You probably know the feeling. You watch your weld bead and it looks okay. But something's off. The instructor walks by and immediately says "your speed was inconsistent."
How did they know? And how can you tell?
Your weld bead has ripples. Those little wave patterns that form as you drag the pool across the metal.
Those ripples are your speedometer.
If the ripples are evenly spaced — like a stack of dimes — your travel speed was consistent.
If the spacing varies — some close together, some far apart — you sped up or slowed down without realizing it.
Here's why instructors care so much about speed:
Here's the problem: you can't see a 10% speed variation.
You think you're going the same speed. But your hand slows down in the middle. Speeds up at the end. You don't feel it. But the weld shows it.
The ripple spacing changes. The bead width changes. And suddenly you have a weld that's strong in some spots and weak in others.
This is where AI helps.
Computer vision doesn't guess. It analyzes. It looks at the ripple patterns. It detects variations your eye might miss.
DimeVision analyzes your weld photos and can detect inconsistencies in bead appearance — helping you spot patterns you wouldn't notice otherwise.
You'll see where the weld looks different. Where the pattern breaks. That's where your speed varied.
Travel speed is the hardest skill to self-assess. You can't feel a 10% variation. But you can see it — if you know what to look for.
Start with the ripples. Stack those dimes. That's consistency.
Want to see how consistent your welds really are? Snap a photo. DimeVision analyzes bead patterns so you can improve faster.
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