5 ms·

Wire 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 c

Wire 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 ago
If you're teaching people, you give them crappy little stick welders. $200 each, maybe.
- kevviiinn 4y ago
  That's how I learned, and oxy acetylene
- behringer 4y ago
  Ah this must be why I never really figured out how to weld in high school.
kevviiinn 4y ago
Does 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 ago
  I've worked with the sub-$1k 200A knockoffs and they are quite usable
  - zamnos 4y ago
    Hell, 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 ago
  That'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.
  - kevviiinn 4y ago
    A trade school is not an industrial fab shop
  - woah 4y ago
    Why would someone learn to MIG weld on an expensive industrial machine? You can get a cheap one at Home Depot for $200.
elihu 4y ago
I'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 ago
  Being 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.

Wire 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 ago

If you're teaching people, you give them crappy little stick welders. $200 each, maybe.

kevviiinn 4y ago
That's how I learned, and oxy acetylene
behringer 4y ago
Ah this must be why I never really figured out how to weld in high school.

kevviiinn 4y ago

Does 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 ago
I've worked with the sub-$1k 200A knockoffs and they are quite usable
- zamnos 4y ago
  Hell, 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 ago
That'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.
- kevviiinn 4y ago
  A trade school is not an industrial fab shop
- woah 4y ago
  Why would someone learn to MIG weld on an expensive industrial machine? You can get a cheap one at Home Depot for $200.

elihu 4y ago

I'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 ago
Being 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.