Award-winning supplier of high-level welded assemblies and National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers member Malben Engineering has invested in a “notable technical step-change” over the past three years.

Malben Engineering operational director Luca Smargiasso says the introduction of a new vehicle model by a key customer required the introduction of new, completely automated welding technologies.

“These include adaptive pulse welding, direct current (DC) projection welders and controlled voltage spot welders; as well as advanced variable pulse metal inert gas welding technology,” he explains.

Data-driven welding production processes see Malben Engineering’s rigorous welding production, backed by extensive quality controls, deliver an impressive 750 000 projection welds and 1.7-million spot welds each month.

The company is also compliant with the automotive sector’s CQI 15 quality standard – and was one of the first Tier-1 suppliers to achieve A-rating and green status – maintaining a zero margin for defects and a rejection rate of zero parts per million, significantly exceeding customer expectations, says Smargiasso.

Although Malben has welded both coated and uncoated mild steel automotive parts for decades, Smargiasso says that the automotive industry is using thinner gauge, higher tensile steels, which makes welding more challenging. “There is a drive to go thinner with stronger materials, to reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency,” he explains.

Automation Benefits

The advantage of Malben’s automation and attention to detail is predictability and consistency, which go hand-in-hand.

“In our sector, we are doing production welding for mass production runs, meaning our welds must be exactly the same – every time,” explains Malben Engineering maintenance head Quinten Ballot, adding that over the last year, roughly, Malben reported zero rejections.

Smargiasso explains: “It is like climbing a mountain. Everybody can do day one, most people can do day two; however, from day three, they cannot continue and are in danger of falling! It is being able to do the same thing day in, day out over an extended period and without letting your guard slip [that] really counts.”

Data-Driven Welding

Robust design of experimental processes and real-time analysis of live data sets Malben Engineering apart, says plant manager Jithin Kottikkal.

He explains that the quality of the data provided enables the Malben welding team – which collectively has some 70 years’ of welding experience – to timeously take the necessary action to ensure that quality controls remain within limits.

Malben Engineering quality control manager Cheslyn Reid adds that the company analyses the data, ensuring that it leads the team in the right direction.

“We do not go into anything blindly, but instead carefully analyse what our process tells us – tracking it over a certain period, then implementing production line changes to ensure we are always ahead,” he comments.

Ballot points out that strict process controls and team-based decision-making are also priorities.

Real-Time Adaptive Welding

The real-time control of weld parameters is achieved by using pulse welding. Importantly if the gap between the welded parts varies owing to dimensional tolerance allowances, the weld voltage and arc length are adapted accordingly.

Malben Engineering technical director Marco Smargiasso says that an important part of the Malben step-change was a move from alternating current (ac) to dc, with the move to dc projection welders, adding that, “where robotic spot welders are still controlled by ac, this is carefully checked”.

“We monitor and measure the voltage. If there is something wrong, it is immediately stopped. Monitoring current ensures we do not get a cold weld,” Marco Smargiasso explains.

Ballot observes that the quality welding that Malben achieves also relies on highly skilled team members.

“Malben not only employs experienced welders, but actively builds skills within the company to keep pace with technology and, most importantly, with the requirements of our valued customers,” concludes Ballot.