ARC+®: Today’s Virtual Reality Solution for Welders

123 Certification Inc., a Montreal based company, has developed an innovative hands-on welding simulator solution to help build welding workforce in the most simple way. The solution lies in virtual reality technology, which has been fully tested since the early 90's. President and founder of 123 Certification Inc., Mr. Claude Choquet Ing. Msc. IWE, acts as a bridge between the welding and the programming world. Working in these fields for more than 20 years, he has filed 12 patents world-wide for a gesture control platform with all kinds of leading edge hardware related to simulation. In summer 2006, he was proud to be invited at the annual IIW International Welding Congress in Quebec City to launch the ARC+ welding simulator. A 100 % virtual reality system and web based training center was developed to simulate multiprocess, multimaterial, multiposition, and multipass welding. The simulator is intended to train welding students and apprentices in schools or industries. The welding simulator is composed of a real welding electrode holder (GTAW) and gun (GMAW-FCAW), a head-mounted display (HMD), a 6 degrees of freedom tracking system for interaction between the user’s hands and head, as well as external audio speakers. Both guns and HMD are interacting online and simultaneously. The welding simulation is based on the law of physics and empirical results from detailed analysis of a series of welding tests based on industrial applications tested over the last 20 years.[1] The simulation runs in real-time, using a local logic network to determine the quality and shape of the created weld. These results are based on the orientation, distance, and speed of the welding torch and depth of penetration. The welding process and resulting weld bead are displayed in a virtual environment with screenplay interactive training modules. For review, weld quality and recorded process values can be displayed and diagnosed after welding. To help in the learning process, a learning curve for each student and each Virtual Welding Class ® can be plotted, for an instructor’s review or a required third party evaluation