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BY
BY
CERTIFICATE
SUBMITTED BY
IN MECHANICAL BRANCH OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF PUNE, IS
APPROVED.
GUIDE H.O.D.
PROF. Mr. S.V. CHAITANYA PROF. V.N.PHADKULE
EXAMINER
INDEX
SR.NO. TOPICS PAGE
NO.
1
1. ABSTRACT
2. ROBOT WELDING 2
3. WELDING PROCESS 3
6. WELDING SAFETY 17
7. ADVANTAGES 18
8. CONCLUSION 19
9. REFERENCES 20
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It give me a grate pleasure to present this seminar
report on “ ROBOT WELD TECHNOLOGY ” FINAL YEAR
degree course in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING.
With great pleasure, I wish to express my deep sense
of gratitude towards seminar guide Prof. S.V CHAITANYA
and other staff members for the valuable guidance in
preparation of this seminar report.
Finally I would like to thank my all friends for their
cooperation for completing this seminar report.
GARAD HARIPRASAD D.
EXAM NO. B2210823
B.E. MECHANICAL.
ABSTRACT
Welding is manufacturing process in which to pieces of metal are joined
by usually by heating them until molten and fused and by applying pressure.
Welding operations performed by robot vastly. Welding of two types on e is
arc welding and another spot welding.
In arc welding two metals are joined along its continuous path. An
electric arc is generated there.
Spot welding is the largest application for industrial robots in US,
accounting for about for 35 percent of installed robots. Welding robots
typically use point-to-point programming to maneuver a welding gun.
Robots weld more consistently faster and with higher quality than humans
1. ROBOT WELDING
When should robots be used for welding?
Automating the torch motions decreases the error potential which means
decreased scrap and rework. With robot welding you can also get an increased
output. Not only does a robot work faster, the fact that a fully equipped and
optimized robot cell can run for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year without breaks
makes it more efficient than a manual weld cell.
2. WELDING PROCESSES
Welding is the most economical and efficient way to join metals
permanently. Welding is used to join all of the commercial metals and to join
metals of different types and strengths.
To be able to guarantee that the electrode tip and the tool frame are accurately
known with respect to each other, the calibration process of the TCP (Tool Center
Point) is important. An automatic TCP calibration device facilitates this time
consuming task.
During the short time that industrial welding robots have been in use, the
jointed arm or revolute type has become by far the most popular. For welding it
has almost entirely replaced the other types except for the Cartesian, see (robot
kinematics), which is used for very large and very small robots. The reason for
the popularity of the jointed arm type is that it allows the welding torch to be
manipulated in almost the same fashion as a human being would manipulate it.
The torch angle and travel angle can be changed to make good quality welds in
all positions. Jointed arm robots also allow the arc to weld in areas that are
difficult to reach. Even so, a robot cannot provide the same manipulative motion
as a human being, although it can come extremely close. In addition, jointed arm
robots are the most compact and provide the largest work envelope relative to
their size.
Usually arc-welding robots have five or six free programmable arms or
axes.
Automatic arc welding machines may require power sources more complex
than those used for semi-automated welding. An automatic welding machine
There are three types of arc welding power sources, distinguished according
to their static characteristics output curve. The constant-power (CP) is the
conventional type of power source that has been used for many years for
shielded
metal arc welding using stick electrodes. It can be used for submerged arc
welding and gas tungsten arc welding. The constant-voltage (CV) power source
is the type normally used for gas metal arc and flux cored arc welding using
small-diameter electrode wire. The constant-current (CC) power source is
normally used for gas tungsten arc and plasma arc welding.
Welding torches can be categorized according to the way in which they are
cooled. They may be water-cooled with circulating cooling water or air-cooled
with ambient air. A torch can be used for a consumable electrode welding
process such as gas metal arc or flux cored arc welding, and shielding gas may or
may not be employed.
A torch can be described according to whether it is a straight torch or has a
bend in its barrel. A torch with a bend is often used for robotic arc welding
applications to provide access for the weld.
