SAFETY
EFFICIENCY
QUALITY

The New Rule Products Stud Welding system allows welding of shear studs to be done while standing in a more upright position.  The articulating arm’s operating handle is at chest level eliminating the need to bend over while stud welding.  Additionally, the articulating arm requires minimal force to operate and is attached to the mobile cart so workers do not need to carry the welding gun. Safety and health experts believe that reducing the amount of time a worker spends in a stooped posture may reduce the risk of low back injuries.  The alternative stud welding system minimizes stooped postures from the stud welding process.

"I invented the New Rule Method because I knew there had to be a better way. Conventional shear stud welding requires ironworkers to maintain a stooped and often stressful position for many hours a day. I knew there had to be a better solution. In addition to the stopped stress on their backs, their arms, wrists, and fingers are also subject to musculoskeletal disorders over time. Lastely, and one of the most concerning was the proximity of their face, often with no protective gear, to the weld fumes. Our solution was to invent a safety solution to keep our ironworkers safe and in the end we developed a more effieincet process with built in quality assurance.

"The stud cart with an articulated arm supporting the heavy welding gun, allows workers to spend more time upright and less time bent over at the waist, exposed to extreme trunk flexion. Workers using the alternative system spent less than 5% of work time bent at angles greater than 60°, while workers using the conventional approach spent 40% of the their time in such extreme trunk postures. The workers’ mean trunk inclination angle was less than 10° using the alternative system, but 34.4° using the conventional approach."