Welding Technology Cor por ation

RAFT Gateway USER MANUAL

Copyright  2014. All rights reserved.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

REGARDING THIS DOCUMENTATION...................................................... 5

- Revision History......................................................................................5
- Languages Available............................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 1: RAFT GATEWAY OVERVIEW ............................................ 8

- Features ...................................................................................................8
- Exploring the Interface .............................................................................9
- Section A: Top Menu Bar .......................................................................10
- Section B: Timer Information .................................................................16
- Section C: Function Icons........................................................................18
- Section D: Timers List............................................................................21
- Section E: Connection Indicators .............................................................22
- Network Overview.................................................................................23
- System Requirements and Specifications ..................................................24

CHAPTER 2: SOFTWARE INSTALLATION............................................... 28

- Installation Procedure.............................................................................29
- Installing RAFT  Gateway Certifier Program .....................................34
- Typical Installation Problems..................................................................36

CHAPTER 3: CONNECTING TO WELD CONTROLS............................... 37

- Auto Detect Method................................................................................38
- Manual Method .....................................................................................39
- WebView Method...................................................................................40
- Timer Status Screen................................................................................42
- Changing the Network Interface .............................................................43

CHAPTER 4: UNDERSTANDING THE USER INTERFACE..................... 46

- Getting to know the RAFT Gateway Interface.....................................47
- Status Tab .............................................................................................48
- Editor Tab .............................................................................................49
• 1. Schedule ..................................................................................50
• 2. Setup.......................................................................................53
• 3. Linear Stepper ........................................................................53
• 4. Spot ........................................................................................54

Copyright  2014. All rights reserved.

 • 5. Reference Program...................................................................55
• 6. SoftQ Monitoring ...................................................................56
• 7. SoftQ PI Envelope ..................................................................57
• 8. TCP/IP Configuration............................................................58
• 9. EIP Configuration ..................................................................59
• 10. EIP Default..........................................................................61
• 11. System Configuration ............................................................62

CHAPTER 5: MONITORING THE CONTROLS ........................................ 63

- The Monitor Tab ...................................................................................63
• 1. Linear Stepper Tool Tab..........................................................63
• 2. Weld Data Tool Tab ...............................................................65
• 3. I/O Status Tool Tab ............................................................... 67
- Data Monitoring Service........................................................................68
• Automatically Starting the Service ...............................................69
• Manually Starting the Service ....................................................70
• Manually Stopping the Service ....................................................71
• Disabling the RAFT Gateway Data Monitoring Service .........72

CHAPTER 6: HISTORICAL WELD DATA ANALYSIS.............................. 73

- The History Tab.....................................................................................73
• 1. Spots Tool Tab....................................................................... 74
a. Analysis...............................................................................71
b. Data ...................................................................................81
• 2. Faults Tool Tab ..................................................................... 82
a. Analysis..............................................................................79
b. Data ..................................................................................82
• 3. Events Tool Tab .................................................................... 85
• 4. Graphs Tool Tab.................................................................... 86

CHAPTER 7: GENERATING REPORTS....................................................... 95

- The Reports Tab.....................................................................................95
• 1. Generating Reports from the Timer Status Screen.....................95
• 2. Generating Reports from the “Report” Tab Screen.....................97

CHAPTER 8: RAFT ......................................................................................... 99

- RAFT Button States and their Descriptions ............................................100
- Enabling and Disabling the RAFT Panel...............................................101

CHAPTER 9: SOFTQ ....................................................................................... 102

- Mode: PI Envelope...............................................................................103
- Creating the PI Envelope .....................................................................104
- Mode: SoftQ Monitoring......................................................................111

Copyright  2014. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER 10: ANALYZING AND SETTING THE QUALITY ................. 113
- The Quality Tab ...................................................................................113
- Mode Selection......................................................................................114
-Setting the Date Range..........................................................................114
- Preferences ...........................................................................................115

CHAPTER 11: UPGRADE ............................................................................. 117

- Procedure to Upgrade the Software........................................................119

CHAPTER 12: CREATING AND RESTORING BACKUPS .................... 121

- Automatic backup Scheduling ................................................................121
- Manual Backup....................................................................................123
- Downloading Data to the Timer...........................................................125
- About Weld Data Files (.wdf)...............................................................127

CHAPTER 13: ADVANCED TOPICS........................................................ 128

- Console Screen ......................................................................................128
- Multiple Network Adapters ..................................................................130
- WebView with Legacy Weld Timers ......................................................131
- User Account Setup........................... .....................................................132

CHAPTER 14: TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE ....................................... 135

- Common Issues .....................................................................................135
• Timer is Always Offline ............................................................135
• Cool Time does not Appear on the Graphs of Multi-pulse Welds ..139

CHAPTER 15: RAFT GATEWAY CERTIFIER PROGRAM................... 140

- Launching the Certifier Program ..........................................................141
• Certifier Program User Interface................................................142
- Creating a Certified Backup File...........................................................143

GLOSSARY.............................................................................................. 145

Copyright  2014. All rights reserved.

 M038151 V3.0 / 3.4.3.2_03/2014

REGARDING THIS DOCUMENTATION

This documentation is written to support RAFTGateway software

version 3.4.3.2

It has been designed for planning, programming, start-up personnel,

operators, service technicians, plant operators, line builders and
maintenance personnel to assist with procedures related to installing
the weld control.

This instruction manual contains important information on the safe

and appropriate assembly, transportation, commissioning,
maintenance and simple trouble shooting of RAFTGateway

Some of the screen shots of the software application may appear

different and are used for illustrative purpose only.

REVISION HISTORY
REVISION REL. DATE COMMENTS

Initial release of RAFT Gateway soft-

1.0 09/02/10 ware manual rev. 2.0.7.7

Revised entire manual as required to

2.0 10/11/12 support software revision 2.4.4.1

Manual revised to support changes

3.0 06/4/14 with software updates in Ver. 3.4.3.2
User interface descriptions added.

LANGUAGES AVAILABLE

This documentation was originally published in English.

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COMMON TECHNIQUES USED IN THIS MANUAL

The following conventions are used throughout this manual:

• Bulleted lists such as this one provide information, not

procedural steps.

 Numbered lists provide sequential steps or hierarchical

information.

Italic type is used for emphasis.

WTC SUPPORT [ITS]

WTC tests all of our products to ensure that they are fully
operational when shipped from our manufacturing facility. If you are
experiencing installation or startup problems, please review the
troubleshooting information contained in this publication. If you
need assistance to get your module up and running, please contact
Customer Support (see the table below); our trained technical
specialists are available to help.
If the product is not functioning and needs to be returned, contact
your distributor. You must provide a Customer Support case number
to your distributor in order to complete the return process.

United States/Canada 1.248.477.3900 Ext: 3020

Phone Outside United States/
Canada

Internet Worldwide Go to http://support.wtc.com

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NOTES:

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Chapter 1: RAFT GATEWAY OVERVIEW

WTC's RAFT Gateway Network & Data Monitoring Software is

designed to monitor, analyze, report, backup and visualize the entire
resistance welding process. This includes the ability to program,
monitor, backup and report data from WTC resistance weld control
NOTE: The screen shots shown
are for illustration purposes only. processors.
Your user interface may differ
depending on your specific The RAFT Gateway gives the weld engineer or plant maintenance
application.
personnel the ability to monitor every weld control in the plant from
a single interface. Through the processor Status Screen, personnel
can review the status of an individual cell or an entire plant. Faults
are actively reported and pushed-up from the weld control to the
RAFT Gateway.

Live data is pushed-up from the weld control in real-time. When a

welding event occurs, the weld processor uses UDP messaging to
send the weld data directly to the RAFT Gateway, ensuring as
little network bandwidth as possible is used.

FEATURES

• Weld data collection over EtherNet or Serial connections

• Support for multiple processor styles in one interface
• Full editing and configuration of welding parameters
• Backup and restore weld processor files
• Archive, view and graph weld data
• Real-time updates from weld controls.
• Ability to upgrade software
• Supports 7 different languages

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EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE

INITIAL VIEW

A. Top Menu Bar B. Timer Information C. Function Icons D. Timers List E. Connection Indicators

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SECTION A.

TOP MENU BAR

FILE:
Open: Open a backup wdf file
Save as: Save the timer’s wdf backup file
Exit: Exit the application

VIEW:  Console: Check box enables view of

the GUI output
 Running Tasks: Opens a progress
window that displays
tasks like uploading
or downloading data
to the timer.

Example of a Console

Opens a dialog box that

displays the status of the
process, usually download or
upload of timer data status.

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REPORTS:  Reports: Opens selected timer

reports on event,
weld and fault data.
This menu item is available
from the Timers tab.

EVENT REPORT

Example of Analysis Report Example of Data Report

WELD DATA REPORT

FAULT REPORT

GLOBAL COMPARISON REPORT

Comparison reports of all

timers saved in the .ini file

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UTILITIES:  Forced Backup: Backs up

Selected timers
 Mass Upgrade: (If Enabled)
Opens the dialog
box to upgrade
selected timers

FORCED BACKUP

Backup single or multiple timers. By default the data is saved in

the RAFT Gateway Workspace folder for each individual timer.

Details display progress windows for

the timer/s backup process.

MASS UPGRADE

Timer Software can be upgraded for

multiple timers at the same time.

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ETHERNET SETUP WEBVIEW SETUP

SETTINGS:

Select the network

or operate in
Offline Mode Add or remove webview,
edit user name and
password for a webview.

SERVICE PREFERENCES DATABASE SETUP

Set workspace path, set  Edit and test database connection

auto compare and/or auto  Enable or disable user logins
backup of all timers
 Enable User Manager option
 Edit database purge settings
 Option to enable HSDS and
edit/test connection to HSDS

USER MANAGER

 Needs database service running, needs

to be enabled from database setup

 Add or remove Admin.,

Maintenance, and Operator accounts

 Edit user auto timeout and Log Off time

and warning settings

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EMAIL SETUP

Add email settings for RAFTGateway to automatically

email comparison reports

CONFIGURATION

 Enable and Disable

- Archive Panel
- RAFTPanel
- Upgrade Panel
- SQL Query Page
- Create Reference
- Fieldbus IO Configuration
- Fieldbus Input
- Fieldbus Output
- TCP/IP Configuration
- Edit TCP/IP Configuration
- EIP Input
- EIP Output
- Edit EIP Configuration
- GUN ID Database Status
Displays the status of database
synchronization for timers that
support GUN ID in three states.
• NOT SYNCHRONIZED - if the
timer's data is not synchronized to the
database
• SYNCING - process of synchronizing
the timers data to the database
• SYNCHRONIZED - timers data is
synchronized with data in database

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- Max Backup files

- Max Compare files
- Max Fault file size: (Fault .csv files kept)
- Max Fault files
- Max Graph file size (Graph record .sdf file)
- Max Graph files
- Max Summary file lines (Max. lines in each weld data .csv file)
- Max Fault file lines
- Max Event file lines
- Max Summary files
- Max Event file size
- Max Event files
- Max rows per archive table:
(Max. records displayed in SoftQ Monitoring, History,
Spots, Analysis and Data)
- Max Compare report files
- Helios KeepAlive Timeout (For QNT timeout when there is no
response from Helios)
- Helios Port (for QNT port to connect through to Helios from
RAFT Gateway)
- Database Weld Data Purge (Deletion of records older than
specified number of days)

USER:
Available for user login and
log out with Maintenance or
Operator account

The User Name setup allows for account levels to be

configured for different users with specific privileges:
Operator, Maintenance and Admin.

Note: The Admin Account cannot be changed. It is recommended to store

the login information in a safe place to prevent an account lock-out

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HELP:
Opens a default web browser with
the RAFTGateway user manual

CUSTOMIZE TRANSLATION:
Allows the user to customize the translation for RAFT function
strings. This option is grayed out in the initial view.

B To activate, select which opens up a language

dialog box.

C Select the desired language

D Go back to HELP. Click to open the menu.

Customize Translation is now active. Click to
select.
E This opens up a dialog box where the user can
customize strings.

SETUP CUSTOMIZE LANGUAGE

This option
allows the user to
customize
function strings
in a language
other than the
eight options
available in the
RAFT.

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SECTION B.

TIMER INFORMATION

TIMERS TABS
(USE THE ARROW
KEYS TO
NAVIGATE TO
SPECIFIC TIMER)

TIMERS LIST

Depending on how the plant network is configured, the Timers tab

provides a list view of all the weld processors in the network and their
current status. Tabbed browsing further enables navigation to each
weld processor.

The Timer Screen is where weld processors are added (either

automatically or manually) to the network for data collection. Once a
processor is added, the control status is constantly updated, allowing
the user to view and correct faults as they occur.

THERE ARE TWO METHODS TO ADD A WELD CONTROL PROCESSOR TO THE

PROCESSOR TIMER SCREEN:

MANUAL
(ADD PROCESSOR IP ADDRESS)

AUTO-DETECT

Once connected, the weld processor(s) will be displayed on the

RAFT Gateway's processor Status Screen.

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THE TIMER STATUS SCREEN

SOFTWARE REVISION ETHERNET/IP

OF THE WELD TIMER FIRMWARE REVISION

STATUS:
FAULT
ALERT
ONLINE
OFFLINE

SERVICE STATUS:
RUNNING
NOT RUNNING
NAME (OR WELDER IP ADDRESS OF NETWORK STATUS:
CERTIFICATION
ID) ASSIGNED TO THE WELD TIMER ONLINE
STATUS:
THE WELD TIMER OFFLINE
• CERTIFIED
• NOT CERTIFIED
• DIFFERENT
• NEVER COMPARED

The RAFT Gateway uses a combination of both TCP/IP and UDP to

retrieve information from a weld processor. TCP/IP is used during the
initial connection to the weld processor to quickly collect the
processor information. Once a connection is established, the RAFT
Gateway subscribes to the processor. This then tells the weld
processor to “push” data to the RAFT Gateway via UDP each time a
new event, weld, or status change occurs.

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SECTION C.

FUNCTION ICONS

View “Fault Data”

Move the
report on the View “Graph
Selected List Load Timer List
Selected Timers Data” Report
Items Down from INI File
View “Event Data”
Remove Timer report on the View “Weld
from List Selected Timers Data” Report

Move the Save Timer List View “Weld Data” View “Fault
Selected List to INI file report on the Data” Report
Items Up Selected Timers
Auto-Detect Refresh the View “Event Language/Lengua/
Timers Names and Faults Data” Report Sprache....
on all Timers

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INTERFACE ICONS NOTE: In the button descriptions below, the word “Selected” refers to a
EXPLAINED weld timer in the main timer list, which has been highlighted by left-clicking
it with the mouse. To select multiple timers, left-click the mouse in
conjunction with either the Ctrl or Shift keys.

BUTTON
BUTTON DESCRIPTION
NAME

Moves the order of the selected weld timer(s), either Down or Up, in the
DOWN / UP main timer list. The changes are immediately saved. If RAFT Gateway is
ARROWS closed then restarted, the list will reappear in the last saved order.

AUTO-DETECT Detects all active WTC weld timers on the network (within the same sub-
TIMERS net mask) and populates the main timer list.

REMOVE Removes the selected weld timer(s) from the main timer list.
TIMERS

Saves the entire main timer list to the raftgateway.ini file. When a new
timer is added to the interface, the save button turns from gray to yellow
SAVE TIMER to alert the user that there are differences between the raftgateway.ini file
LIST and the current on-screen list. Clicking the save button in the yellow state
will save the current on-screen list to the raftgateway.ini file. After the
save is complete, the button will turn back to gray.

