30 SIFTIPS
CHOOSING THERIGHT WELDING HELMET
Whilst welding helmets are designed to protect you from the visible and invisible (ultraviolet and infrared) rays emitted from a welding arc, not all helmets are created equal. There are numerous options: passive or auto-darkening lens, fixed or variable shade, two, three or four sensors, viewing-area size and grinding protection.
Any auto-darkening helmet you choose should meet EN 175B and EN 379 standards, which ensure that the shell and lens have passed independent testing, to show they can survive high-speed particle impact provide 100% ultraviolet and infrared filtering (regardless of shade setting) and meet advertised switching speeds and darkness shades. To meet EN379 standards auto- darkening cartridges undergo evaluation in four important categories, all referring to optical clarity. Each category is graded on a scale of 1 to 3, with a score of 1 being the best (perfect) and a score of
3 being the worst. Cartridges are now available that pass all tests with the highest scores, yielding a 1/1/1/1 rating, the best available.
PASSIVE VS.
AUTO-DARKENING LENS A passive lens helmet uses UV - and IR competent dark-tinted glass with a fixed shade value, usually shade 10. The user flips the helmet into position immediately before striking an arc. An auto-darkening lens usually has a three or four shade light state, which is relatively easy to see through. When sensors on the helmet sense an arc start, the lens darkens, in a fraction of a second (typically 1/12,000 to 1/20,000 of a second for industrial-grade helmets), to shade 8 adjustable to 13.
The auto-darkening helmet stays in position before, during, and after the weld, enabling you to set up your weld joint with the helmet already in position.
This not only has the potential for improving weld quality, it can ease the neck strain associated with nodding the helmet into place. Taking the time to find the right helmet for your needs can increase your productivity and weld quality, as well as your comfort. The best quality Helmets are registered with DIN Certo and can be found on their website stating the various aspects of their conformity. The SifLITE Revenge is a solar powered auto-darkening welding helmet with adjustable sensitivity and delay, which helps protect the user’s eyes and face from trouble in the welding bay. The viewing area, meanwhile, comes large at 98 x 43mm, and darkening speed comes fast at 1/25,000s, as solar powered by the arc. The helmets can be used in stick (MMA), TIG, MIG/MAG, plasma welding/cutting, grinding and oxy/fuel welding/cutting and are CE approved.
Technical advice in the original SifTips style was started in 1932. ‘Sifbronzing’ is an almost universally recognised way of describing the low temperature bronze welding of sheet steel, cast iron and other metals. This explains why Sifbronze, the company which first developed and promoted the technique, is generally considered to be a supplier of high quality welding rods, wires, fluxes and equipment. ‘Will the Welder’ was a SifTips magazine that was produced in the early 1930s. The aim
was to provide users with ideas and tips on how to get the most out of their welding equipment.
Sif is renowned for its UK manufacturing heritage as well as its complete range of quality welding consumables used globally for almost a century.
WELDING WORLD MAGAZINE | ISSUE 04 | AUGUST 2018
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