---
title: Arc Settings
description: "Arc settings decide how SmoothTool X starts the arc, how long it waits for it, what it does if the arc is lost, and how it stops it again. They apply to every power source, because they describe the robot's…"
url: "https://hub.smooth-robotics.com/docs/usage-guides-arc-settings/"
updated: "2026-09-23"
category: Usage Guides
---

# Arc Settings

Arc settings decide how SmoothTool X starts the arc, how long it waits for it, what it does if the arc is lost, and how it stops it again. They apply to every power source, because they describe the robot's own arc handling rather than any machine's welding parameters.

There are two places to set them:

- **Device-wide defaults** — the **Arc Settings** page, under **Components** in the SmoothTool X Settings sidebar. Every weld in every program starts from these.
- **Per weld node** — a weld node's **Arc settings** tab. Turn on **Override arc settings for this node** to give that weld its own values; leave it off and the node shows *Using arc settings from the installation*.

Arc settings belong to the weld node, and every segment inside it inherits them.

## Timeouts

How long SmoothTool X waits for the power source to report what it asked for. Reaching a timeout stops the program with an error rather than welding blind.

| Setting | Description | Range | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arc activation timeout | How long to wait for the arc to be established after asking for it. | 0.1–10 s | 3 s |
| Arc lost timeout | How long the arc may be absent mid-weld before it counts as lost. | 0–10 s | 0.5 s |
| Arc deactivation timeout | How long to wait for the arc to go out after asking for it. | 0.1–10 s | 3 s |

## Wait times

Dwell times around the arc, used to let the weld pool form and settle. All four default to 0 seconds and accept 0–10 s.

| Setting | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Wait before arc on timeout | Waits before the arc is switched on at the start of a weld. |
| Wait after arc on timeout | Waits after the arc is established before the robot starts moving. |
| Wait before arc off timeout | Waits at the end of the path before the arc is switched off. |
| Wait after arc off timeout | Waits after the arc is out before the robot continues. |

## Recovery

What to do when the arc is lost part-way through a weld.

| Setting | Description | Range | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Attempt to restart arc | How many times to re-strike the arc before stopping the program. 0 disables restarting. | 0–10 attempts | 0 |
| Speed percentage at re-arc | How fast the robot retraces the path to the re-strike point, as a percentage of the weld's travel speed. | 0–15 % | 10 % |

## Resetting

**Reset to defaults** on the Arc Settings page returns every value to the defaults above.

## Power sources without arc feedback

A power source that cannot report whether the arc is live has no use for the timeouts or the recovery settings, so its **Arc settings** tab shows only the four wait times and explains why: *This power source reports no arc feedback, so only the wait timers apply here.* The **URScript Callback** integration is in this group, because its weld-busy and current-flow signals only echo the weld command SmoothTool X sent.

The **OTC Welbee** is the one power source with no **Arc settings** tab at all; it manages the arc itself.