Loads the raftgateway.ini file to the timer list. If a weld timer was deleted
LOAD TIMER from the timer list (and the Save button was not pressed), this button can
LIST be used to re-load the timer list as it was last saved to the raftgateway.ini
file.

REFRESH Refreshes the status of the weld timer(s) on the main timer list to ensure
the information viewed is current.

VIEW THE This button displays all events collected by RAFT Gateway, in graphs
“EVENT DATA” and sortable columns, for single or multiple selected timers. The col-
REPORT ON umned event fields display data such as Stepper Resets, Fault Resets,
SELECTED TIM- Name changes, Schedule changes, and Users making changes.
ERS

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BUTTON
BUTTON DESCRIPTION
NAME

This button displays all weld data collected by the RAFT Gateway, in
VIEW THE graphs and sortable columns, for single or multiple selected timers. The
“WELD DATA” RAFT Gateway collects all data that has been reported by the service
REPORT ON and stores it by IP address.
SELECTED TIM-
ERS

VIEW THE This button displays all faults and alerts collected by RAFT Gateway, in
“FAULT DATA” graphs and sortable data columns, for up to 2 selected timer modules.
REPORT ON
SELECTED TIM-
ERS

VIEW OFF- This button allows the user to view an off-line Event Data report of any
LINE “EVENT timer that was connected to the RAFT Gateway work station. This but-
DATA” ton displays all events, in graphs and sortable columns. The columned
REPORTS event fields display data such as Stepper Resets, Fault Resets, Name
FROM A FILE changes, Schedule changes, and Users making changes

VIEW OFF- This button allows the user to view an off-line Weld Data report of any
LINE “WELD timer that was connected to the RAFT Gateway work station. This but-
DATA” ton displays all weld data, in graphs and sortable columns. The RAFT
REPORTS Gateway collects all data that has been reported by the service and stores
FROM A FILE it by IP address.

VIEW THE This button loads stored weld data from a file and opens the weld analysis
“GRAPH screen.
DATA”
REPORT

This button allows the user to change the language preference of the
RAFT Gateway Interface. The available languages are:
• English
• German
• Spanish
• French
CHANGE
• Korean
LANGUAGE
PREFERENCES
• Portuguese
• Chinese
• Polish

NOTE: If Korean and Chinese show up as square boxes, this indicates that
your copy of Windows does not have fonts installed for Asian Language
Support. To make these viewable, please see your system administrator.
This will require the Windows installation CD or a network resource.

NOTE #2: Any changes to the language require the RAFT Gateway to be
re-started. This does not affect data collection, but will close the user
interface so it can be reloaded.

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SECTION D.

TIMERS LIST

List view of all timers in the network and their current status. The
information here includes the Timer Name, Certification status, the IP
Address, Software and EIP Revision and the synchronization status of
the Database.

From the timer list screen, the user can connect to a weld processor
by right-clicking the mouse on the desired processor and then
selecting “Connect to processor”. The user can then view the features
of the individual processor.

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SECTION E.

CONNECTION INDICATORS

Indicates the status of the connections to the timer, database and

plant Ethernet.

Service Running: Data Monitoring Services have to be enabled/

started at the Admin level for the button to turn green. This allows
the collection of weld data from the list of weld controls on RAFT
Gateway.

When services are stopped the button will turn red

DB Connected: Database Services have to be Enabled/Started at

Admin level to allows RAFT Gateway to store and collect weld data
from the list of controls on RAFT Gateway.

When services are stopped the button will turn red

NOTE: For detailed procedure on starting Data Monitoring Services

refer to Chapter 5: Monitoring the weld Controls.

Green buttons announce connectivity. The buttons turn red to

indicate loss of connection.

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NETWORK The RAFT Gateway product must be configured to operate within

OVERVIEW the network of the facility in which it is installed. Depending on the
size of the installation, the RAFT Gateway may be configured to look
at a cell, or in some cases an entire facility or world-wide network.

The setup of the EtherNet network will determine what weld controls
can be edited by the RAFT Gateway software. Since the RAFT
Gateway is an EtherNet based product, and depending on the setup
of the plant network, the possibility exists that an automatic scan may
occur to detect a weld processor on another facility network (if the
networks are linked.) The RAFT Gateway software is designed to
prevent this from unintentionally occurring by displaying a warning
message, if an attempt is made to connect to an IP Address outside of
the local Subnet Mask.

RAFT Gateway network example

Shown above: WTC weld control network example

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EXAMPLE OF HOST GATEWAY PC CONNECTION

NOTE:  Wireless
connections are not
recommended due
to signal strength
variations which will
cause low
performance.
View live event, & fault data
only. File compares, etc...
 Remote Desktop Offline view history weld and
Data collector from
Virtual Local Area graph data from Local (PC) 1 RAFT Weld Timers:
Networks are not timer(s) workspace folders data. view live weld, graph,
event, & fault data.
recommended due DATA
to tasking Local PC
resources which will
cause low
performance. EXAMPLE OF A EXTERNAL DATABASE

DATA

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EXAMPLE OF A ENET NETWORK WITH (2) PCS

CONNECTED LOCALLY (DIRECT CONNECT).

EXAMPLE OF “ENABLE WELD GRAPH ARCHIVING” TO

MANAGE DATA COLLECTION OF THE PC INTENDED.

Right click the

Right click the selected Timer
selected Timer

Select
Select Disable Enable Weld
Weld Graph Graph
Archiving Archiving

Not receiving data from Timer 1 to PC(2) Receiving data from Timer 1 to PC(2)

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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Processor Dual Core 2.8GHz or faster processor

RAM (1-30 welders) 4 GB RAM Minimum

RAM (30+ welders) 8 GB RAM Minimum

Free Hard Disk Space 60GB of available HD is recommended for data

storage

Required Hardware CD-ROM drive

Minimum OS Requirements Microsoft® Windows® 7 Prof.

Software Requirements Java 1.6 (or latest)

DATA MONITORING

Type Service - RAFT Gateway Data Monitor

Data Transfer Type TCP / UDP

Processor Detection Automatic Processor Scan Detection

Processor Backup Format Weld Data File (.WDF)

Configuration File .INI file for configuration

DISK USAGE

Fault Data Size / Record: 80 bytes / weld (Maximum size)

Fault Data Size / Record: 431 bytes / weld (Maximum size)

COMPATIBILITY

Weld Processor • Generation 6 (AC / MFDC)

• Generation 5 (FRS Series AC/MFDC)
• MedWeld 4000 (AC)*
• MedWeld 3005 (AC)*
Compatible Hardware WebVIEW

* Connectecd via WebView

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Chapter 2: SOFTWARE INSTALLATION

THE RAFT GATEWAY HAS TWO SOFTWARE COMPONENTS:

RAFT Gateway Network RAFT Gateway Certifier

Software: Program:
Manages and monitors WTC A mini-application for creating
resistance welding controls. certified backup files.

INSTALLING THE RAFT GATEWAY NETWORK SOFTWARE

NOTE: In the example below, RAFT Gateway software

version 3.4.3.2 is used. The following procedures are
applicable for any version of RAFT Gateway software.

ADMINISTRATOR LEVEL ACCESS IS REQUIRED TO INSTALL THE RAFT GATEWAY

SOFTWARE. IF NOT AN ADMINISTRATOR, PLEASE CANCEL THE INSTALLATION NOW
AS ERRORS WILL OCCUR IF YOU CONTINUE.

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INSTALLATION PROCEDURE:

1. Log into workstation PC as Administrator. Find the RAFT Gate-

way Setup ".exe" file (shown below) and double-click to launch.

2. If a previous version of RAFT Gateway was installed, the Admin-

istrator will be prompted to remove the older version. If new
install, go to step 9 below.

3. When prompted, click "OK" to remove the older version. This will
not affect stored data, backups or compare files.

4. When prompted, click “Yes” to confirm the complete removal of

the older version. This will not affect stored data, backups or com-
pare files.

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5. A window will appear showing the progress of the uninstall pro-

cess.

6. Once the uninstall process is complete, a “Success” message will

be displayed. Click “OK” to continue.

ALL APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE CLOSED BEFORE PROCEEDING.

THIS WILL PREVENT THE INSTALL FROM BECOMING CORRUPTED.

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7. An installation welcome screen will appear. Click “Next” to con-

tinue.

8. Review the four license agreements and click “I agree” to con-

tinue for each. Please contact WTC If you do not agree to any of
the terms within these four license agreements.

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9. Select an installation location. The default install location is

C:\Program Files\RaftGateway. Click “Install” to continue.

10. A window will appear showing the progress of the install process.

11. Once the install process is complete, a “Success” message will be

displayed. Click “Finish” to continue.

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12. A restart of the workstation computer is required to start the

RAFTGateway Data Monitoring Service. Click “Yes” to continue.

If any problems were experienced during the installation process,

please contact WTC for assistance.

WTC's Industrial Technical Services Contact:

Phone: (248) 477-3900 | Toll free: 1-877-WTC-SERV (877-982-7378)

Fax: (248) 477-8897 | Email: [email protected]

NOTE: When sending an email to WTC for technical support, please

include screen captures of the problem and hardware
status screen (if applicable). Also include information on
the Software version, FPGA version and any other
information that will that will help us to quickly understand
and troubleshoot.

NOTE: WTC's firewall will not accept compressed (.zip) files as email
attachments. If you need to email a .zip file to WTC, change
the file extension to .zpp prior to attaching it to the email
message. This will allow both the email and attachment to
pass through the WTC firewall. Thank you for your
understanding.

NOTE: For the detailed procedure to setup user account see

Chapter 13: Advanced Topics

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INSTALLING THE RAFT GATEWAY CERTIFIER PROGRAM

The instructions below cover the installation of the second software

component - The RAFT Gateway Certifier Program.

The Certifier Program does not have a standard install setup file like
the RAFT Gateway Software. The Certifier Program is a Java
executable (.jar) file, which is a portable application that can be run
from any location by either the weld engineer or any other plant
authority responsible for certifying the weld schedules. The certifier
executable file can be kept on a local workstation PC or carried on a
USB memory stick or other portable memory device.

IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE RAFT GATEWAY SOFTWARE IS FULLY INSTALLED

AND WELD CONTROLS PROGRAMMED BEFORE USING THE CERTIFIER PROGRAM.
THIS IS TO VERIFY THAT THE OPERATOR IS USING A VALID RAFTGATEWAY.INI FILE.

WARNING! THE RAFT GATEWAY SOFTWARE APPLICATION MUST BE CLOSED

PRIOR TO BEGINNING THE CERTIFIER SOFTWARE INSTALLATION PROCESS.

THE CERTIFIER PROGRAM WILL NOT LAUNCH PROPERLY IF THE

RAFT GATEWAY SOFTWARE IS RUNNING AT THE SAME TIME.

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INSTRUCTION:

1. Find the Certifier ".jar" executable file (shown below) and copy to
the desired run location. This can be either a memory stick, PC
desktop, network drive, etc.

2. Once the Certifier file is in the run location, double-click to

launch.

3. During the launch process, a pop-up will appear advising what

"raftgateway.ini" file is being used. Click "OK" to continue.

4. The application will begin to run. The installation process is com-

plete.

THE CERTIFIER PROGRAM IS AN EXECUTABLE .JAR FILE AND CAN BE RUN FROM ANY
LOCATION. VERIFY YOU ARE USING THE PROPER WELD GATEWAY.INI FILE BEFORE
YOU BEGIN TO CERTIFY WELD CONTROLS.

NOTE: The "raftgateway.ini" file is a special file that stores the RAFT
Gateway configuration. This file stores data that is required for the
RAFT Gateway to properly operate and contains data such as:

• Weld control IP addresses

• Time schedules for backups and comparisons
• Column width and column order for different data windows

THE "RAFTGATEWAY.INI" FILE IS A VERY IMPORTANT FILE AND SHOULD NOT BE

EDITED UNLESS INSTRUCTED BY WTC PERSONNEL.

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TYPICAL Some common issues related to the RAFT Gateway Software and
INSTALLATION the RAFT Gateway Certifier Program installation:
PROBLEMS

PROBLEM SOLUTION

During the install process, the RAFT Gateway The user attempting to install the software is not
software issues errors related to writing to .DLL logged in as the System Administrator. The soft-
files. ware is unable to write to certain .DLL files on the
hard disk, resulting in errors. Log in as the System
Administrator and re-install software.

The RAFT Gateway Software shows a red “Ser- This is caused by one of two problems:
vice Not Running” message at the top of the
screen. 1 The workstation computer was not restarted
after the RAFT Gateway Software
installation was complete. If applicable,
restart the workstation and then try running
the RAFT Gateway Software again.

2 If the workstation computer was restarted after

the installation process, it is possible the
Windows “services.msc” file may have been
changed. In the “services.msc” file, ensure the
WTC RAFT Gateway Monitor Service is
configured for “automatic” startup type and
that the status says “Started”. This can only be
corrected by the System Administrator.

Neither the RAFT Gateway Software nor the The RAFT Gateway Software and Certifier Pro-
Certi-fier Program will launch and a “RAFT gram are both based on the same design and use
Gateway Already Running” message appears on many of the same files when in operation. As a
the screen. result, only one program can be running at a time.
Close the RAFT Gateway Software before
attempting to run the Certifier Program or vice
versa.

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Chapter 3: CONNECTING TO WELD CONTROLS

The Timers screen is the main screen of the RAFT Gateway

interface. This screen gives the operator an entire view of all the weld
controls and their current status. The Timer Screen is where weld
processors are added (either automatically or manually) to the
network for data collection. Once a processor is added, the control
status is constantly updated, allowing the user to view and correct
faults as they occur.

THERE ARE TWO METHODS TO ADD A WELD CONTROL PROCESSOR TO THE

PROCESSOR TIMER SCREEN:
MANUAL
(ADD PROCESSOR IP ADDRESS)

AUTO-DETECT

Once connected, the weld processor(s) will be displayed on the

RAFT Gateway's processor Status Screen.

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RAFT Gateway allows an operator to add, save, remove and set the
weld processor display order in the Timer screen. The easiest way of
adding weld processors to the list is by using the Auto-Detect feature.

1. AUTO DETECT METHOD

ICON NAME DESCRIPTION

AUTO-DETECT Detects all active WTC weld processors on the network (within the
PROCESSORS same subnet mask) and populates the main processor list.

REMOVE Removes the selected weld processor(s) from the main processor
PROCESSORS list.

Saves the entire main processor list to the raftgateway.ini file. When
SAVE a new processor is added to the interface, the save button turns from
PROCESSOR gray to yellow to alert the user that there are differences between
LIST the raftgateway.ini file and the current on-screen list. Clicking the
save button in the yellow state will save the current on-screen list to
the raftgateway.ini file. After the save is complete, the button will
turn back to gray.

LOAD Loads the raftgateway.ini file to the processor list. If a weld processor
PROCESSOR was deleted from the processor list (and the Save button was not
LIST pressed), this button can be used to re-load the processor list as it
was last saved to the raftgateway.ini file.

REFRESH Refreshes the status of the weld processor(s) on the main processor
list to ensure the information viewed is current.

