Sicur 08: 3M has developed a light screen for welders

Sicur 08: 3MTM SpeedglasTM SL alleviates the long welding jobs thanks to a product that only weighs 360 grams. The 3MTM SpeedglasTM SL welding screen is a very light and comfortable piece of equipment designed to satisfy the requirements of the most demanding welder. It includes an automatic darkening eyepiece and the unit is as light as a traditional screen, but it weighs only "360 grams”.

Professional welders appreciate the lightness of a screen, since the equipment has to be used for long periods and is usually performed under very difficult conditions. The 3MTMSpeedglasTM SL welding screen is suitable for most welding applications. Particularly for MMA, MIG/MAG, TIG and plasma. It is very suitable for medium to low amperage welding (from 0.1 to250 amps) where the 8-12 range of shades is recommended.

Operation
3MTM SpeedglasTM SL turns on and off automatically. It is turned on by movement and it turns off after 15 minutes of inactivity. The automatic darkening welding filter has some photo sensors that allow the filter to darken to the selected tone in response to the light from the welding arc. The darkened shade of the filter may easily be selected by pressing a button (SHADE). The sensitivity of the photo sensors may be modified between four levels to adapt to different work situations (for example, presence of other welders in the area, hidden arc, etc.) The different adjustments of the screen and its innovative harness allow the screen to be adapted to different head sizes, the screen inclination to be adjusted or the distance between the screen and the face easily and without any tools being needed.

A full array of advantages
The main new idea that this screen incorporates is the weight reduction to 360 grams.  Therefore, the screen features all the advantages of the automatic darkening filters and is as light as a conventional screen. The lightness of this screen has been achieved based on two key points:
1. New liquid crystal designs and new manufacturing designs to obtain a lighter automatic darkening crystal, but maintaining the high optical quality and excellent benefits that characterise all the Speedglas filters.
2. The screen is manufactured with a resistant material that does not absorb dampness, meaning that the screen's lightness is maintained, without losing its protection and comfort benefits.

In addition to this, this screen is very simple to use and to maintain and it may be adjusted in many different ways to personalise the equipment, both for the user and for the work situation. One of the most important problems that welders suffer from is muscular fatigue in the neck area. This fatigue is partly due to the weight of the screen and to the forced movements that they perform when lowering the screen. The automatic darkening filters remove the need to constantly raise and lower the screen, but many welders were reluctant to use these filters due to the fact that they weigh more than the non-actinic filters. Another important problem suffered by the users of conventional screens was the difficulty in coordinating the moment of positioning the electrode with the positioning of the screen to obtain suitable protection. The automatic darkening filters also solve this problem, since the screen is always lowered and in this way there is permanent ocular and facial protection.

With the introduction of this screen, 3M wants to help the welder to enjoy all the benefits of the automatic darkening filters (reduction of muscular aches, ocular protection at all times, greater productivity, etc.) with a very light, easy to handle screen.