. Cleaning things properly takes a non insigificant amount of time and you really need to get a feel for the materials.
- RandallBrown 4y agoI'm pretty sure this thing is exclusively for people who haven't welded before...
- kevviiinn 4y agoYea and it wouldn't get them any closer to actually welding. Just have them... Actually weld? It was pretty easy for me to pick up multiple techniques in high school, no augmented reality system needed
- dsfyu404ed 4y agoI think getting them to learn how to do the repetitive motion properly without having to actually weld or get input from an instructor to know what they're doing wrong (angle/speed/distance/motion) would speed the process of teaching up a lot.
- spookie 4y agoTechnology can be used to augment and speed up human cognition and learning. Take it as a guide, not as the end all be all tool.
- kevviiinn 4y agoReduce costs by charging another 3-4k for new equipment? Brilliant
- TheRealPomax 4y agoIf you need (1), you're doing well enough to rent a new space. If you need (2) and want to offer (3), you probably never welded before and people should stay the hell away from your course. You learn welding by actually welding, and getting it spectacularly wrong for a while. Sometimes quite a while. Sometimes forever.