If weld timers are not being added to the timer list when the Auto-
Detect button is pressed, verify the following:

1. Verify power to the weld timer.

2. Ping the weld control via the EtherNet network.

3. Verify that the EtherNet cables are properly connected and in the
correct port.

4. Verify the workstation computer is assigned same Subnet Address

as the weld timer.

5. Verify with your network administrator that TCP/IP or UDP traffic

is not blocked.

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2. MANUAL METHOD

To manually add a weld timer to the Main Timer Screen, type the IP
Address of the weld timer into the Address Bar and then click GO.

Note: These icons can be found under the Timers tab.

When the RAFT Gateway attempts to connect to a weld timer, an

internal timer starts counting in the subscription process. If the
internal timer expires before a successful connection with the weld
timer is established, the timer will still be added to the timer list, but
with an “OFFLINE” status. If a successful connection with the weld
timer is established, the status will change to “ONLINE”. Pressing the
Refresh button will automatically reconnect and verify the state of all
weld timers in the timer list.

A WARNING MESSAGE WILL APPEAR IF THE RAFT GATEWAY ATTEMPTS TO

CONNECT TO A WELD TIMER IP ADDRESS THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THE SUBNET MASK OF
THE WORKSTATION PC. DEPENDING ON THE NETWORK CONFIGURATION, THE
POTENTIAL EXISTS TO ALTER A WELD TIMER OUTSIDE OF YOUR PHYSICAL LOCATION.

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3. WEBVIEW METHOD

Adding a WebView is slightly different than adding a weld timer to the

RAFT Gateway. The WebView acts as an interconnect between the
RAFT Gateway and WTC legacy weld timers that use either serial
networks or are otherwise not compatible with the RAFT Gateway.

Weld timers connected through WebView are not capable of being

auto-detected by the RAFT Gateway. Instead, the WebView IP
Address must be added to the RAFT Gateway (see below). Once
connected, the WebView will tell the RAFT Gateway what legacy
timers are connected to it and the RAFT Gateway will add them to
the timer list.

TO ADD OR REMOVE WEBVIEW DEVICES FROM THE RAFT GATEWAY

B Click on the Settings tab. From the drop down menu select
“WebView Setup.” This will open a Webview Configuration
dialog box.

C Click the Add button to add a WebView device to the RAFT

NOTE: In order for the Gateway.
RAFT Gateway to Auto-
Detect a weld timer, the
Subnet Address of the timer must be
the same as the workstation computer.
If the timer's Subnet Address is
different, the RAFT Gateway will not
Auto-Detect the timer.

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D An Input Request pop-up window will appear. Enter the

WebView IP Address and then click OK. The WebView IP Address
will now populate the WebView Configuration list.

E A service restart request is annunciated. Click YES to confirm.

To remove a WebView device from the RAFT Gateway, left-click the

mouse on the WebView IP Address in the WebView Configuration list.
Then click the Remove button. The WebView IP Address is then
removed from the list.

The User/Pass button is used to access a WebView device that has

been configured with a User Name and Password. Left-click the
mouse on the WebView IP Address in the WebView Configuration list.
Then click the User/Pass button. An Input Request pop-up window
will appear. Enter the WebView user name and password and then
click OK.

NOTE: When WebView devices are added to the RAFT Gateway, their fault
status in the Timers Tab may appear “grayed-out” with the words NO FAULT
DATA. This is due to the WebView acting as an intermediary between the
legacy weld timer and the RAFT Gateway, resulting in faults being posted
only when they occur. Therefore, the message NO FAULT DATA will be posted
until an event occurs that would cause the status to change.

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THE TIMER STATUS SCREEN

SOFTWARE REVISION ETHERNET/IP

OF THE WELD TIMER FIRMWARE REVISION

STATUS:
FAULT
ALERT
ONLINE
OFFLINE

SERVICE STATUS:
RUNNING
NOT RUNNING
NAME (OR WELDER IP ADDRESS OF NETWORK STATUS:
CERTIFICATION
ID) ASSIGNED TO THE WELD TIMER ONLINE
STATUS:
THE WELD TIMER OFFLINE
• CERTIFIED
• NOT CERTIFIED
• DIFFERENT
• NEVER COMPARED

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CHANGING The online status indicator is located in the lower right-hand corner of
THE NETWORK the application. Its purpose is to verify the status of the network
INTERFACE connection by telling the user if RAFT Gateway is in “Online” or “Off
line” mode.

• If the RAFT Gateway software is connected to a network, the

status indicator will be green with “Online” displayed.

• If the RAFT Gateway software is not connected to a network,

the status indicator will be yellow with “Off line” displayed.

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Follow the procedure below to change the network interface or put

the RAFT Gateway application in “Offline” mode:

B Select the Ethernet Setup option from the Settings drop down
menu.

C The Ethernet Setup dialog box will appear. Select the appropriate
network interface or select Offline Mode. Click “OK” to accept
changes.

D Service Reset dialog box will appear. The application must be

restarted for the changes to take affect. Click “Yes” to proceed
and restart the application.

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If “Offline” mode was selected in Step 2, the online status indicator

located in the lower right-hand corner of the application will turn
yellow and “Offline” is displayed.

NOTE: In offline mode, the user can only open and edit the WDF
file, (.sdf, .csv) which is the backup file of welding data that
RAFT Gateway recorded. See Chapter 7: Creating and
Restoring Backup Files for more information.

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Chapter 4: UNDERSTANDING THE USER INTERFACE

This chapter provides an orientation to the RAFT Gateway interface.

It is the workspace that allows users to navigate to every weld
processor on the network which can be further programmed, edited
and studied.

The Timer screen alerts both the operator and weld engineer to
problems within the weld cell. This screen can hold hundreds of weld
timers and as the status changes, the timer status screen will update.

Example of faulted weld timers on the timer Status screen. To view the
fault, double-click the row the timer is on and a tab will open for that
individual timer.

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GETTING TO KNOW THE RAFT USER INTERFACE

MONITOR THE PROCESS INTEGRITY,

NUGGET INTEGRITY AND TOOLING
INTEGRITY OF EACH WELD SCHEDULE
WITHIN THE SELECTED WELD TIMER.
ALSO EDIT SOFTQ PARAMETERS

MONITOR OR CHANGE SET THE

THE ADAPTIVE STATUS ACCCEPTABLE
OF ALL THE WELD QUALITY
SCHEDULES WITHIN THE STANDARDS FOR
SELECTED WELD TIMER THE WELDING
PROCESS WHILE
• SWITCH BETWEEN OPEN TIMER TABS ANALYZING AND
• RETURN TO THE TIMER STATUS SCREEN TO SEE AND COMPARE COLLECTIND DATA
SEE ALL WELD TIMERS BETWEEN TIMERS OR
• USE THE ADDRESS BAR IN THE TIMER STATUS CERTIFIED FILES AND
EASILY
SCREEN TO MANUALLY CONNECT TO A WELD SAVE AS A REPORT UPGRADE
TIMER BY ENTERING A KNOWN IP ADDRESS AND CHANGE
TIMER
SOFTWARE

SHOWS GENERAL
INFORMATION ON
THE TIMER
STATUS. ALLOWS
MANUAL UPLOAD
OR DOWNLOADS
FROM TIMER OR
FAULT RESET

EDIT SCHEDULES, THIS WINDOW DISPLAYS GRAPHICAL DATA FROM THE LAST
STEPPER PROFILES, WELD. THE DISPLAY WILL VARY DEPENDING ON THE
CONFIGURATION AND SOFTWARE INSTALLED INTO THE WELD TIMER.
SETUP PARAMETERS
FOR THE TIMER THE PROFILE MAY INCLUDE:
• CURRENT
MONITOR I/O, VIEW LAST • RESISTANCE
WELD DATA, AND LINEAR • ADJUSTED CURRENT
STEPPER STATUS • DESIRED CURRENT
• ENERGY
• HEAT

TAG WELDS, COMPARE

CURRENT WELDS, EVENTS,
AND FAULTS WITH
HISTORICAL DATA USING
GRAPHS AND SPREADSHEETS

USED TO DOWNLOAD A BACKED-UP WELD USED TO UPLOAD DATA FROM A WELD TIMER
DATA FILE (.WDF) TO A WELD TIMER AND BACK-UP TO A WELD DATA FILE (.WDF)

NOTE: If any of the tabs described above are not shown or are dimmed, the function
has not been enabled/ configured by the Administrator for the user currently logged in.

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STATUS TAB The Status Screen allows the user to view the fault status of the,
weld timer.

A.

B.

C.
D.
E.
F.

A. Timer Identification B. Graphical Data C. Current Indicators D. Fault

Status E. Function Buttons F. Connection Indicators

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EDITOR TAB THE EDITOR TAB ALLOWS PROGRAMMING OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. Schedule

2. Setup

3. Linear Stepper

4. Reference Program

5. Spot

6. I/O Configuration

6. Input

8. Output

9. TCP/IP Configuration

10. EIP Configuration (IP, Subnet & Gateway)

11. EIP Input

12. EIP Output

13. EIP Default (I/O)

14. System Configuration

15. SoftQ Monitoring

16. SoftQ PI Envelope

17. Fieldbus Configuration

NOTE: Editor lists may show may show all of the functions listed above
or only a few. This variance depends on the software installed.

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1. SCHEDULE

This tab allows the user to:

a. Select from the available 255 weld schedules
b. Edit the schedule by inserting or deleting functions
c. Edit the parameters within a schedule
d. Duplicate a weld schedule

b b

D
Not visible

Schedule Functions

TO EDIT A SCHEDULE:

B Click on the function line within the weld schedule to edit. Edit
boxes will appear below the weld schedule.

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C Click on the applicable edit boxes and make the necessary

changes.

D After an edit to the function line is complete, click the “Apply

Changes” button. The “Apply Changes” button saves the changed
values to the screen and allows the user to click on another
function line to make additional changes.

To add a new function to a Schedule:

B Select the line of the schedule that the new function will follow.
Click the Insert button.

C This opens up the Function List in a new window. Select the

Function to Insert. Click OK

D Enter the required values in the Function values field. The Save
Changes button will turn Yellow. Click to save the changes.

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To delete a function:

B Select the line of the schedule to delete

C Click the Delete button
D Click the Save Changes button

AFTER THE “APPLY CHANGES” BUTTON IS CLICKED, THE “SAVE CHANGES” BUTTON WILL TURN YELLOW
AS A REMINDER THAT THE CHANGES MUST STILL BE SAVED TO THE WELD TIMER.

After all the weld schedule changes are complete, click the “Save
Changes” button. This immediately saves and downloads all the new
weld schedule changes to the weld timer. After the save is complete,
the “Save Changes” button will turn back to gray.

Changes downloaded to the weld timer will not take effect during a
weld sequence, but are applied after the sequence is complete. For
example, if the weld heat is changed and downloaded to the timer
during a weld sequence, the changes will not take effect until the next
sequence is initiated.

NOTE: If an invalid value is entered during an edit of a weld schedule

function, the RAFT Gateway will highlight the edit box red and a tool tip
will appear providing the user with a range of acceptable values.

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2. SETUP

The weld control setup parameters are used to define

fault and alert levels, in addition to setting global
weld control variables. Fault and Alert options are
shown when multiple options are available in the
fault level setting (Fault, Alert, None). Some faults are
non-programmable and are hidden from view to
allow easier programming of the weld control.

3. LINEAR STEPPER

This is used to program the linear steppers that have 5,

10 or 32 available steps depending on the specific
software. Each step has a field for adding current as
either a percentage or constant current value.
Depending on the software application in use, there
may also be functions listed such as the maximum
number of tip dresses or auxiliary weld counters. Refer
to the weld control manual for specific functions and
settings for the linear stepper.

NOTE: Weld boost for the linear stepper shows

additional current as both %I and as nnnn0 amps. The
weld control will determine which type of boost to add
to the weld based on the main weld function in the
weld schedule.

• If the operator is welding in %I, using the function

“Weld 30 Cycles at nn %I", the boost in % will be
followed for the current applied for the stepper.
• If the operator is welding in constant current, with
the function “Weld 30 Cycles at nnnn0 Amps", the
current boost will be added as a nnnn0 Amps
value.

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4. SPOT

This allows the user to associate the spot number of

the weld with the programming data used to create
the spot and the welding data results of the spot. A
second option with this feature is to initiate the
weld control based on spot numbers instead of
schedule numbers. There are 255 weld schedules
available for spot selection 1 -255. Spot numbers
higher than 255 can be assigned freely via the Spot
ID system. These schedules are a continuation of the
binary sequence select bits (1-255). With this fea-
ture additional schedules can be added to the 255
schedules already available. Individual schedules
can also be customized and duplicated.

Another usage is to have all the spots of the plant

programmed into one timer (as long as the number
of unique welding schedules is under the 255 sched-
ule maximum) and the Robot picks the schedule
Note: This feature is available with certain software only. based on the spot number. This allows the welding
timers to be preprogrammed with all the data
required to operate in any welder in the plant.

There is a limitation of 1000 associations of spot numbers to weld schedules.

If more than 1000 associations are attempted, then the programming device
will provide an error message. However, there is no limit on how many of
these 1000 associations can be assigned to a single schedule. It is possible to
have all 1000 associations with one schedule if the programmer desires.

If the SPOT ID is assigned, then the weld schedule associated with it will be
initiated. If the spot ID selected is not assigned, then an INVALID SEQUENCE
SELECTED fault is set.

The user will be able to select a schedule for view or edit through the use of
the spot numbers. When a schedule is chosen for edit based on a spot num-
ber, the schedule will be shown along with the other spot numbers which
are associated with that schedule.

SETUP PARAMETERS

ONE TO ONE (Default) One schedule assigned to one spot

MANY TO ONE One schedule assigned to Many spots

Min: 256
SPOT No.
Max: 1073741823

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5. REFERENCE PROGRAM

The Reference Program data type window allows the user

to view any reference program within the selected weld
timer. From here, the user can duplicate (copy) that
reference program and paste it to one or more other
reference programs.

TO DUPLICATE A REFERENCE PROGRAM

B Click the “Duplicate” button.

C The Reference Program List will

appear. Choose one or more
Reference Program(s) to copy this
Reference Program to.
- Shift + Click to copy a listed
group
- Ctrl+ Click to select individual
programs

D Click the "OK" button

E A confirmation alert is annunciated

F Click Yes to confirm

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6. SOFTQ MONITORING

The SOFTQ Monitoring data type window

allows the user to view the SOFTQ
parameters of any weld schedule within the
selected weld timer. From here, the user can
duplicate (copy) the parameters and paste
them into one or more weld schedules.

The SOFTQ parameters can also be edited

from this window.

TO DUPLICATE SOFTQ MONITORING

B Click the “Duplicate” button.

C The SOFTQ Monitoring List will appear.

Choose one or more SOFTQ Monitoring
to copy this SOFTQ Monitoring to.

- Shift + Click to copy a listed group

- Ctrl+ Click to select individual
programs

D Click the OK button.

E A confirmation alert is annunciated.

F Click Yes to confirm

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7. SOFTQ PI ENVELOPE

The SOFTQ PI Envelope data type window

allows the user to view any SOFTQ PI Envelope
within the selected weld timer. From here, the
user can duplicate (copy) that PI Envelope and
paste it to one or more PI Envelopes.

The SOFTQ PI Envelope parameters can also be

edited from this window.

TO DUPLICATE SOFTQ PI ENVELOPE

B Click the “Duplicate” button.

