Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DOI:10.13434 / j.cnki.1007⁃4546.2023.0301
Machining Design
LEI Dongyue
Abstract: With the continuous development of society, the gradual improvement of mechanical
automation technology has been introduced into the production of many enterprises in China, which
has had a great impact on the increase of China′ s gross national product. Applying mechanical
automation technology greatly saves labor cost, improves working efficiency and the production level
of enterprises, effectively promotes the development of enterprises, and increases the enterprise′ s
related technology and plays a very important role in the innovation of enterprise products. This
article will briefly introduce the design and application of automation technology in welding seam
welding design, and understand the development background, research status, current application
1 Introduction
management processes achieve the desired objectives through automatic sensing, information
processing, analysis and evaluation, operation, and control without direct human intervention or
through reduced human intervention. Automation technology is widely used in industry, agriculture,
military, scientific research, transportation, commerce, medical, service, and home. Using
automation technology not only frees people from heavy physical labor, some mental labor, and
harsh and dangerous working environments, but also expands human organ function, greatly
improves labor productivity, and enhances man′ s ability to understand and change the world.
1.2 Welding
Welding refers to the joint formed by melting the metal of the welding rod and the joint with the
high temperature of the welding heat source. After the weld metal cools down, it joins the two welds
into one. According to the shape of the weld metal and the different positions of the weldments, they
are divided into butt welds, corner welds, plug welds, and electric rivet welds. Butt welds are
commonly used for joining plates and sectional steel, corner welds are commonly used for lap welds,
plug welds and electric rivet welds are less commonly used and are only considered for reducing the
lap length of weldments. Modern welding energy sources have many types, including gas flame, arc,
laser, electron beam, friction and ultrasonic waves, etc. In addition to its use in factories, welding
Automation Technology in Welding Seam Welding Machining Design 131
can also be performed in various environments, such as outdoors, underwater, and in space.
Regardless of where it is performed, welding may pose a hazard to the operator, so appropriate
protective measures must be taken during welding. The hazards that welding can cause to the human
body include burns, electric shock, visual impairment, inhalation of toxic gases, excessive
The machines needed for processing include digital display milling machines, digital display
form grinding machines, digital display lathes, electric discharge machines, universal grinding
machines, machining centers, laser welding, center wire, fast wire, slow wire, external grinding
machines, internal grinding machines, precision lathes, etc., which can be used for precision part
processing such as turning, milling, planing, and grinding. This type of machine is good at
machining irregularly shaped parts, and the machining accuracy can reach 2 μm. With the rapid
development of modern mechanical processing, many advanced mechanical processing methods have
technology, and so on. In addition, mechanical processing is closely related to other technologies,
such as materials science, control engineering, and computer science, etc., which promotes the
2 Background of topic
Mechanical manufacturing is one of the key sectors in China′ s social and economic
development. Whether from the perspective of the market economy or the country, promoting the
development of mechanical manufacturing enterprises plays a very important role. The application of
132 International Journal of Plant Engineering and Management Vol.28 No.3 September 2023
analysis and research from multiple perspectives. In recent years, with the vigorous development of
emerging industries, China′ s industrial automation control technology, industry and applications
have made great progress, promoting the continuous growth of China′s industrial automation market.
Data shows that in 2019, the market size of China′s industrial automation industry reached 189 5
billion yuan, a year⁃on⁃year increase of 1 61%. In 2022, the market size of China′ s industrial
In recent years, Southern Power Grid and State Grid Corporation of China have increased their
investment in ultra⁃high voltage and extra⁃high voltage power transmission, which has promoted the
opportunities and challenges coexist in power generation and construction. Transmission towers are
important basic equipment for power transmission and critical to the safety of the entire power
system. If tower quality does not meet standards and goes undetected, it can threaten the normal
operation of the entire power system and even lead to major power safety accidents. To ensure the
safety of power transmission, an automated tracking welding system has been developed and is
currently in the design phase. This system will be used to weld the longitudinal seam of transmission
steel pipe towers to ensure the quality of the weld and safeguard the power transmission industry.
Currently, the vast majority of high⁃speed trains in China use welded structures for their bogies.
Bogies bear the weight of the entire train body, and the main components of the bogie frame are
welded from side beams and cross beams. The welding quality of the frame directly affects the safety
of train operation.
The globalization of the economy has intensified market competition, and intelligent, flexible,
and unmanned manufacturing have become development trend in the manufacturing industry. The
industrial automation industry has gained a huge development space. In recent years, Germany has
proposed the “ Industry 4 0 ” plan, the United States has proposed the “ National Network for
Manufacturing Innovation” , Japan has proposed the “ Innovative Industrial Structure Plan” . Their
common point is to make full use of technologies such as the Internet of Things, 5G
communications, robots, and artificial intelligence to improve the intelligence and unmanned level of
manufacturing. Industrial automation products are important prerequisite and guarantee for modern
factories to achieve scale, efficiency, precision, intelligence, and safety production, and their
According to the research data of Zion Market Research, the global industrial automation
market size reached $207 17 billion in 2017. Due to the gradual maturity and commercial
application of the Internet of Things( IOT) , 5G technology and artificial intelligence technology, the
global industrial automation market size is expected to reach $321 93 billion by 2024, with an
average annual growth rate of about 6 5%. According to data from Research and Markets, the
industrial automation services market size reached $42 1 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach
$70 6 billion by 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of about 9%.