The major function of the torch is to deliver the welding current to the
electrode. For consumable electrode process this means transferring the current
to the electrode as the electrode moves through the torch.
A second major task of the torch is to deliver the shielding gas, if one is used,
to the arc area. Gas metal arc welding uses a shielding gas that may be an active
gas usually carbon dioxide or a mixture of an inert gas, normally argon, with CO2
or oxygen.
The welding torch is mounted to the robot flange with a matching mounting arm.
Preferably an anti collision clutch is used to prevent damages on expensive weld
equipment in case of sticking electrode and crashes during installation and start-up.
Wire feeders are used to add filler metal during robotic welding. This allows
flexibility in establishing various welding wire feed rates to suit specific
requirements for an assembly. Normally, the wire feeder for robotic welding is
mounted on the robot arm, separate from the power supply. For robotic welding,
a control interfaces between the robot controllers, the power supply and wire
feeder is needed. The wire feeding system must be matched to the welding
process and the type of power source being used.
There are two basic types of wire feeders. The first type is used for the
consumable electrode wire process and is known as an electrode wire feeder. The
electrode is part of the welding circuit, and the melted metal from the electrode
crosses the arc to become the weld deposit. There are two different types of
electrode wire feeders. The constant-power power source requires a voltage-
sensing wire feed system in which the feed rate may be changing continously.
The constant-voltage system requires a constant feed rate during the welding
operation.
The second type of wire feeder is known as a cold wire feeder and is
especially used for gas tungsten arc welding. The electrode is not part of the
circuit, and the filler wire fed into the arc area melts from the heat of the arc and
becomes the weld metal.
One starting point for positioning the workpiece for robotic welding may be the
fixture already used for manual welding even though specialized positioners are
used to improve the versatility and to extend the range of robotic arc welding
systems. The usable portion of a robot work envelope can be limited becuse the
welding torch mounting method does not allow the torch to reach the joint
properly. Special positioners eliminate some of these limitations by making the
workpiece more accessible to the robot welding torch.
The positioners used with robots also have to be more accurate than required
for manual or semiautomatic welding. In addition the robot positioner controls
must be compatible and controllable by the robot controller in order to have
simultaneous coordinated motion of several axes while welding.
However, loading and unloading stationary jigs of the robot cell can be time
consuming and impractical. It is often more efficient to have two or more fixtures
on a revolving workpiece positioner, despite a higher initial cost. With a
revolving table for instance, the operator can load and unload while the robot is
welding. Obviously, this speeds up the process and keeps the robot welding as
much of the time as possible.
Periodic cleaning of arc welding guns is required for proper and reliable
operation of robotic arc welding equipment. The high duty cycle of an automatic
operation may require automated gun cleaning. Systems are available that spray
an antispatter agent into the nozzle of the gun. Additionally, tools that ream the
nozzle to remove accumulated spatter and cut the wire are available. The
cleaning system is automatically activated at required intervals by the welding
control system.
While end-of-arm sensor based control would appear to solve both robot
accuracy and workpiece position error problems, this is only so if the sensor
frame, end frame, and tool frame are accurately known with respect to each
other.
Should the sensor be accidentally knocked out of position, the robot system
becomes a highly consistent scrap production facility. Indeed, this very concern
has been one of the reasons why some companies that would benefit from a
sensor based correction system have been reluctant to implement such a system.
What is required is not only a technique that enables the frames to be
automatically calibrated, but that also enables the system to quickly determine if
recalibration is necessary. This second capability is perhaps the more important
in practice, since it can be reasonably assumed that any calibration error will be
caused by an unanticipated event that could occur during any welding cycle.
During the resistance welding process the welding electrodes are exposed to
severe heat and pressure. In time, these factors begin to deform (mushroom) the
electrodes. To restore the shape of the electrodes, an automatic tip-dresser is
used.