C The SOFTQ PI Envelope List will appear.

Choose one or more PI Envelopes to copy
this PI Envelope to.
- Shift + Click to copy a listed group
- Ctrl+ Click to select individual programs

D Click the "OK" button.

E A confirmation alert is annunciated.

F Click on Yes to confirm

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8. TCP/IP CONFIGURATION

The TCP/IP configuration is used to set the IP

Address, Subnet and Gateway Addresses for
the ENET / Local Service Port on the weld
timer. This EtherNet port is not used for I/O,
but rather for data collection and other web
devices.

NOTE: The TCP/IP configuration is used for the EtherNet port on the
timer that is set aside for service and non-I/O communications. This
port serves web pages and other information to and from the timer,
but the EtherNet signal does not contain EIP (industrial protocol)
information.

• On a Gen6 timer the TCP/IP configura-

tion effects the ENET port.

• On a Gen5 (FRS) timer, the TCP/IP con-

figuration effects the side port (local
port).

IF THE TCP/IP OR ETHERNET/IP SETTINGS FOR THE WELD TIMER ARE ALTERED IN
ANY WAY, POWER TO THE WELD CONTROL MUST BE RECYCLED IN ORDER FOR THE
CHANGES TO TAKE EFFECT.

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9. EIP CONFIGURATION

The RAFT Gateway EIP configuration screen

is used to setup the Ethernet/IP (Industrial
Protocol) for WTC weld timer modules. Settings
related to the industrial protocol will be briefly
discussed in this section. Also, settings shown
in these images are examples and may vary
depending on specific user application.

The EIP Configuration settings screen is used to

set the IP Address, Subnet, Gateway, and
instance settings that the robot or master
device will use. The programmable EIP
Configuration settings are listed in the table
below.

EIP CONFIGURATION

IP ADDRESS IP address of the weld timer

SUBNET MASK Subnet mask of the weld timer

GATEWAY ADDRESS Router /Gateway address for network

MAC ADDRESS Physical address of EIP network card

NAME SERVER Name server address for DHCP

DHCP Shows if DHCP is enabled or disabled

Speed setting for the EIP card:

1 - 10 baseT
PORT MODE
2 - 100 baseT
3 - Automatically detect network speed

This setting tells the DHCP how to respond to a DHCP

timeout:
DHCP MODE
0 = Retry mode, will keep retrying the DHCP for response.
1 = IP Config, will default to last known good IP address.

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INPUT INSTANCE SETTINGS

IN INSTANCE NO. Input instance for EIP communications

IN TYPE Tells if the size is in bytes or words

IN SIZE Input size of data transfer

IN OFFSET Sets packet offset for data transfer

IN BUFFER OFFSET Sets buffer offset for data transfer

OUTPUT INSTANCE SETTINGS

OUT INSTANCE NO. Output instance for EIP communications

OUT TYPE Tells if the size is in bytes or words

OUT SIZE Input size of data transfer

OUT OFFSET Sets packet offset for data transfer

OUT BUFFER OFFSET Sets buffer offset for data transfer

INSTANCE UPDATE RATE Minimum RPI supported update rate

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10. EIP DEFAULT

The EIP default allows an operator to load

features of the Ethernet/IP card. Depending on
the software options available in the weld
timer, different features may be displayed on
the EIP Default screen.

Common features include:

• OFF - No changes are selected

• CLEAR IO - Clear EIP map to set all inputs and

outputs to “None” values.

• I/O Legacy Available with certain

software only
• I/O Latest

• EIP FACTORY DEFAULT - Reload EIP card

inside the weld timer back to factory
defaults.

RELOADING EIP FACTORY DEFAULT WILL TURN DHCP “ON”. BE CERTAIN

TO WRITE DOWN ALL EIP SETTINGS AND ROBOT CONFIGURATION
SETTINGS BEFORE RELOADING EIP FACTORY DEFAULTS.

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11. SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

The System Configuration tab allows the

operator to set the various options in the
weld timer. The options available are weld
timer software specific and may vary
depending on the customer's application.

Typical options may include:

• Reload Defaults
• Spot to Sch Assignment
• Language
• Breaker Type
• Diagnostic Info
• Non-User Setups
• Archive Trigger
• Archive Data
• Web page Refresh

IF THE SYSTEM CONFIGURATION SETTINGS FOR THE WELD TIMER ARE

ALTERED IN ANY WAY, POWER TO THE WELD CONTROL MUST BE
RECYCLED IN ORDER FOR THE CHANGES TO TAKE EFFECT.

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Chapter 5: MONITORING THE WELD CONTROLS

THE MONITOR This tab allows the operator to monitor the LINEAR STEPPER, WELD
TAB DATA and I/O STATUS

1. THE LINEAR STEPPER TOOL TAB:

LINEAR PARAMETER DESCRIPTION

STEPPER Default status is ON. The stepper can only be turned ON and OFF
from the stepper status screen if the weld timer software sup-
ports it. Otherwise the stepper is always ON.

STEPPER STATUS Reset /OK / Faulted

STEPPER NUMBER Current stepper number

STEP WELD COUNT Current live weld count

PRESENT AMPS Weld boost current applied

TOTAL WELD COUNT Current weld count on caps (Range: 0 - 99999)

REMAINING TIP DRESSES Tip dresses remaining before mandatory cap change

STEPPER AUX COUNTER Auxiliary counted of welds made (does not get reset with tip
dress)

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PROGRAMMABLE OPTIONS IN THE LINEAR STEPPER SCREEN

STEPPER NUMBER

Click the “Stepper Number” drop-down arrow to

select an available linear stepper program in the
weld timer software.

ADVANCE

Clicking the “Advance” button will move the

stepper from it's current count / position, to the
first weld in the next step. If the weld control is in
Step #5, pressing advance, will reset the stepper
back to Step #1.
Example:
If Current = Step 1, then Advance to weld #1 in Step 2.
If Current = Step 2, then Advance to weld #1 in Step 3.

RESET ALL

Clicking the “Reset All” button will reset every

available stepper back to the first weld in Step #1

NOTE: CLICKING THE “RESET ALL” BUTTON WILL

RESET ALL STEPPER COUNTS.

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2. WELD DATA TOOL TAB:

The Weld Data screen displays the status of key welding parameters
during the last weld made. This includes the weld schedule number,
line voltage, power factor and secondary current. Depending on the
software options available in the weld timer, different parameters
may be displayed on the Weld Data screen.

The calculated secondary The measured primary current of the

The DC bus voltage of
current of the weld weld transformer (the current leaving
the MFDC inverter inside
transformer. the weld control cabinet and going to
the weld control cabinet.
the transformer).

The length of time

(in milliseconds)
the weld is “ON”.

The length of time (in

microseconds) the
MFDC inverter inside
the weld control
Displays what cabinet was “ON”.
weld schedule
was executed
by the timer. The percentage of
available output
current of the weld
If there are multiple control during the
isolation contactors last weld.
in the weld control
cabinet, this
identifies which
isolation contactor
was energized.

C-Factor is a calculation which can be used as a

maintenance tool to identify and correct problems in
pf Max. Avg, Min the secondary circuit. for example, an increase in C-
Power Factor (AC only) is a The Maximum, Average and Factor may indicate current shunting is occurring in the
representation of the electrical Minimum values measured for a secondary. conversely, a decrease in C-Factor may
efficiency of the SCR device in particular parameter. indicate a frayed shunt in the secondary.
the weld control cabinet.

NOTE: For additional information on C-Factor, consult the weld timer software manual.

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MULTI-PULSE, DUAL-PULSE WELD DATA

Welding schedules that contain more than one weld function are
considered either a dual-pulse, poly-pulse or multi-pulse weld. As a
result, the weld data is displayed differently than a standard single
pulse weld.

EXAMPLE OF A SINGLE-PULSE WELD

FUNC. # DESCRIPTION

00 START OF SCHEDULE 36

52 TURN ON ISOLATION CONTACTOR

01 SQUEEZE 0080 MS

30 WELD 0230 MSEC 15000 AMPS

94 EXTEND WELD IF LOW CURRENT LIMIT FAULT

78 PROCESS WELD FAULTS

NOTE: When a weld schedule
contains multiple weld 03 HOLD 0020 MS
functions (see dual-pulse example),
the current value displayed in Weld 53 TURN OFF ISOLATION CONTACTOR
Data will be the average of the
multiple welds. 100 END OF SCHEDULE 36

• If the current value of each

weld needs to be displayed
separately in Weld Data, EXAMPLE OF A DUAL-PULSE, POLY-PULSE OR MULTI-PULSE WELD
change the first Weld function
(#30) to a Pre-Heat function
(#32) and enter the same FUNC. # DESCRIPTION
parameters.
00 START OF SCHEDULE 36
• The only time displaying the
average current value of multi-
ple welds would be an issue is
52 TURN ON ISOLATION CONTACTOR
when the first and second
welds have significantly differ-
01 SQUEEZE 0080 MS
ent weld current values pro-
30 WELD 0230 MSEC 15000 AMPS
grammed into them.
02 COOL 10 MS

30 WELD 0230 MSEC 15000 AMPS

94 EXTEND WELD IF LOW CURRENT LIMIT FAULT

78 PROCESS WELD FAULTS

03 HOLD 0020 MS

53 TURN OFF ISOLATION CONTACTOR

100 END OF SCHEDULE 36

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3. I/O STATUS TOOL TAB

The I/O Status screen displays real-time I/O changes as they occur.
The screen displays both inputs and outputs.

NOTE: The I/O Status screen supports multiple I/O communication

protocols.

• Ethernet/IP (EIP Mapping)

• DeviceNet (Fieldbus Mapping)
• Serial I/O (SIO Mapping)
• Discrete I/O (DIO Mapping)

The I/O that is displayed in the I/O Status screen is application

specific. Consult the weld timer software manual for additional
information.

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DATA MONITORING The RAFT Gateway Data Monitor Service collects weld timer
SERVICE event, weld, fault and graphical data. It also executes back-ups
and comparisons of weld timer data.

At the end of the RAFT Gateway Software installation process, the

user is prompted to restart the workstation computer. This is
required for the RAFT Gateway Data Monitor Service to start
automatically. If the service automatically started properly, a green
“Service Running” indicator will appear in the lower-left corner of
the Timer Status Screen. Conversely, if the service did not start, a
red “Service Not Running” indicator will appear in the same location.

When the RAFT Gateway Data

Monitor Service is running, a green
“Service Running” indicator is
displayed in the lower-left corner of
the application. This alerts the
operator that the service is loaded and
weld data is being collected properly.

When the RAFT Gateway Data

Monitor Service is not running, a red
“Service Not Running” indicator is
displayed in the lower-left corner of
the application. Although timers will
appear in the timer list (from the .ini
file), this alerts the operator that the
weld data is not being collected
properly.

The RAFT Gateway software Data Monitor Service subscribes to

each timer in the Timer Status Screen that has been saved to
the .ini file. This notifies the weld timers of the location of the
RAFT Gateway. When a welding event occurs, the weld timer
uses UPD messaging to send the weld data directly to the RAFT 
Gateway.

BUTTONS ARE RELATED TO THE RAFT GATEWAY DATA

MONITORING SERVICE:

EVENT DATA WELD DATA FAULT DATA GRAPH DATA

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STARTING THE RAFT GATEWAY DATA MONITORING SERVICE

AUTOMATICALLY STARTING THE SERVICE

Follow the steps below to configure the RAFT Gateway Data
Monitor Service to start automatically:

NOTE: The automatic option applies to workstations permanently

connected to the production line that are responsible for collecting
ADMINISTRATOR weld data or making backups.
PRIVILEGES ARE
REQUIRED TO MAKE
THE FOLLOWING B Click “Start”, then:
CONFIGURATION • For Windows XP, click “Run”.
CHANGES TO THE
RAFT GATEWAY • For Windows 7, proceed to step 2.
DATA MONITOR
SERVICE.
C In the Run Bar, type “services.msc” and press Enter.

D Double-click on the “WTC RAFT Gateway Data Monitor” service. A

pop-up window will appear.

E In the General tab, click the Startup Type drop-down box.

Click on the “Automatic” option, then click “Apply”, then click
“OK”. Verify “Automatic” appears in the Startup Type column in
the pop-up window.

The services will now start automatically and run in the background
when the PC is on.

NOTE: RAFT Gateway does not need to be started for the services
to be running in the background.

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MANUALLY STARTING THE SERVICE

B Click “Start”, then:

• For Windows XP, click “Run”.
• For Windows 7, proceed to step 2.

NOTE: THIS WOULD C In the Run Bar, type “services.msc” and press Enter.
APPLY TO
WORKSTATIONS THAT
ARE NOT INTENDED TO
BE PERMANENTLY
CONNECTED TO THE
PRODUCTION LINE, BUT
ARE OCCASIONALLY
REQUIRED TO CONNECT
TO THE NETWORK AND
COLLECT WELD DATA
AND MAKE BACKUPS D Double-click on the “WTC RAFT Gateway Data Monitor” service. A
(E.G. WORKSTATIONS pop-up window will appear.
USED BY WELD
ENGINEERS OR
MAINTENANCE
PERSONNEL).

E In the General tab, click the Startup Type drop-down box.

Click on “Manual”, then click Apply, then click OK.
Verify “Manual” appears in the Startup Type column in the pop-
up window.

The services will now have to be started manually (by the user)
each time the RAFT Gateway software application is started.

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MANUALLY STOPING THE SERVICE

When the RAFT Gateway Data Monitor Service is in either

Automatic or Manual mode, the workstation user can manually stop
or start the service at their discretion.

Follow the steps below to stop the service:

B Click “Start”, then:

• For Windows XP, click “Run”.
• For Windows 7, proceed to step 2.

C In the Run Bar, type “services.msc” and press Enter.

D Double-click on the “WTC RAFT Gateway Data Monitor” service. A

pop-up window will appear.

E In the General tab, the Service Status should say “Started”.

Click the “Stop” button. A pop-up window will temporarily
appear and the service will stop.

F Click “OK”. Verify the status column in the pop-up window is

blank.

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DISABLING THE RAFT GATEWAY DATA MONITOR SERVICE

NOTE: The disable option is recommended for workstations that will

be connected to the network, but will not be used for collecting weld
data or making backups.

B Click “Start”, then:

• For Windows XP, click “Run”.
• For Windows 7, proceed to step 2.

C In the Run Bar, type “services.msc” and press Enter.

E Double-click on the “WTC RAFT Gateway Data Monitor” service.

A pop-up window will appear.

F In the General tab, click the Startup Type drop-down box.

G Click on “Disable”, then click “Apply”, then click “OK”.

Verify “Disabled” appears in the Startup Type column in the pop-
up window.

H Verify the Status column is blank in the pop-up window.

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Chapter 6: HISTORICAL WELD DATA ANALYSIS

THE HISTORY TAB The ability to compare and analyze historical weld data with current
welds is an important feature of RAFT Gateway. The History tabs
leads to four sub-tabs (Depending on the specific software installed):

1. SPOTS
2. FAULTS
3. EVENTS
4. GRAPHS

Each tab further leads to Analysis and Data information for the
welding specification under study.

