AR and VR Technology in Training the Welders of the Future

Daniel Liao, Dean, Applied Science, Technology, Trades and Robbie Renaud, Program Coordinator, Welding and Fabrication Technician, St. Lawrence College, Ontario, Canada

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have become popular tools in many industries for training purposes, and post-secondary is no exception.

Welding Training

Welding is a highly skilled trade that requires both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. At St. Lawrence College (SLC) in Ontario, Canada, the use of VR and AR in welder training has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the learning process. A number of AR and VR welding training units are now used in the mechanical technician, welding and fabrication technician, and welder apprenticeship programs at SLC.

Welding involves creating temperatures hot enough to melt metal while upwards of hundreds of amps of electricity flow from the welder’s electrode into the workpiece. Fumes are generated inches from the welder’s face, and eyes can be damaged if not properly protected by a welding helmet. These conditions have associated safety concerns; however, using VR and AR in welder training provides a safe environment for practice. Enabled by today’s cutting-edge graphics and software technologies, student welders can practice in a simulated environment that accurately mimics the real-world conditions of welding without the associated risks.

What Makes it Possible?

SLC deploys the units AugmentedArc® and MobileArc™, as well as VRTEX®. While both simulate live welding accurately, the main difference is that the former, by Miller Electric, are AR units, where the helmet cartridge is transparent like a real welding helmet but allows the graphical welding simulation to be superimposed on the lens. The VRTEX®, by Lincoln Electric, features a helmet that is essentially a virtual reality headset worn by the user.

Both product lines by Miller and Lincoln closely mimic the look and feel of real-life welding machines. This is a huge advantage for the student welder, as Miller and Lincoln products are ubiquitous across the welding industry. This article will focus on Miller’s AugmentedArc® and MobileArc™, both of which employ augmented reality.

The units come with an assortment of “coupons,” a term used in welder training and testing to depict standardized metal plates that the welder needs to join in a certain configuration, such as a tee joint, where one piece of metal needs to be perpendicularly joined to another. These coupons are plastic and are emblazoned with QR codes that hold the simulation data. To begin simulating welding, the student powers up the replica machine, puts on the helmet, and holds the electrode in their hand against the coupon, all steps like what is done in real life. The magic occurs as the student pulls the trigger, immediately causing the helmet’s cartridge to darken as it would in a live weld, and the QR codes on the coupons simulate an entire weld pass, from the sparks to the molten puddle forming right beneath the electrode.

For added realism, speakers in the helmet generate the sizzling and hissing sounds associated with welding. The simulation includes a positioner which allows for the coupon to be placed in various ways, allowing the students to progress from welding flat all the way to overhead, again mimicking real life industry situations.

The Benefits

Training welding students with AR is efficient and simple to get started. There is no need to don welding jackets or prepare plates with a grinder, file, or wire brush. Low-skill tasks are avoided altogether. Instead, the focus of the system is to develop the skills that make trained welders so valuable.

" Enabled by today’s cutting-edge graphics and software technologies, student welders can practice in a simulated environment that accurately mimics the real-world conditions of welding without the associated risks "

In real-life training, a student may have limited opportunities to perform a task correctly, and mistakes can be costly in terms of materials and time. With AR, students can repeat the weld as many times as necessary until they have mastered the technique. To assist in learning, the units provide instant feedback upon completion of the test. Such feedback includes the angle of the electrode, distance between the electrode and the workpiece, and travel speed, all factors determining the quality of the weld.

A Professor’s View

College professors are fans of AR as well, although at first some can question the efficacy and seriousness of AR for welder training. Once over that hurdle, instructors are delighted by the improvements AR brings, like no longer needing to yell over the noise inherent in every welding lab. Demonstrations for students are easier to perform with students observing the video display rather than crowding around the workpiece and trying to make out what the instructor is doing with a live weld. Lastly, the objectivity and consistency of the feedback and scoring provided by the algorithm are helpful for students and instructors alike.

Pedagogical success is also shown in cases where a student is struggling with a particular welding process or position. Instructors can have the student practice on the AR systems for an extended period before returning to live welding, with the result being a student who can quickly overcome the deficiency as opposed to repeated attempts on live welds, which incur exorbitant amounts of materials and require additional time.

Most importantly, students report higher levels of satisfaction with being exposed to AR in their welding program. Youth today are well versed in gaming and can easily adapt to AR and VR in an educational setting, embracing it right down to the bragging rights that come with achieving a higher score on a simulated welding match against a classmate. Considering the average age of a welder in Canada exceeds 55 years of age and the national shortage of welders, new methods to engage youth in training like this can create interest in and a pipeline for much-needed welders in the future.

Acknowledgement

St. Lawrence College’s investment in AR and VR welding technologies was made possible by a grant from the Government of Ontario. The partnership and foresight of the provincial government to enable the implementation of this innovation at St. Lawrence College as ones of the tools to tackle the skills shortage in the welding industry is well-received and deeply appreciated by its faculty and students.