Currently, the major global industrial automation manufacturers include ABB, Siemens,
General Electric, Schneider, Yaskawa, FANUC, Mitsubishi, Fuji Electric, and so on. Industrial
automation control systems, as key components of high⁃end equipment, are important prerequisites
134 International Journal of Plant Engineering and Management Vol.28 No.3 September 2023
and guarantees for modern industrial production to achieve scale, efficiency, precision, intelligence,
and safety. The gradual maturity of technologies such as the Internet of Things, 5G, robotics, and
artificial intelligence will promote the development of the industrial automation industry in the
following directions.
Early industrial automation control systems were limited to single system operation, with no
communication between multiple systems. In recent years, with the advancement of chip and
communication technologies, the maturity of technologies such as IoT, high⁃speed buses, and
electronic communication has made communication between multiple systems and tasks possible. The
reliability of IoT is increasing and the cost is decreasing, allowing different systems to transmit
With the advancement of semiconductor and power electronics technology, control layer
products, drive layer products, and execution layer products will move toward miniaturization, and
the integration level of the overall automation control system will become higher. “ Control + drive”
integrated products and “ drive +execution” integrated products will become more popular, and even
move toward “ control + drive + execution” integrated product direction, making automation control
Combining automatic control systems with artificial intelligence technology, in addition to executing
normal automatic control instructions, the system can also monitor its own status in real time, pre⁃
warning potential failures in nodes or areas, and perform pre⁃processing to ensure continuous and
Automation Technology in Welding Seam Welding Machining Design 135
uninterrupted system operation, thereby improving the efficiency of the overall system operation.
4.1 Innovative exploration of automation equipment and welding new technology based on
In recent years, China′s information technology and automation have developed rapidly, and
the manufacturing industry has made a leapfrog development. Industries such as petroleum and
chemical have adopted automation, intelligence and information technology in equipment, facilities,
production processes, etc. In the context of reducing costs and increasing efficiency, the traditional
manual production mode of factories has a high repair rate, high consumption of materials and labor
In this context, automated production equipment has been put into application, and the
functional block mechanism design is based on the LNG modular standard. In⁃depth research has
been conducted on the intelligent application of various automated production equipment, and the
functional block mechanism design based on the LNG standard has been applied to innovative
research, such as the double⁃arm milling and chamfering machine, automated welding equipment,
and automatic chamfering machine. In addition, to improve the welding quality, the innovative use
of new metal powder core welding technology has been applied to the new welding process. The new
production equipment has been innovated to achieve the purpose of reducing labor intensity and
With the continuous development of modern society′s economy, China′s engineering machinery
manufacturing industry has become more and more demanding. In this process, the scientific
1) The use of automatic welding machine in engineering machinery manufacturing can first
ensure stable product quality and higher production efficiency. In the manufacturing process, the
automatic welding machine uses a relatively high arc current heat, which can effectively increase the
welding speed. Compared with traditional manual welding, automatic welding machine has obvious
advantages. It can ensure high efficiency in the welding manufacturing process, thereby ensuring the
controllability of welding speed and position, and ultimately satisfy the needs of engineering
2) It can save resources to a certain extent. In the current stage of engineering machinery
manufacturing, when welding precision parts, thin⁃walled materials and non⁃metallic materials,
relevant workers need to use automatic welding equipment to a certain extent. In this process, the
scientific application of advanced technologies such as laser welding can ensure high seam depth and
small seam width, effectively reducing the deformation rate of processed parts and further adapting to
3) The use of automated welding equipment can reduce labor intensity, improve the working
environment, and ensure that relevant workers can scientifically adjust their welding actions during
the implementation of welding operations, greatly reducing physical exertion and effectively control
the consumption of human resources, thus enhancing the economic and social benefits of enterprises.
In the specific implementation of automated welding equipment, the sensor system usually has
Automation Technology in Welding Seam Welding Machining Design 137
arc tracking, laser tracking and wire contact positioning functions. In the implementation of arc
tracking, the scientific application of arc tracking sensors is required. When welding mechanical
parts, it is necessary to reasonably preset the relevant range to ensure that the welding gun can swing
within this range, and the welding seam can be adjusted based on the detected current and voltage
values. In this process, if the programmed position deviates, it can also be adjusted automatically.
At the same time, the laser tracking function, when applying automatic welding equipment to
process mechanical parts, electromagnetic, smoke and dust may cause a certain degree of
interference. Relevant personnel must control it scientifically. Based on this, it can ensure higher
work quality and accuracy in the automatic welding process of engineering machinery manufacturing.
Finally, it is necessary to determine the starting point of the welding seam when performing the
processing operation. When searching for the starting point, the surface paint of the workpiece must
be treated, which can effectively improve the reliability of the starting point position.