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1. SPOTS TOOL TAB SPOTS

ANALYSIS DATA

The Spots tab displays the last weld data and analysis graphs for the
weld timer that is active. There are two sub-tabs available under
Spots: “Analysis” and “Data”. For the last weld data and analysis
graphs of multiple timers, select one or more timer lines in the Timer
Status Screen and then select “Weld Data Report” from either the
Report drop down menu or by right-clicking on the highlighted timer
lines.

a. ANALYSIS

The Analysis tab displays all the last weld data collected
from the timer in a graphical format.

ZOOMING IN ON A RANGE OF WELD DATA POINTS:

The user can zoom in on a range of weld data points in two
ways. One, by right clicking on a point of interest in the
graph and selecting “Zoom in”. Followed by selecting the
choice of axes (domain-y, range-x or both). The other, by
left-clicking and holding the mouse button, then dragging
the cursor (left to right) to create a window over a point of
interest within the graph and then releasing the mouse
button.

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VIEWING THE DATA OF A SPECIFIC WELD DATA POINT (EXPAND

DATA):
Left-clicking on the graph at a specific weld spot of interest will
produce a blue vertical line at that weld spot. By clicking the “Expand
Data” button, the weld data of the selected weld point will be
displayed to the left of the graph. The following data is displayed:

WELD DATA

NAME DESCRIPTION

DATE Date and time stamp of the weld

SCHEDULE # Weld schedule number

WELD TIME Weld time in milliseconds (msec)

CURRENT Weld current in amps (A)

STEPPER Assigned stepper

ON TIME On time of the inverter in microseconds (usec)

TOTAL WELD COUNT Total weld count of the stepper

C-Factor is a calculation which can be used as a mainte-

C-FACTOR nance tool to identify and correct problems in the second-
ary circuit.

FAULT Fault genre description

ALERT Alert genre description

RECORD # Unique incremental count for each weld made

RAFT: ( DISTURBANCE MANAGEMENT IN REAL TIME)

NAME DESCRIPTION

R DROP The resistance drop during the last weld in micro ohms

EST. THICKNESS The calculated thickness of the weld stack-up

TOTAL ENERGY Running summation for each weld

TOTAL HEAT Running summation for each weld

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RAFT: (DISTURBANCE MANAGEMENT IN REAL TIME)

NAME DESCRIPTION

Adapt-Q status mode:

0 = Constant Current Weld
MODE 1 = Adapt-Q Weld
2 = Reference Weld
3 = R Measure Weld

SOFT Q: (RAFT - TOOLING, PROCESS AND NUGGET INTEGRITY REPORTING)

NAME DESCRIPTION

R AVG The resistance average of the last weld in micro ohms

V AVG The average voltage drop of the last weld

Nugget Integrity - Represents a comparison between the

N-INTEGRITY estimated nugget size of the last weld and the nugget size of
the reference weld.

Process Integrity - Represents how accurately the last weld

P-INTEGRITY
process duplicated the weld process of the reference weld

Tooling Integrity - Represents the change in weld tool

T-INTEGRITY
resistance between the last weld and the reference weld

NOTE:
The RAFT & SOFT-Q data fields are RAFT specific features and
are only available if the weld timer software is RAFT enabled. For
more information, consult the weld timer software manual or your
WTC sales representative

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Graph Data Filtering Options (Expand Filter):

An item's Y-Axis
position on the
graph is
determined by
which radial
button is
selected for that
item (Y1-Y4).

The data displayed in the graph can be changed by clicking the

“Expand Filter” button. Four Graph Items can be displayed at a
time (Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4) and can be changed by clicking the
appropriate radial button. By default, the items displayed are
Y1-Current, Y2-Weld Time, Y3-On Time and Y4-Total Weld
Count. The following is a list of available Graph Items:

• Current
• Weld Data
• On Time
• Total Weld Count
• C-Factor
• R Avg
• R Drop
• N-Integrity
• T-Integrity
• P-Integrity
• V Avg
• Total Energy
• Total Heat
• Est. Thickness

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FILTERING THE GRAPH DATA BY SCHEDULE NUMBER:

B In the Expand Filter mode, find the Filter Settings in the

upper right corner of the panel

C Click the “Schedule” drop-down box. Scroll down as

required and click on the desired weld schedule.

C Click the “Filter Settings” button to apply the changes. The

Graph Data panel will refresh.

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WELD STATUS:

The Weld Status Bar (located between graphs

Y1-Y2 and Y3-Y4) shows the status of each
spot weld on the graph using a series of X and
O graphical symbols.

NOTE: Weld Status is a RAFT enabled feature

and is not available if the weld timer software is
not RAFT enabled. For more information,
consult the weld timer software manual or your
WTC sales representative.

WELD STATUS BAR SYMBOLS AND DESCRIPTION

SYMBOL COLOR DESCRIPTION PRIORITY

X RED FAULT 1

X AMBER ALERT 2

O RED IN NO-WELD MODE 1

O AMBER END OF STEPPER 2

O BLACK TIP DRESS REQUEST 3

O GREEN STEPPER RESET 4

NO FAULTS OR ALERTS, IN WELD

MODE, NOT AT END OF STEPPER,
BLANK N/A N/A
NO TIP DRESS REQUEST, STEPPER
NOT RESET

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VIEW RAFT and REFRESH Buttons:

Clicking the Refresh button Clicking the View RAFT button provides a
updates the graph with the summary graph of the specific spot weld
latest last weld data. data selected. The graph displays the
Current, Adjusted Current, Desired
Current and Resistance over the time of
the weld (in milliseconds).

Fault indicator at the

bottom is:

Green when No Faults

Yellow when an Alert

Red at Fault

The data provided in this graph is weld timer software specific and may vary.

NOTE: The View RAFT feature is only available if the weld timer software
is RAFT enabled. For more information, consult the weld timer software
manual or your WTC sales representative.

SAVING GRAPHS TO A FILE:

Weld graphs can be saved or printed by right clicking on the graph and
selecting the desired action. Graphs that are saved, are saved as a

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b. DATA

The Data tab displays the last weld data for the timer
that is active. As the timer welds, this data is
updated in real-time by the RAFT Gateway
Software. It is displayed in a spreadsheet format that
can be saved as a Comma Delimited file (.csv). This
file can then be analyzed with a spreadsheet
software application, such as, Microsoft Excel. The
table is designed to view multiple WTC weld timers
(current & legacy). The data displayed in the
columns is application specific.

HOW TO SAVE THE TIMER WELD DATA IN COMMA DELIMITED (.csv)

FORMAT:

B Click the “Save” button in the lower-right corner of the panel.

C The Save dialog box will appear. Select a file location, type in a
file name, select the Comma Delimited file type and then click
the “Save” button.

NOTE: When the “Save” button is clicked, RAFT Gateway will add
the .csv file extension to the file name. For example, if the file name is
“sample”, it will become “sample.csv”. Comma Delimited files can be
viewed in a spreadsheet software application, such as, Microsoft
Excel.

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FAULTS
2. FAULTS TOOL TAB
ANALYSIS DATA

The Fault tab displays the fault data and analysis

graphs for the weld timer that is active. For fault data
and analysis graphs of multiple timers, select one or
more timer lines in the Timer Status Screen and then
select “Fault Report” from either the Report drop
down menu or by right-clicking on the highlighted
timer lines. There are two tabs available under the
Faults tab, “Data” and “Analysis”.
fault data tab

a. ANALYSIS

The ANALYSIS tab consists of a Fault Frequency

Graph. This graph shows the ten most frequent faults
to occur for the timer that is active. The faults are
displayed as a colorized bar graph with a legend at the
bottom identifying each fault.

b. DATA

The DATA tab displays the fault history for the timer
that is active. As the timer welds, this data is
updated in real-time by the RAFT Gateway
Software. It is displayed in a spreadsheet format
that can be saved as a Comma Delimited file (.csv).
This file can then be analyzed with a spreadsheet
software application, such as, Microsoft Excel. The
table is designed to view multiple WTC weld timers
(current & legacy).

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The data displayed includes the following:

• Timer IP Address
• Timer Name (Welder ID)
• Timer Date and Time Stamp
• Fault Description
• Isolation Contactor Number
• Sequence
• Weld ID
• Part ID
• Spot ID
• Station ID

HOW TO SAVE THE FAULT HISTORY DATA IN COMMA DELIMITED

(.csv) FORMAT:

B Click the “Save” button in the lower-right corner of the panel.

C The Save dialog box will appear. Select a file location, type in a
file name, select the Comma Delimited file type and then click
the “Save” button.

NOTE: When the “Save” button is clicked, RAFT  Gateway will add
the .csv file extension to the file name. For example, if the file name
is “sample”, it will become “sample.csv”. Comma Delimited files can
be viewed in a spreadsheet software application, such as, Microsoft
Excel.

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THE “REFRESH” BUTTON:

Clicking the Refresh button updates the graph with the latest fault
data.

SAVING GRAPHS TO A FILE:

Weld graphs can be saved or printed by right clicking on the graph and
selecting the desired action. Graphs that are saved, are saved as a
PNG image file. An image viewing program is required to view stored
graphs.

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3. EVENTS TOOL TAB

EVENTS

ANALYSIS DATA

The Events tab displays the event data and analysis

graphs for the weld timer that is active. For event data
and analysis graphs of multiple timers, select one or
more timer lines in the Timer Status Screen and then
select “Event Report” from either the Report drop
down menu or by right-clicking on the highlighted
timer lines. There are two tabs available under the
Event tab, “Data” and “Analysis”.

The ANALYSIS tab consists of an Event Frequency

Graph. This graph shows the ten most frequent events
to occur for the timer that is active. The events are
displayed as a colorized bar graph with a legend at the
bottom identifying each event.

The DATA tab displays the event history for the timer that is active.
As the timer welds, this data is updated in real-time by the RAFT
Gateway Software. It is displayed in a spreadsheet format that can
be saved as a Comma Delimited file (.csv). This file can then be
analyzed with a spreadsheet software application,
such as, Microsoft Excel. The table is designed to view
multiple WTC weld timers (current & legacy).

The data displayed includes the following:

• Timer IP Address
• Timer Name (Welder ID)
• Timer Date and Time Stamp
• Event Description
• User (Name of user making change)

THE “REFRESH” BUTTON:

Clicking the Refresh button updates the graph with
the latest event data.

SAVING GRAPHS TO A FILE:

Weld graphs can be saved or printed by right clicking on the graph and
selecting the desired action. Graphs that are saved, are saved as a
PNG image file. An image viewing program is required to view stored
graphs.

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4. GRAPHS TOOL TAB

GRAPHS

SPOTS

COMPARE SAVE TAG

RECORDS

GRAPH SUMMARY TABLE NOTES

The Graph tab gives the user the ability to save, tag
and compare individual or multiple selected weld
spots. This data can be viewed as live welds or from
an offline saved file in either a Spot Data file (.sdf)
or a Comma Delimited file (.csv) format. This data
can be further used to generate a comparison
graph.

A comparison graph can be generated for two or

more selected spot weld data lines in the Spots tab,
under Graphs, from the History tab, for the selected
weld timer. Multiple weld spot data lines can be
selected by left-clicking the mouse in conjunction
with either the Ctrl or Shift keys. The line will be
highlighted blue. Right-click to open an options pop-
up window. Select “Compare with Each Other”.
 To receive incoming live
graph welds click on the
icon.

 To view Offline (Stored) The comparative data opens up in a new window

Records, click the with graphs. Additional tabs provide the
icon. This will open up a information as a summary, table and notes.
timers directory.

B Double-Click the timer to

select.
C Click “Graphs Data” to
open the folder and select
the .sdf file.
D Click Open.

NOTE: Some of the above features are only available with RAFT enabled software.

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SPOTS ICONS EXPLAINED

Load all
available
welds from Remove
database Filter

Filter
settings

Delete a Spot

Load Apply
selected Filter
weld(s)

Save selected
weld(s) in this
window

FILTER SETTING

Clicking on the Filter Settings opens up a dialog box where spots can
be filtered by selecting desired criteria. Filter options include
Schedule Number, expulsion, weld time, PI and NI. When criteria is
selected by clicking the check boxes the value field turn yellow. If a
value below or above the minimum and maximum limits is entered
the option boxes will turn red.

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THE GRAPHS TAB

ENABLE AND DISABLE WELD GRAPH ARCHIVING

To archive weld data for a specific weld timer, the

timer must first be enabled. To ENABLE a timer,
right-click on a weld timer in the Timer Status
Screen. A drop-down menu will appear. Select
“Enable Weld Graph Archiving”.

NOTE: Right-clicking on a weld timer will turn the

timer row a light-blue color (except for the Status
column). After Enable Weld Graph Archiving is
selected, the same row will be highlighted a dark-
teal color.

When a different weld timer is selected the row is highlighted a gray-

blue color so that the weld graphing enabled timers are distinguished
in the list with a light-blue highlight.

WHEN WELD GRAPH ARCHIVING IS ENABLED for

a weld timer, “Connected to Timer at <Timer IP
Address>” (highlighted green) will appear in the
Spots tab, under Graphs, from the History tab for
the selected weld timer. Also, if the timer is
welding, weld spot data will begin to appear in
real time.

WHEN WELD GRAPH ARCHIVING IS DISABLED for

a weld timer, “Disconnected from Timer at <Timer
IP Address>” (highlighted red) will appear in the
Spots tab, under the Graphs, from the History tab
for the selected weld timer. This indicates that
weld graph archiving
capabilities are disabled only and does not
indicate the RAFT Gateway lost communication
with the timer.

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To DISABLE a timer, right-click on a weld timer in the Timer

Status Screen. A drop down menu will appear. Select
“Disable Weld Graph Archiving”. When you click outside
the timer row you will notice that the row highlight has
changed from teal to white.

NOTE: In the description above, the word “selected” is

used. “Selected” refers to a weld timer in the Timer Status
Screen, which has been highlighted by left-clicking it with
the mouse. To select multiple timers, left-click the mouse
in conjunction with either the Ctrl or Shift keys.

TAGGING WELD DATA FOR ARCHIVING

Weld spot data can be tagged by left-clicking the mouse on

a weld spot data line in the Spots tab, under the Graphs,
from the History tab, for the selected weld timer. Multiple
weld spot data lines can be tagged by left-clicking the
mouse in conjunction with either the Ctrl or Shift keys.
Right-click on one of the selected data lines. A drop-down
menu will appear. Select “Make a tag”.

An Input pop-up window will appear. Enter the tag

information for the weld spot data lines selected. Then
click OK. The tag information will appear in the far-right
column for each line.

To remove or change tag information, left-click the mouse on a weld

spot data line. Multiple weld spot data lines can be tagged by left-
clicking the mouse in conjunction with either the Ctrl or Shift keys.
Right-click on one of the selected data lines. A drop-down menu will
appear. Select “Make a tag”.

An Input pop-up window will appear containing the current tag

information. Delete or change the tag information for the weld spot
data lines selected. Then click OK. The revised tag information will
appear in the far-right column.

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SAVING WELD DATA FOR ARCHIVING

Weld spot data can be saved to either a Spot Data file (.sdf) or a
Comma Delimited file (.csv) format. Follow the procedure below to
save the weld data:

B Left-click the mouse on a weld spot data line.

NOTE: Multiple weld spot data lines can be selected by left-clicking the
mouse in conjunction with either the Ctrl or Shift keys.

C Click the “Save Selected Weld(s) in this Window” button.

D The Save dialog box will appear. Select a file location, type in a
file name, then click the “Files of Type” drop-down box (circled in
blue). Select either “Spot Data File” or “CSV File”. Click the
“Save” button (circled in red below). Only the selected weld data
lines will be saved to the file.

