Cape Town-based educational and corporate technology solutions supplier Edit Microsystems says that it now distributes welding training technology, the GuideWeld Live, to the Southern African market.

The GuideWeld Live has been developed and manufactured by US-based experiential learning technology manufacturer Realityworks. Edit Microsystems product manager Tamryn Smit says that the company also provides technical support and training for the trainers in Southern Africa.

The GuideWeld Live system consists of a welding gun sensor, which Smit adds can be attached to any MIG welding gun, and a specialised welding helmet with visual display that provides immediate feedback on work angle, travel angle and speed. The feedback happens live, during real-life welds with real materials.

“We realised that there is a desperate need for skills and development in the country and believe that incorporating technology into artisan training is one way of decreasing the costs and increasing the effectiveness of training,” she explains.

Smit adds that the GuideWeld Live welding guidance system can be used in schools, training centres and companies to virtually put a welding instructor in every welding booth. The system goes beyond virtual welding and offers a real welding experience.

“By providing feedback on the core aspects of work angle, travel angle and speed, the GuideWeld Live allows students to learn correct welding form and positioning, it makes instructors more available to provide individualised instruction and increases the safety of the learning environment,” Smit says.

She highlights that the system allows for cost savings, as other methods of welding training are usually more expensive and lead to a waste of material.

Edit Microsystems sells the GuideWeld Live with a package that includes curriculum, consisting of three units: welding safety, welding defects and welding specifications, as well as presentation slides, teacher guides, student worksheets, quizzes and assessments. The system also inlcudes nine welding procedure specifications.