In recent years, highway transportation vehicles have become the mainstay of the market. The
continuous development of highways has placed higher demands on tank trucks, including high
safety, strong sealing and good shock absorption, as well as the ability to exhibit product series,
high technological content and high added value. The development trend of tank truck products is
twofold: heavy and multi⁃axle development, and light and high⁃tech development.
For non⁃circular tanks, such as oil tankers, cement tankers and chemical transport tanks, the
cross⁃sectional shape of the tank is non⁃circular. When automated welding is used, the uniformity of
the welding speed of the welding gun on the surface of the tank directly affects the quality of the
weld, which in turn affects the performance, service life, safety and reliability of the tank in use.
138 International Journal of Plant Engineering and Management Vol.28 No.3 September 2023
The welding curve of the non⁃circular tank section is composed of many straight line segments and
arcs of different radii, and its trajectory is irregular. The three methods for welding this type of non⁃
circular tank body are manual welding, surface imitation welding, and PLC frequency inverter
welding. The PLC VFD welding method is a more advanced method among all the welding methods
currently available. During welding, the non⁃circular tank rotates and the welding gun moves up and
down over the surface of the tank for welding. The PLC welding frequency inverter uses a distance
sensor to obtain the distance information from the welding point on the welding curve of the tank to
the center of rotation of the tank, and transmits this information to the PLC programming controller.
The programming controller adjusts the output frequency of the frequency inverter according to the
change in the distance information, thereby controlling the rotational speed of the tank during
However, this method has the following shortcomings: first, like the surface imitation welding,
the distance sensor needs to withstand high pressure and vibration, and requires high sensitivity. At
present, distance sensors are mainly imported, and their prices are relatively high, and they need to
be replaced regularly, resulting in high overall costs. Second, the stability is not high. If there are
protrusions or depressions on the surface of the tank, the distance information obtained will be
distorted, resulting in a high error rate of the output frequency of the PLC programming controller,
making the relative line speed of the welding gun unstable during welding, and ultimately leading to
is urgent to research an automated welding system and welding method with low investment cost and
high welding efficiency and quality, and to specially design an automated welding control system and
Automation Technology in Welding Seam Welding Machining Design 139
control method for welding non⁃circular tanks. The existing research differentiates the non⁃circular
tank curve by angle differentiation and replaces the traditional welding method with the rotating tank
welding method.
In addition to the main controller, CAD graphic processing software, manual controller,
horizontal movement support frame, vertical lifting welding platform, and welding gun assembly
mounted on the lifting welding platform for welding the tank surface, the control system for welding
non⁃circular tanks also includes a tank rotation support component that rotates the tank around its
axis while the welding gun component is welding the tank surface.
1) Input the welding line drawing of the non⁃circular tank to be welded in DXF format into the
2) Convert the trajectory function P = [ x i ,y i ] of the tank′s welding line drawing curve into a
subdivision angle. Here, r i is the distance between the simulated welding point on the curve and the
axis of rotation, and θ i is the central angle corresponding to the individual arc length on the welding
line trajectory.
3) Use the formula ωi × ri = V, where V is the predetermined constant speed at which the tank′s
welding line moves relative to the welding gun, to obtain the instantaneous angular velocity ωi of the
tank′s rotation, which can then be used to derive the tank′s rotation angle function W(ω,v,θ,t).
4) Determine the program origin. The main controller sends a frequency signal f β to the
frequency converter in real⁃time, based on the angular velocity function W( ω,v,θ,t) , to adjust the
servo motor′ s angular velocity for rotating the tank, while simultaneously adjusting the distance
140 International Journal of Plant Engineering and Management Vol.28 No.3 September 2023
between the welding gun component and the tank′s welding line surface in real⁃time.
The method of converting the trajectory function P = [ x i ,y i ] into a simulated trajectory function
Where: W LSP is the user⁃specified linear speed; M PPD is the motor resolution; G EAR is the gear
reduction ratio; P SCALE is the amplifier ratio of the same drive; R 0 is the distance from the axis to the
Compared with existing technology, this technology directly calculates the tank′ s surface
welding point rotation speed corresponding to a constant welding line speed by differentiating the
tank′s graphic curve, and then controls the tank′s rotation speed based on that angular velocity to
achieve a stable operation, good welding effect, high work efficiency, and automated welding of
non⁃circular tanks.
5 Conclusion
continues to evolve, it has become increasingly clear that its application in mechanical
manufacturing has tremendous potential to drive progress and innovation. However, despite the
progress that has been made, there remains a gap between China and other developed countries in
To close this gap and promote the continued development of China′s mechanical manufacturing
industry, it is critical that we focus on advancing automation technology and integrating it with other
advanced technologies. By doing so, we can drive overall technological advancement, improve
product quality, and increase production efficiency. In addition, by reducing costs and increasing
economic benefits for enterprises, we can help strengthen China′s position as a leading player in the
global market.
To achieve these goals, we must invest in research and development, promote innovation, and
continuously improve and optimize existing technologies. We must also foster collaboration between
industry and academia to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise, and provide a
supportive environment for entrepreneurs and innovators to experiment and develop new ideas. In this
way, we can unlock the full potential of automation technology and contribute to the continued
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