NOTE 1: When the “Save” button is clicked, RAFT Gateway will

add either the .sdf or .csv file extension to the file name. For
example, if the file name is “sample”, it will become either
“sample.sdf” or
“sample.csv”. Only Comma Delimited files (.csv) can be viewed in a
spreadsheet software application, such as, Microsoft Excel. Spot
Data files (.sdf) can only be viewed in RAFT Gateway.

NOTE 2: Both new and saved (offline) spot weld data can be selected
and saved to the same .sdf or .csv file.

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SAVING GRAPHS TO A FILE

Comparison graphs can be saved or printed by right clicking on the

graph and selecting the desired action. Graphs are saved as a PNG
image file. An image viewing program is required to view stored
graphs.

The Comparison Summary Graph in the Spots tab displays the

Current, Energy, Heat and Resistance over the time of the weld (in
milliseconds) for the compared spot weld data lines.

NOTE: The data provided in this graph is weld timer software specific
and may vary.

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THE SUMMARY TAB

The Summary tab displays the weld data for the compared spot weld
data lines.

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THE TABLE TAB

The Table tab displays the data used to plot the comparison summary
graph in the Summary tab for the compared spot weld data lines. It is
displayed in a spreadsheet format that can be saved as a Comma
Delimited file (.CSV). This file can then be analyzed with a spreadsheet
program.

NOTE: Each spot weld data line is in its own tab, identified by its date/
time stamp.

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THE NOTES TAB

The Notes tab allows the user to tag and add notes to each spot weld
data line.

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Chapter 7: GENERATING REPORTS

THE REPORTS TAB The RAFT Gateway Software allows the user to generate reports from
two different locations: (1) from the Timer Status Screen and (2) from
the “Report” tab screen for the individual weld timer.

THE DATA MONITOR SERVICE MUST BE RUNNING IN ORDER TO GENERATE

REPORTS. SEE CHAPTER 5 “MONITORING THE WELD CONTROLS” FOR
MORE INFORMATION.

1. GENERATING REPORTS FROM THE TIMER STATUS SCREEN

On the Timer Status Screen, there are four button related to

generating reports.

EVENT DATA REPORT

WELD DATA REPORT

FAULT DATA REPORT
GRAPH DATA REPORT

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EVENT DATA REPORT

Generates a “snap shot in time” of the ten most frequently occurring
events for the active weld timer(s) selected. The report is presented in
both bar graph and raw data format and will appear in its own
window. If two or more timers are selected, a Timer Event Frequency
graph will also appear. Click the “Refresh” button to see the latest
data.
See “Events Tab” in Chapter 6 for more information.

WELD DATA REPORT

Generates a “snap shot in time” of the weld spot data for the active
weld timer(s) selected. The report is presented in both spline graph
and raw data format and will appear in its own window.
See “Spot Tab” in Chapter 6 for more information.

FAULT DATA REPORT

Generates a “snap shot in time” of the ten most frequently occurring
faults for the active weld timer(s) selected. The report is presented in
both bar graph and raw data format and will appear in its own
window. If two or more timers are selected, a Timer Fault Frequency
graph will also appear. Click the “Refresh” button to see the latest
data.
See “Fault Tab” in Chapter 6 for more information

GRAPH DATA REPORT

Allows the user to open an offline (previously saved) weld spot data
file (.sdf). This report will open in its own analysis window.

NOTE: This feature is only available when RAFT Gateway is

communicating with weld timer software that supports graphs.
See “Graphs Tab” in Chapter 8 for more information.

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2. GENERATING REPORTS FROM THE TIMER “REPORTS” TAB SCREEN

Within the Reports tab for the active weld timer, there are four
button related to generating reports.

BUTTON DESCRIPTION

Generates a report that compares the active weld timer to an

“uncertified” (.wdf) file. Only the differences will be displayed. The
current timer data is in the left column and the uncertified file data is
in the right column. The report can be either saved to file or printed.

Generates a data report of the active weld timer. The report can be
either saved to file or printed.

Generates a report that compares the active weld timer to a “certi-

fied” (.wdf) file. Only the differences are displayed. The current timer
data is in the left column and the certified file data is in the right col-
umn. The report can be either saved to file or printed.

Generates a report of the entire content of the certified (.wdf) file.

The report can be either saved to file or printed.

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All four report types, allow the option to see some or all of the
data. When the button is clicked, a Show All Data pop-up
window will appear. Either click the Yes button to see all data or
click the No button to select which data will be displayed in the
report.

If Yes is clicked, the report will begin to generate. If No is clicked,

a Select Data Type pop-up window will appear, giving the user
the option to select which data will appear in the report by
either checking or un-checking the applicable boxes. Click the
“+” box to expand the data types. Click OK to begin generating
the report.

NOTE: The “Immediate Comparison” and “Certified Data Report”

buttons are inaccessible (ghosted-out) if the weld timer does not have
a certified weld data file. For information on how to create a
certified weld data file, see Chapter 12: RAFT Gateway Certifier
Program.

Shown Above: Reports tab for a weld timer without a certified data file.

Shown Above: Reports tab for a weld timer with a certified data file

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Chapter 8: RAFT

The RAFT tab provides a snap-shot of each of the 255 weld

schedules, and allows the user to either:

1. Enable/Disable the adaptive welding feature for single or multiple

weld schedules
2. Enable/Disable SoftQ for all or single weld schedule

Each button shows the status of a single schedule.

The numbers on each button represent the schedule number.

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RAFT BUTTON STATES AND THEIR DESCRIPTIONS

BUTTON DESCRIPTIONS

Left-clicking on this button turns ON the Adaptive mode for all weld sched-
ules that have a valid Offset and Reference Weld

Left-clicking on this button turns OFF the Adaptive mode for all weld sched-
ules

Left-clicking on this button turns OFF the SoftQ Monitoring for all weld sched-
ules

Left-clicking on this button after selecting a schedule button Restores SoftQ

Monitoring for the selected weld schedules

This button turns yellow after every change is made on the RAFT screen
in the Adaptive or SoftQ features of the specific weld schedule. Left-click
to apply the changes to the schedule. The button will turn red to indicate
the change has been saved

Establishing a valid Offset and Reference weld is required before a

schedule can weld in Adaptive mode. The “A” in RAFT turns green to
indicate that the Adaptive mode conditions have been met

This button turns green to signal that Adaptive mode is ON for the specific
schedule.

Reference weld is available but the schedule is fired in Constant Current

mode with Adaptive OFF

No Reference Weld – cannot turn Adaptive ON

SoftQ disabled

“F” turns yellow to indicate a SoftQ monitoring is enabled by right-clicking

the schedule button. Left-click SAVE to apply the change

SoftQ enabled (after Save)

PI Envelope disabled

PI Envelope enabled

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ENABLING AND DISABLING THE RAFT PANEL

By default the RAFT panel is enabled in the RAFT Gateway

software, it can be disabled or enabled by selecting the
Configuration option in the Settings drop down menu.

B To Enable/Disable click Configuration to open a pop-up win-

dow. Check the box to enable or un-check to disable the
RAFT panel. Then click the “Save” button.

C A service reset message will appear. Click “Yes”.

D This will open another pop-up window alerting to the Con-

figuration change. Click “Yes” to accept the change.

NOTE: The RAFT panel is hidden from view when disabled.

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Chapter 9: SOFTQ

SoftQ™ compares the last weld data to the reference weld and
calculates the following:
 PI – Process Integrity identifies the magnitude of disturbances.
 NI – Nugget Integrity identifies the confidence of an acceptable
weld nugget.
 TI – Tooling Integrity identifies the health of the tooling
SoftQ™ functions in both constant current and adaptive welding
modes, as long as a reference weld is captured for each schedule
(spot) the user intends to monitor.

The SoftQ™ tab functions in two modes:

• PI Envelope
• SoftQ Monitoring

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MODE: PI ENVELOPE

Defines the data used to create and setup the PI envelope window.

PI Envelope Mode

The graph pane

shows selected Graph
weld graphs and Legend
envelope data

The SoftQ pane allows the user to

define and save the graph data
envelope on a per schedule basis

The weld data pane displays the weld

data to be used to create the PI envelope

THE GRAPH PANE

• The Graph Pane displays the PI Envelope, within the PI Envelope

there will be a thin green line marking the midway between the
highest and lowest points excluding the windows.
• The Graph Pane is also where one can see Resistance curves
from the Spot List panel.
• An over and under bar will represent the blank periods with a
bright orange bar (orange lines).

THE SOFTQ PANE

The SOFTQ Pane sub-panel is where the user selects:
• The schedule to use.
• Enable or Disable SOFTQ.
• Enable or Disable the NI Modifier.
• Over / Under values of the Window Blank Factor.
• Over 100-200%, Under 100-0% and Factors 1-9.
• This panel will display what offset resistance is used for the
curve, in addition to the length of the reference resistance curve.

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FIVE OPTION BUTTONS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE SOFTQ PANE SUB-PANEL:

BUTTON DESCRIPTION
This button turns yellow when SoftQ is enabled. Single- clicking on the
button opens a pop-up window with a verification message indicating the
control will be momentarily disabled. Select “Ok” to begin saving current
welding data to the timer.
This button turns yellow when the NI Modifier is enabled. Single- click on
the button opens a pop-up window with a verification message indicating
the control will be momentarily disabled. Select “Ok” to modify the NI and
save data to the timer.
Loads the last saved weld data from the timer after SoftQ was enabled.

Copies the PI Envelope to another schedule

Clears the PI Envelope graph to blank

Allows for a quick setup of the PI Envelope and SoftQ Monitoring

with large data samples.
Upper and Lower Fault Limits are automatically calculated around
the average baseline +/- 3 times the standard deviation.
Upper and Lower Trend Limits are automatically calculated around
the average baseline +/- 2 times the standard deviation.

CREATING THE
PI ENVELOPE

B Select the Schedule # from the drop down list.

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C If no graphs are shown in the bottom section of the screen,

press Load Records button. This opens a pop-up window
containing workspace folders.
NOTE: Select the folder with the
IP Address of the timer you work
on. The IP Address is also
available on a tab on the top bar.

Note:
A valid R Measure has to be established prior to using the SoftQ
features. INVALID REFERENCE is annunciated as an alert when a
valid R Measure has not been established.

Click Details to
view time stamp
if desired.

D Left click to open the Graph Data folder.

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E Select a file and click Open.

DATA SHOWS:
• Date
• Time
• Spot/Weld ID
• Sch#
• Msec
• Avg Current
• R Drop
• R Avg
• PI
• NI
• TI

F With the graphs loaded, check the Filter Expulsion box. This
removes all expulsions from the list.

G The records list that populates the bottom window includes spot
data collected for the specific schedule. Click on one record,
then press Ctrl+A to select all data in the list. To select specific
spots, hold Ctrl in conjunction with left-clicking the spot line.

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H Right-click the highlighted record list and select “Show selected

in graph”.

H The selected graphs are now displayed. The Graph Legend to

right displays the spot/weld number and graph line color. To
hide this panel, click on the Graph Legend button.

I Right-click the highlighted spots and a pop-up box will appear.

Select “Merge selected with envelope”.

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J Check the SoftQ Enabled box. Set the Over/ Under Window
limits to 110/ 90 for a starting value

 WINDOW - Over (%) Minimum: 100 Maximum: 200

Under (%) Minimum: 0 Maximum: 100
Sets the percentage values for the upper (Over) and lower
(Under) limits of the PI Envelope. If a value below/over the limits
is entered the button will turn red.

Window %
Blank %

Blank %
Window %

Enlarged Graph View

K Adjust Over/Under Blank limits to filter out the coupling phase at

the beginning of the weld.

 BLANK - Over (%) Minimum: 0 Maximum: 100

Under (%) Minimum: 0 Maximum: 100
Sets the percentage limits for data that is ignored over and under
the defined limits.

L Keep Factor at the default value of 10 for both Over/ Under.

 FACTOR - Over (%) Minimum: 10 Maximum: 90

Under (%) Minimum: 10 Maximum: 90
This is the percentage of data points of the reference weld time
outside of the envelope window that will lower the PI.

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M Click “Save Data to Timer” button which has turned yellow.

N A verification message is displayed in a pop-up window. Click Ok

to accept. A “Weld Complete Timeout” will occur if the robot
is running in production.

After the PI envelope is saved to the timer, the PI number displayed in

the spot list will change according to how the weld graph compares to
the envelope.

This will happen for new welds only – made after the PI envelope is
saved. The old welds will still display a value of 0 since the timer sets
the value after the weld is made.

At this point, the process of monitoring the welds caN begin.

The PI envelope will be adjusted to include known good welds that

are outside the envelope, also the blanking and window limits will be
adjusted to establish the final envelope.

At this stage, no Faults/ Alerts are generated if a weld is outside the

envelope.

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O Open SoftQ monitoring screen, select Schedule # and PI from

the Item Parameters drop-down box. Check the boxes to Enable
Fault and Trend. Set the percentage values for Upper/ Lower
limits. Click “Save Data to Timer” when done.

FAULTS: Upper Limit (%) Minimum Value: 100 Maximum Value: 200
Lower Limit (%) Minimum Value: 0 Maximum Value: 99
TRENDS: Upper Limit (%) Minimum Value: 100 Maximum Value: 200
Lower Limit (%) Minimum Value: 0 Maximum Value: 99
BASE: Minimum Value: 0 Maximum Value:99990
EXCEPTION(S) IN LAST # WELDS: Minimum Value: 0 Maximum Value: 64
SAMPLE SIZE (LAST # WELDS): Minimum Value: 0 Maximum Value: 64

P A verification message is displayed in a pop-up window. Click OK

to acknowledge. A complete timeout will occur if the robot is
running in production.

NOTE 1: The letter “T” in the RAFT Schedule button under the RAFT
Tab will turn green to indicate that the PI
envelope has been set for the Schedule.

NOTE 2: By default, both Fault and Trend are set to an Alert

condition. These can be changed as needed after the
monitoring process.

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MODE: SOFTQ MONITORING

Defines the data used in SoftQ Monitoring.

SoftQ Monitoring Mode

The graph pane shows

selected weld graphs
and envelope data

Graph Legend
The SoftQ pane allows the user
to select an item to monitor on
a per schedule basis. and set
the Fault and Trend limits.

THE GRAPH PANE:

• The graph displayed here depicts the previous welds in order of

most recent to the oldest.
• Hovering the cursor over a specific weld will display the Weld ID,
in addition to the date and its coordinates on the graph.
• Red bars mark the upper and lower limits (in percent).
• Yellow bars mark the trend upper and trend lower limits (in per-
cent).

THE SOFTQ PANE:

The SOFTQ Pane is where the user selects:

• The schedule to use.
• The item to monitor from a list of 10 available items: Current,
Resistance, Sec V, Energy, Heat, C Factor, TI, Weld Time, PI, NI.
• Faults Enable/Disable: Green check box = Enabled
Red cross box = Disabled
• Trends Enable/Disable: Green check box = Enabled
Red cross box = Disabled
• Set the limits for Faults and Trends.
• Set the number of exceptions.
• Set the sample size.