One problem when welding with robots is that the cables and hoses used for
current and air etc. tend to limit the capacity of movement of the robot wrist. A
solution to this problem is the swivel, which permits passage of compressed air,
cooling water, electric current and signals within a single rotating unit. The
swivel unit also enables off-line programming as all cables and hoses can be
routed along defined paths of the robot arm.
A robot can repeatedly move the welding gun to each weld location and
position it perpendicular to the weld seam. It can also replay programmed
welding schedules. A manual welding operator is less likely to perform as well
because of the weight of the gun and monotony of the task.
Spot welding robots should have six ore more axes of motion and be capable of
approaching points in the work envelope from any angle. This permits the robot
to be flexible in positioning a welding gun to weld an assembly. Some
movements that are awkward for an operator, such as positioning the welding
gun upside down, are easily performed by a robot.
Spot welding guns are normally designed to fit the assembly. Many basic
types of guns are available, the two most commonly used being the direct
acting type, generally known as a “C”-type gun, where the operating cylinder
is connected directly to the moving electrode, and the “X”-type (also known as
"Scissors" or "Pinch") where the operating cylinder is remote from the moving
electrode, the force being applied to it by means of a lever arm. C guns are
generally the
cheapest and the most commonly used. There are many variations available in
each basic type with regard to the shape and style of the frame and arms, and
also the duty for which the gun is designed with reference to welding
pressure and current.
Pneumatic guns are usually preferred because they are faster, and they apply
a uniform electrode force. Hydraulic spot welding guns are normally used
where space is limited or where high electrode forces are required
An automated spot welding cell needs control equipment to initiate and time
the duration of current. A spot weld timer (weld control unit) automatically
controls welding time when spot-welding. It also may control the current
magnitude as well as sequence and time of other parts of the welding cycle.
The function of the electrodes is to conduct the current and to withstand the
high pressures in order to maintain a uniform contact area and to ensure the
continued proper relationship between selected current and pressure. Uniform
contacting areas should therefore be maintained.
As the electrode deforms, the weld control is called upon to "step" up the
welding current in order to compensate for "mushroomed" weld tips. Eventually,
the production line will have to be shut down in order to replace the electrodes
or to manually go in and hand dress the electrodes. This process will improve the
weld cycle but in either case, the line is stopped and time is lost. Furthermore the
deformed electrodes have caused unnecessary high consumption of energy and
electrodes.
In automatic tip dressing, a tip dresser is mounted on the line where it can be
accessed by the welding robot. The robot is programmed to dress the electrodes
at regular time intervals. The dressing can be done after each working cycle, after
every second cycle, and so on. It depends upon how many spot-welds are done
in each cycle. For welding in galvanized sheet, dressing after about 25 spot-welds
is recommended. The dressing takes approximately 1 to 2 seconds, and is
performed when the work pieces are loaded, unloaded and transported.
Maintaining proper electrode geometry minimizes production downtime and
utility costs and increases weld efficiency.
Less work space needed -No mass of cables and hoses hanging from the
robot arm, resulting in floor space economy.
Improved accessability - Since no limitation on the robot wrist caused by
any cables or hoses.
Improved safety - Greatly improved safety factors through reduction of
air, electric and water lines; now limited to quick-connect piping, and
hoses within robot arm.
Saving in capital equipment - Compact weld-gun assembly accessable to
areas formly blocked by transformer, cables, and control boxes. More
welds per station means big savings
through fewer work stations and
less capital equipment.
This is how bodies are created in car construction that are significantly stiffer in
case of a crash, for example, and thus provide greater safety for passengers.
Furthermore, laser welding always requires access from one side only, so
newdesigns are now possible that could not nave been implemented by means of
traditional resistance spot welding.
3. WELDING SAFETY
One of the best solutions for robot safety is to purchase a complete welding
cell from a robotic integrator. A complete cell includes barriers, all necessary
safety devices, and a method of loading and unloading the workstation.
1. www.ukros.com/robot_welding
2. www.weldingengineer.com
3. www.autotech-robotics.com
4. www.robot-automation.com
5. www.robot-welding.com