Welding control apparatus and method

A welding control method for a welding control apparatus used for arc welding with a single carbon dioxide gas or a mixed gas mainly containing the carbon dioxide gas being used as a shielding gas, the welding control apparatus including:

• a droplet separation detecting unit that detects separation of a droplet from a tip end of welding wire;
• and
• a waveform generator that alternately generates a first pulse for separating the droplet and a second pulse for shaping the droplet and outputs the generated pulse to a welding power source, and if separation of the droplet is detected, immediately switches a current value of the first pulse to a predetermined value lower than a value measured upon the detection of separation,
• wherein if separation of the droplet is not detected within a peak period, a falling slope period, or a base period of the first pulse by the droplet separation detecting unit, the welding control apparatus generates a third pulse having a pulse shape different in at least one of a pulse peak current and a pulse width from the second pulse to output the generated third pulse to the welding pulse source after a base time of the first pulse to thereby restore a droplet supply regularity by use of the waveform generator.