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• Set the Base programmed value for Fault enabling of the “Item”
being monitored.
• Save Data to Timer – Saves all programmed values to the weld
timer. This button turns yellow when changes are made as a
reminder to save.
• Load Data from Timer - Load all data from the timer
• Duplicate – Ability to copy the SoftQ™ Monitoring data from one
schedule to another.
• Easy Button automatically calculates and creates SoftQ Fault and
Trend limits for multiple weld schedules at one time.

EASY BUTTON DIALOG BOX

Select the Date

and time interval
Select the schedules
for Fault and Trend
Monitoring

Select Fault and Select Trend

Trend Parameters Parameters to
to be monitored be monitored

Enable/Disable Automatic Enable/Disable Automatic

Fault limit generation Trend limit generation
within set values within set values

Click to process the data

SAVE DATA TO TIMER

Once the data has

been processed, select
Save Data to Timer.

NOTE: Easy Button generated limits can be modified as desired

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CHAPTER 10: ANALYZING AND SETTING THE QUALITY

THE QUALITY TAB The Quality Tab allows the user to view the percentage of expulsion
events within multiple weld schedules between a specified period of
time. The user can then by color representation, identify what
percentage level of expulsion is considered good, minor warning or
major warning.

To begin collecting expulsion event data, click the “Enable Live Welds”
button in the upper-right corner of the panel. The button will turn red
when enabled.
FIRST WELD LAST WELD
DATE AND DATE AND
TIME TIME SAVE

PREFERENCES:
Select the color of
quality reporting
criteria
MODE SELECT:
Graph data in 3 modes,
Expulsion, NI and PI
ENABLE LIVE WELDS: Starts
SCHEDULE NUMBER: collecting data when the
Each row represents a single schedule button is selected

EXPULSION-FREE (%):
This percentage is based on the total
weld count. EXPULSION-FREE CHART:
A graphical
EXPULSION-FREE OCCURRENCE representation of the
percentage of expulsion
TOTAL WELDS: free welds within the
The total number of welds made weld schedule
within the Weld Schedule. This
number will increment each time
the Weld Schedule is initiated.

OVERALL EXPULSION-FREE (%):

Graphical representation of the percentage of expulsion free welds of all the weld
schedules displayed in the panel. The color level of this chart can be changed in the
Expulsion Color Level Preference window

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MODE SELECTION

Weld quality reports can be viewed and saved in three modes-

Expulsion, NI and PI.

To begin graphing quality data, first select the mode from the drop-
down box and then set the reference parameters. When changing
modes, click the refresh button to apply the change.

SETTING THE DATE RANGE

The information displayed in the expulsion panel can be filtered to

show expulsion data with a specific date range.

To set the date and time range first click inside the “From:” window
and then click the and arrows to change the year, date and
time. Placement of the cursor determines what is being modified.
Click inside the “To:” window to set the end time for data collection.

SAVE

Quality files are saved in .csv (Comma Delimited) format.

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PREFERENCES

There are three color levels which graphically illustrate the

percentage of expulsion-free welds. The quality preferences can be
adjusted here.

B Click on the “Preferences” button located on the upper-right

corner of the Quality Panel. The “Quality Preferences” dialog box
will appear. Entered desired values in the boxes which will turn
yellow when a value within the limits ( 0-99 %) is entered and
become red when a values lower or greater than the acceptable
limits is entered.

• Good (Green): Default - 90

• Minor Warning (Yellow): Default - 80
• NI Threshold (NI must be greater than this value to be
accepted): Default - 60
• PI Threshold (PI must be greater than this value to be
accepted): Default - 60

C Click on the “OK” button to save the changes.

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SAVING THE EXPULSION PANEL DATA

Follow the procedure below to save the Expulsion Panel data in

Comma Delimited (.csv) format:

B Click the “Save” button in the top-right corner of the panel.

C The Save dialog box will appear. Select a file location, type in a
file name, select the Comma Delimited file type and then click
the “Save” button.

NOTE: When the “Save” button is clicked, RAFT Gateway will add
the .csv file extension to the file name. For example, if the file name
is “sample”, it will become "sample.csv". Comma Delimited files can
be viewed in a spreadsheet software application, such as, Microsoft
Excel.

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Chapter 11: UPGRADE

The upgrade panel allows the user to upgrade the software if

required. It is important to remember that this is a precise procedure
and all data is saved and backed up prior to performing this
operation.

This tab is hidden by default. To activate perform the following:

B Click on Settings in the top menu bar. This

opens up an expansion box. Select
Configuration.

C Click the check box for the Upgrade Panel to

Enabled and then click Save to apply the
change.

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D A Service Reset dialog box will appear. Click the Yes

button to restart the Services and for the changes to
take effect.

E A Configuration Changed dialog box will appear.

Click the Yes button for the changes to take
effect. and re-start RAFT Gateway.

F After RAFT Gateway re-starts, double-click on the

desired timer from the Timer Status window and open
the timer tab. Note that the Upgrade tab now visible.

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PROCEDURE TO UPGRADE THE SOFTWARE:

B Click on the Timer Software button. The

Opens dialog box will appear. Use the drop
down menu to locate the folder containing
the upgrade file. Then click the Open button.

C The file path will appear in the window and

the status bar at the bottom of the screen will
turn green and display “Ready”.

Click the Upgrade button to begin the process.

D Wait until the hourglass goes away and

“Ready” changes to “Success” at the bottom of
the screen.

NOTE: The upgrade process is not complete at this

point!! The software was only successfully
transferred to the weld timer from RAFT
Gateway. Look at the LED’s on the face of the
weld timer for the progress of the software
upgrade.
During the upgrade process, the 5 LED’s on the face
of the weld timer will turn amber and begin to
strobe in sequence from left to right. The LED’s will
strobe slowly at first and increase in speed as the
upgrade nears completion. When the upgrade is
complete, the timer module will re-initialize and
the LED flash pattern will return to normal.

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NOTE 1: This process may take several minutes. Do not remove power
to the weld control cabinet or begin another software upgrade during
this time. Doing so, will corrupt the weld timer software and
require that it be sent to WTC for repair.

NOTE 2: In some circumstances, the weld timer may not properly re-
initialize after the software upgrade is complete. When this occurs,
the LED’s will turn solid red instead of returning to a normal flash
pattern. To correct this, manually re-initialize the weld timer by
cycling power on the weld control cabinet before proceeding to the
next step.

F When the software upgrade process is complete, close and re-

start the RAFT Gateway software. From the Timer Status
window, double-click on the timer that was just upgraded to
open the timer tab.

G Click on the Upgrade tab. Verify the software revision has

changed to the upgraded version. If the software revision
displayed is correct, the software upgrade process is now
complete.

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Chapter 12: CREATING AND RESTORING BACKUPS

The RAFT Gateway software can completely backup the

parameters of a weld timer and save them to a network file location.
In the event of a timer failure or programming issue, the backup can
be saved for diagnostic and maintenance purposes. In addition, a
saved backup file can be used to restore the weld timer parameters
back to a previously saved state.

THE RAFT GATEWAY DATA MONITOR SERVICE MUST BE RUNNING

FOR AUTOMATIC BACKUPS OR COMPARES TO OCCUR.

AUTOMATIC BACKUP SCHEDULING

All automatically scheduled backup and comparison events are

scheduled in the Service Settings dialog box by first clicking the
Settings drop down menu and then clicking Service Preferences.

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The Service Settings menu allows the user to schedule automatic

events. There are two types of automatic events that can be
scheduled in the Service Settings dialog box:

 AUTO COMPARE - Creates a comparison text file for

the operator. The comparison is a file that verifies the
weld schedule versus the master and lists/shows
differences between them.

The file name is “certified-data.wdf” and is located in the

root of the IP Address folder:

C:\Program Files (x86)\RaftGateway\workspace\(Timer IP

Address)\certified-data.wdf

 AUTO BACKUP - The auto backup creates a complete

backup WDF file of the weld timer.

The file name is "backup.wdf" and is located in the root of the

Backup Files folder, which is located in the IP Address folder:

C:\Program Files (x86)\RaftGateway\workspace\(Timer IP

Address)\Backup Files\backup.wdf

NOTE 1: By default, the number of Auto Backup files the RAFT

Gateway Software will create per weld timer is (10). After 10, the
software will overwrite the oldest file.

NOTE 2: The Workspace Path is the working directory for all weld
timer files. Although the default path is shown below, this path can be
any remote or network directory.

NOTE 3: Scheduling for backups and compares are done on the 24

hour clock notation.

CHANGES TO THE SERVICE SETTINGS SCREEN WILL FORCE AN AUTOMATIC

STOP AND RESTART OF THE RAFT GATEWAY DATA MONITOR SERVICE.
THIS ALLOWS THE NEW VALUES FROM THE RAFTGATEWAY.INI FILE TO BE
LOADED INTO THE SERVICE.

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MANUAL BACKUP

The user can create a manual backup to a location of their choice

from any individual weld timer tab.

B From the Timer Status Panel click the “Upload: Timer

to File” button.

C This opens the Select Data Type dialog box.

D Select what data types will be backed up by clicking

the applicable check boxes. By default, all data types
are checked and will be backed up, unless otherwise
changed by the user.
If Fieldbus and EIP I/) data is not listed, enable the
respective types in RAFT Gateway Settings/
Configuration.

NOTE: Click on the + symbol to expand the list.

Inside each category one or several items can be

selected. For example, the user can select only a specific
schedule to save instead of all 255.

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E After the data types are selected, click “OK”. A Save dialog
box will appear prompting the user to enter a file name
and select a location where the backup file (WDF) will be
saved (see below). Then click “Save”.

The default save location is C:\ Program Files (x86)\

RAFT Gateway\ workspace.

F Clicking the Save button will begin the upload process

which is shown in the progress box. RAFT Gateway will
then take the data, convert it into a WDF file and save it
to the selected file location.

NOTE: The progress bar will appear during both the backup and
restore process of the weld timer data. This bar contains three
buttons:

• Run in Background: Provides the option of performing other

tasks while the data is uploaded. When Run in Background is
selected, the upload box disappears and the progress bar is
displayed at the bottom of the status screen. If another timer
tab is opened, the progress bar will not be carried over- it sis
designed to show processes for the selected timer only.
• Cancel: Abort the upload / download of weld timer data.
• Details: If multiple items are running at the same time, click
this button to see a detailed progress of all operations.

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DOWNLOADING DATA The user can manually restore a saved backup file to any weld
TO THE TIMER timer within the same software family via RAFT Gateway.

IF THE BACKUP FILE AND THE WELD TIMER FIRMWARE ARE NOT
COMPATIBLE, A MODEL MISMATCH DIALOG BOX WILL APPEAR. RESTORING
A MISMATCHED FILE TO A WELD TIMER IS NOT RECOMMENDED. DOING SO
COULD CAUSE THE WELD PROCESSOR TO CRASH.

B When the “Download: File to Timer" button is clicked,

an Open dialog box will appear prompting the user to
find the backup file (WDF) that is to be restored to the
weld timer. Select the file and click “Open”.

C After clicking the Open button, a Select Data Type

dialog box will appear. It is here where the user can
select what data types will be restored by clicking the
applicable check boxes. By default, all data types are
checked and will be restored, unless otherwise
changed by the user.

Inside each category one or several items can be

selected. For example, the user can select only a
specific schedule to download instead of all 255.

D Click OK to continue.

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E The download box shows the progress bar.

Run in Background gives the option of performing other

tasks while the data is downloaded.
When Run in Background is selected, the download box
disappears and the progress bar is displayed at the
bottom of the status screen.
If another timer tab is opened, the progress bar will not
be carried over- it sis designed to show processes for
the selected timer only.

F A confirmation message is displayed at the end of

download. If the data included I/O mapping, Fieldbus
or EIP configuration, the user is prompted to cycle
power on the timer.

Example of a confirmation message when no changes are

made to I/O, Fieldbus or EIP configuration.

NOTE: When restoring a weld data file (WDF) to a weld timer, it is not
always necessary to cycle cabinet power. Certain data types require a
cycle power and some do not.

Changes which require cycle power:

• Changes to I/O mapping (Any type - EIP, Dnet, DIO, SIO)

• Changes to EtherNet or network settings
• Changes to some Setup Parameters
• Changes to transfer size, speed or node address
• Changes to language and system configuration

Changes which do not require cycle power:

• Changes to the weld schedules

• Changes to some Setup Parameters
• Changes to Steppers
• Changes to timer name (Welder ID)

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ABOUT WELD DATA A Weld Data Format (.WDF) file is a proprietary file format
FILES (.WDF) developed by WTC specifically for the RAFT Gateway Network &
Data Collection Software. The RAFT Gateway Software takes the
raw data from the weld timer and converts it into a format, which
can be conveniently viewed, edited, manipulated and transported
by the user.
NOTE: .WDF files can only be viewed in the RAFT Gateway
software application. They can not be viewed in Microsoft
NotePad, Word, Excel, etc.

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Chapter 13: ADVANCED TOPICS

CONSOLE SCREEN RAFT Gateway contains a console that shows information related to
the operation of RAFT Gateway. The console is turned OFF by
default, but can be enabled through the View drop down menu.

Once enabled, the console will appear in its own tab (see below).
The Console contains a filter function called "Filter (Reg Exp)" located
at the bottom of the screen. This function can filter the text based
upon either text matching or using regular expressions

NOTE: The console

window auto-
scrolls to the
bottom for each
new data entry.
Therefore, when
searching the
console, it is
recommended the
information first
be copied into a
text editor.

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HOW TO COPY THE CONSOLE INFORMATION:

B Press "Ctrl + A" to select all text on the screen. All the text should
become highlighted. If not, left-click the mouse on the text
window and press "Ctrl + A" again.

C Press "Ctrl + C" to copy all the selected text.

D Open Notepad text editor and press "Ctrl + V" to paste text.

E Press "Ctrl +F" to search the console information pasted into the
Notepad text editor

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MULTIPLE RAFT Gateway supports an option for multiple network adapter

NETWORK cards. If the workstation PC has multiple network adapters, the
ADAPTERS default is selected alphabetically, unless the user has told the
RAFT Gateway Software which adapter to use.

HOW TO ASSIGN A NETWORK ADAPTER

A user can assign a network adapter through the Ethernet Setup

screen. If the computer has multiple network adapters, they will be
shown here.

B Click on Settings. From the options box select Ethernet Setup.

C A pop-up window will appear to show the adapters available.

If only one adapter is shown, when two physical cards are installed,
verify the following:

1. Verify the network adapter installation by using CD that came

with the device.
2. Ping the loop-back address (127.0.0.1) to see if it responds to a
ping command.
3. Re-seat the card into the PC hardware slot.
4. Verify the network adapter is not set to “Disable” in the Network
Connections dialog for your OS.

NOTE: When multiple network adapters are installed, the default

adapter is assigned based on their alphabetic arrangement / name,
unless the default is assigned in the Ethernet Setup screen.

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WEBVIEW WITH WEBVIEW CONFIGURATION

LEGACY WELD
A feature available with RAFT Gateway is the data protocol to
TIMERS communicate with legacy WTC serial networks and weld timers. The
additional WebView support translates the RS485 serial data using
a 9600 baud connection and forwards the information to the
RAFT Gateway Software.

NOTE: To use this network feature, an Ethernet enabled WebVIEW is

required. Please review the network diagram below for a graphical
description of the physical hook-up between the RAFT Gateway
Software and a WebVIEW device on an EtherNet network.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:
Standard weld timers using the WTC MedLAN network can use the
standard configuration found in the WebVIEW Manual M-038140.

