Method and apparatus for controlling a welding system

A method of controlling a welding-type power supply comprising:

• providing a current wave form having at least a higher magnitude portion and a lower magnitude portion;
• and
• alternating between an arc state and a short circuit state by advancing and retracting a welding wire;
• wherein, during a plurality of successive alternations, the current wave form is in the lower magnitude portion when changing from the short circuit state to the arc state, by coordinating the wave form with the wire advancing and retracting.

A method of short circuit welding comprising:

• feeding wire to a weld;
• advancing the wire to enter into a short circuit state;
• retracting the wire while the wire is advancing to a torch, to enter into an arc state, thereby using wire movement to control the process;
• and
• using current magnitude to control the heat applied to the weld pool and controlling the current to enter a lower magnitude phase before the arc state is entered.

A welding-type power supply for short circuit welding comprising:

• a reversible wire feed motor,
• disposed to drive wire to a weld;
• a power source, disposed to provide welding-type power to a weld;
• a power output control module, having a wave shaping output operatively connected to the power source, wherein the wave shaping output causes the power source to enter in to at least a plurality of successive higher and lower magnitude current portions;
• and
• a wire feed control module having a speed and direction output operatively connected to the wire feed motor;
• wherein the direction output has a forward and reverse portion that causes the wire feed motor to advance and retract the wire, thereby entering short circuit states and arc states, wherein the current enters the lower magnitude portion before the arc state is entered.