If you are using WebView hardware in your facility, but are unsure which protocol is being used,
please contact your wtc sales representative for assistance at: [email protected]

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USER ACCOUNT
SETUP

B Click on Settings. From the drop down box select Database Setup

C Click on the check box “Internal Database” only if the PC is NOT

linked to an HSDS database. Check “Use Logins”, then click the
Test button. The lower bar will change color to green and read
“Success”.

D Click “Save” to exit. Select “Yes” when prompted to restart the

service and application.

E After RAFT Gateway restarts, open Settings and from the drop
down box select User Manager.

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F Create the 1st user account: ex: admin. Enter username,

password, select level (Admin/ Maintenance/ Operator). Click
“Submit” to apply the change– the new user is now displayed in
the top panel.

TO CREATE NEW USERS:

B Click “New User”. Then enter the Username, password and level.
Click on Save to apply the change.

NOTE: It is recommended to check the “Enable Timeout” box – after the

specified time, the user will be signed out automatically and all open timer
tabs will be closed.

C Close the User Manager window. The PC is now set for different
users

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OPERATOR LEVEL:

• Can Reset Faults, Reset Stepper and Toggle Weld Mode from Sta-
tus Tab
• Cannot do R-measure, Reference mode, Upload/ Download files
from/ to timer
• Can view data in Editor, Monitor – cannot change any data dis-
played
• Can view History, run Reports, see RAFT status and Quality – can-
not change any data displayed

MAINTENANCE LEVEL:

• Full access except: User Manager and Database setup screens

ADMIN:

• Full access

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Chapter 14: TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

COMMON ISSUES TIMER IS ALWAYS OFFLINE

RAFT Gateway requires that a timer be online to collect weld data

and schedule backups. Even though a weld control is powered-up,
does not mean that the RAFT Gateway Software will be able to
communicate with the weld timer. Network issues are the most
common cause of offline weld timers.
If a weld timer appears to be offline, take the following actions:

1. TRY TO “PING” THE WELD TIMER.

B Go to START -> RUN -> type "ping timer IP address” (e.g. “ping
192.168.0.250") -> OK.

C The Command Line pop-up window will appear.

If the ping is successful, “reply from timer IP address...” will
appear. If the ping was unsuccessful, “request timed-out” will
appear.

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2. VERIFY THE SUBNET MASK OF THE WORKSTATION PC MATCHES

THE SUBNET MASK OF THE WELD TIMER EIP CONFIGURATION.

To view and edit the weld timer's EIP configuration settings, connect
directly to the weld timer via the serial communication (COMM) port
using either a DEP-100/105 or DEP 300s. Follow the instructions
below to the EIP Configuration screen.

DEP-100/105:

B Press Program Mode

C Press More(F5)
D More -> (F5)
E EIP Mapping (F1)
F EIP Config (4)

DEP-300s:

B Press Program Mode

C Press More

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D Press EIP Options

E Verify the Subnet mask of the workstation PC

matches the Subnet mask of the weld timer EIP
Configuration.

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3. VERIFY THE ETHERNET/IP (EIP) CABLE IS PLUGGED IN TO THE

WELD CONTROL.

Ethernet/IP cable location for 6000 series Timers.

Ethernet/IP Cable for 5000 (FRS) series Timers.

4. VERIFY THE WELD CONTROL IS POWERED ON AND POWER IS

INTERNALLY CONNECTED TO THE WELD TIMER.

5. TEST THE ETHERNET/IP CABLE FOR INTERNAL DAMAGE.

6. ATTEMPT TO USE THE INTERNAL TIMER WEB SERVER TO VERIFY

COMMUNICATIONS.

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COOL TIME DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE GRAPHS OF MULTI-PULSE

WELDS

The RAFT Gateway Software was specifically designed not to show

the cool times between multi-pulse welds. Doing so would distort
the graph and inaccurately represent the parameters displayed (i.e.
current, energy, resistance, etc.)

EXAMPLE CURRENT AND RESISTANCE SUMMARY GRAPH WHEN

FIRING TIP-TO-TIP

Example of the current and resistance summary graph when firing tip-to-tip

Contact WTC for more information:

WTC Industrial Technical Services

Phone: +1 248-477-3900 | Fax: +1 248-477-8897
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.weldtechcorp.com

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Chapter 15: RAFT GATEWAY CERTIFIER PROGRAM

A certified backup file is a master backup of all the data programmed

into a WTC weld timer. Typically, a welding engineer or other plant
authority would determine the data to be certified through the
process of welding and the destructive / non-destructive testing of
resistance spot welds. Once the quality of the weld process has been
determined to be good, the weld timer (weld control) data is
considered “certified” and a master backup copy can be made and
stored in the RAFT Gateway software.

The “certified” back up file is saved as a Weld Data Format (.WDF) file.
A (.WDF) file is a proprietary file format developed by WTC
specifically for the RAFT Gateway Network & Data Collection
Software. The RAFT Gateway Software takes the raw data from the
weld timer and converts it into a format, which can be conveniently
viewed, edited, manipulated and transported by the user.

The following is a list of the data contained in the certified backup file:

• Weld Schedules
• Setup Parameters
• Linear Stepper Profile
• TCP/IP Configuration
• EIP Configuration
• I/O Configuration
• System Configuration
• Timer Name / Welder ID
• Fault and Alert Levels

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LAUNCHING THE CERTIFIER PROGRAM

ENSURE THE RAFT GATEWAY SOFTWARE APPLICATION IS CLOSED

BEFORE LAUNCHING THE CERTIFIER PROGRAM.

The Certifier Program is a Java executable (.jar) file, which is a

portable application that can be ran from any location by either the
weld engineer or any other plant authority responsible for certifying
the weld schedules. The certifier executable file can be kept on a local
workstation PC or carried on a USB memory stick or other portable
memory device.

Find the Certifier “.jar” executable file (as shown below) and copy to
the desired run location. For more instruction regarding the
installation of the Certifier Program, see Chapter 2: Software
Installation.

B Double left-click the certifier java executable file.

C A message window will appear identifying which local INI file

the program will use (see note below). Click OK to continue.

D The Certifier Program user interface will appear and will

begin to auto-detect weld timers on the network and
populate the screen.

NOTE: When the Certifier Program is launched, a Message pop-up

window will appear. This message identifies what local INI (property)
file it will use to determine which weld timer IP Addresses are used to
populate the timer list window. The default file location is
(C:\ProgramFiles\RaftGateway\raftgateway.ini)

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CERTIFIER PROGRAM USER INTERFACE

The Certifier Program has an interface similar to the RAFT
Gateway Software, but with only three operational buttons:

Create a certified backup file

for the selected weld timers.

Refresh the weld timer

Timer Details

Filter the text based upon either text

matching or using regular expressions.

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CREATING A CERTIFIED BACKUP FILE

B Select the weld timer(s) to be certified by left-clicking them with

the mouse. The row will turn light-blue (except for the fault
status column). To select multiple timers, use the left-click
button in conjunction with the Ctrl and Shift keys.

C Click the Certify button

C A window will appear asking the user to confirm if the weld

timer(s) selected for certification are correct. Click Yes to
continue.

D A progress window will appear showing the status of the

certification process.

NOTE: The Certifier Program saves only one certified backup file per
weld timer. Each time a weld timer is re-certified, the old file
(certified-data.wdf) is overwritten.

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E When the process is complete, a Message window will appear,

advising the transfer is complete and the weld timer data is
certified. Click OK.

If any certifications failed, it will be indicated in the Console tab. Also,

check the Timer Status Screen to see if the weld timer's online status
changed.

NOTE: The Certifier Program may take a long time to run, when either
a large number of weld timers are being certified, or when using a
WebView to communicate with legacy weld timers. It is highly
recommend to break-up a large weld timer lists into multiple smaller
lists.

Completed certified backup files (certified-data.wdf) are stored locally

at C:\Program Files\RaftGateway\workspace. The file is located in the
workspace folder by IP Address of the weld timer.

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GLOSSARY

Adaptive Welding
Integrates advanced controls with current, voltage and resistance monitoring to automatically
adjust welding time and current to ensure each weld is executed to the highest quality.

AdaptQ
Changes weld current and weld time to provide the required nugget diameter over process
disturbances while greatly reducing expulsion.

Alert
Status indicator of the weld Processor. Highlighted yellow.

Archive Panel
Displays the weld processors diagnostic data.

Certification Status
Certified: The online weld processor data is compared with previously certified data (for the
same weld processor) by the RAFT™ Gateway Certifier Program and nothing different is noted.
Not Certified: The online weld processor data has not been certified by the RAFT™ Gateway
Certifier Program
Different: There is a difference between the online weld processor data previously certified by
the RAFT™ Gateway Certifier Program for the same weld processor.
Never Compared: The online weld processor has never been compared to the certified data.
C-Factor
C‐Factor (or Capacity Factor) is a parameter, which is used to track changes in the weld tooling.
C‐Factor is calculated by determining the amount of total capacity utilized to create the target
current and dividing this value by the actual current created. The C‐Factor feature can be used
as a maintenance tool to monitor weld tooling degradation and current shunting paths
(primary or secondary).

.csv
A CSV is a comma‐separated values or character‐separated values file that stores tabular data
(numbers and text) in plain‐text format. This file can be analyzed with a spreadsheet software
application such as Microsoft Excel.

Console
A panel that shows the output of RAFT™ Gateway. This is updated in real time.

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Create Reference (When enabled from Settings > Configuration)

Allows RAFT™ Gateway to create references from welds.

Database
The RAFT™ Gateway Database is located in Workspace path under the db folder.

• The database stores a list of all weld processors that have been configured in the .ini file.
• Each weld processor is assigned a unique ID which is a combination of the IP address of
the PC and the weld processor.
• The database creates tables for weld summary and graphs found under the History tab.
This information is used for SoftQ monitoring and creating the PI envelope.
• The database stores User Login information.
• By default, the database purges data every 7 days which can be reconfigured with a
different time to suit specific plant requirements. It is recommended to set the time
frame during non‐production hours since the process can slow down operations.

.DLL
Dynamic Link Library or .DLL files are shared library files.

Event Data
A record of all events or actions that occurred during the welding process for example a
schedule change or Stepper Reset.

Fault Data
A record of changes in the welding process that is annunciated with three levels of alerts ‐ Fault,
Alert and None.

FieldBus I/O
Configuration of fieldbus input output of the weld processor. Fieldbus network system is a real‐
time distributed control for industrial networks. Fieldbus works on a network structure which
typically allows daisy‐chain, star, ring, branch, and tree network topologies. Fieldbus
communication scheme gives the weld processor the ability to control and allow multiple
analog and digital points to be connected at the same time.

Forced Backup
Creates backup files for a single or multiple (selected) weld processor(s). The data includes
information related to all the schedules.

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Graph Data
Graphical representation of welding data.

Gun ID Database
This database includes a list of weld processors with a unique ID which is a combination of the
IP address of the weld processor and Gun ID created in the catalog. The data includes the timer
name and all information associated with the programming data, schedules, setup, stepper
profile, status, SoftQ, Reference weld, and PI Envelope associated with the specific Gun.

When configured from the Settings tab three states are annunciated:
Syncing: Process of synchronization of weld processors data to the database
Not Syncing: When the weld processors data is not synchronized to the database.
Synchronized: Weld processors data is synchronized to the database.

Helios
A product from QNT used for data collection.

HSDS
A proprietary database format that is available with only certain weld processor software.

.INI Files
INI files are simple text files with a basic structure composed of “sections” and “properties”.

.jar file
Java Archive package file.

Mass Upgrade
Collective software upgrade/update for multiple weld processors.

Upgrade Weld Processor Software

Software upgrade/update for selected weld processor.

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NI -Nugget Integrity
NI is the confidence factor of an acceptable nugget. NI is calculated from Total energy, R‐drop,
R‐peak, R‐curve, Total Heat, current and weld time of the subject weld as compared to the
reference weld.

Online
Highlighted Green to indicate the accessible status of the weld processor.

Offline
Highlighted Grey to indicate the disconnected status of the weld processor.

Part ID
A unique number generated in increments by the weld processor to identify each weld on the
data collected.

pf
pf or Power Factor (AC only) is a representation of the electrical efficiency of the SCR device in
the Weld control cabinet.

PI - Process Integrity
PI identifies the magnitude of disturbances in the welding process.

PI Envelope
Defines the upper and lower limits for the PI (Process Integrity) data collected.

R Avg
The resistance average of the last weld in micro ohms.

R Drop
The resistance drop percentage during the last weld.

RAFT™ Gateway Network Software

Manages and monitors WTC resistance welding controls.

RAFT™ Gateway Certifier Program

A mini‐application that creates certified backup files.

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raftgateway.ini
A very important application file that should not be edited unless instructed by WTC personnel.

Reference Weld
A constant current weld without expulsion or other disturbances that provides a base line of
information for AdaptQ and SoftQ. A Reference Weld has to be performed for every schedule.

Reference Program
A reference in the weld processor created for a specific weld schedule.

Schedule
A (Weld) Schedule is a list of commands or functions which are used to instruct the weld
processor to deliver a combination of heat (weld current) and time (weld time) to the weld
interface to create a weld nugget.

Service Status
Displays the connectivity status of the Data Monitoring Services.
Service Running: Indicates the services have been enabled and the weld data will be collected
by RAFT™ Gateway.
Service Not Running: Indicates that the services have stopped and data will not be collected.

Service Preferences
Allows the setup of the workspace path to auto compare and/or auto backup the weld
processors.

SoftQ™
A comparison of the last weld data with the reference weld that calculates the PI (Process
Integrity) NI (Nugget Integrity) and TI (Tooling Integrity). SoftQ™ functions in both constant
current and adaptive mode, as long as a reference weld is captured for each schedule the user
intends to monitor.

Spot
Another name for a weld.

Spot ID
User assigned unique identification number that defines a specific spot created with a weld
schedule. This feature is only available with certain software.

Station ID
User defined identification number for the weld interface.

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SQL- Query Page

A panel that developers can use to analyze the database.

TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), provide end‐to‐end
connectivity specifying how data should be formatted, addressed, transmitted, routed and
received at the RAFT™ Gateway. This functionality establishes inter networking and provides
process‐to‐process application data exchange.

UDP
UDP (User Data Protocol) allows RAFT™ Gateway to send messages, referred to as datagrams,
to other hosts on an Internet Protocol (IP) network without prior communications to set up
special transmission channels or data paths.

V Avg
Average secondary voltage drop of the last weld.

WDF
wdf (Weld Data File) a proprietary file format developed by WTC exclusively for RAFT™
Gateway to collect weld processor data backups. The RAFT™ Gateway Software takes the raw
data from the weld timer and converts it into a format, which can be conveniently viewed,
edited, manipulated and transported by the user. .WDF files can only be viewed in the RAFT™
Gateway software application. They can not be viewed in Microsoft NotePad, Word, Excel, etc.

WebView
An interconnect between the RAFT™ Gateway and WTC legacy weld timers that use either
serial networks or are otherwise not compatible with the RAFT™ Gateway.

Weld Data
Data collected by RAFT™ Gateway from the weld processor that provides detailed information
on the welding history of the specific weld processor.

Weld ID
A unique identification number generated by RAFT™ Gateway to identify each weld on the data
collected.

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 Welding Technology Cor por ation

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