WELDING ROBOT

A SEMINAR REPORT

Submitted by

VAIBHAV SHARMA

in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree

of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

IN

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MAHARISHI ARVIND COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING &

RESEARCH CENTER, JAIPUR

RAJASTHAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, KOTA

MARCH 2013
 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 one 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.

Welding being the major asset and salvation for mechanical engineering,
the seminar is all about the automation of major welding processes used in
industries using robots, which was hitherto done manually under hazardous
and perilous working environs. The seminar dwells with two major
industrial welding processes namely continuous arc welding process and
spot welding process. It also connects with essential features of the robots
used in these welding processes and also the advantages and disadvantages
of these industrial robotic welding processes.
RAJASTHAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, KOTA

CERTIFICATE

Certified that this seminar report WELDING ROBOT

is the bonafide work of VAIBHAV SHARMA

who carried out the seminar work under my supervision.

MRS.DEEPTI KHATRI MR.ASHARAM NAGAR

HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR & GUIDE

Mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering

MACERC JAIPUR MACERC JAIPUR
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It give me a greate pleasure to present this seminar

report on WELDING ROBOT FINAL YEAR degree course

in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING.

With great pleasure, I wish to express my deep sense

of gratitude towards seminar guide Mr. ASHARAM NAGAR
and other staff members for the valuable guidance in
preparation of this seminar report.

I am extremely thankful to Principal, MACERC Dr.

R.P Gupta for providing me good infrastructural facilities to
work in , without which their work would not have been
possible.

Also I would like to thank the Head of Department,

MACERC Mrs. Deepti khatri for has day today
knowledgeable information sharing for smooth operation of
B.Tech program.

Finally I would like to thanks my all friends for their

cooperation for completing this seminar report.

VAIBHAV SHARMA.
09EMAME056
B.TECH MECHANICAL
 CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION TO AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS

INTRODUCTION TO WELDING

CHAPTER 2

WHY CONTINUOUS ROBOTIC ARC WELDING?

COMPONENTS OF ARC WELDING SYSTEM

BENEFITS OF ROBOT ARC WELDING

FEATURES OF ARC WELDING ROBOTS

PROBLEMS FOR ROBOTS IN ARC WELDING

CHAPTER 3
WHY ROBOT SPOT WELDING?

COMPONENTS OF SPOT WELDING

BENEFITS OF ROBOT SPOT WELDING

FEATURES OF SPOT-WELDING ROBOTS

CHAPTER 4
ROBOTIC ARC WELDING SYSTEM

CHAPTER 5
WELDING SAFETY & ADVANTAGES

CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSIONS

CHAPTERS 7
 REFERENCES
 CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION

Welding technology has obtained access virtually to every branch of

manufacturing; to name a few bridges, ships, rail road equipments, building
constructions, boilers, pressure vessels, pipe lines, automobiles, aircrafts,
launch vehicles, and nuclear power plants. Especially in India, welding
technology needs constant upgrading, particularly in field of industrial and
power generation boilers, high voltage generation equipment and
transformers and in nuclear aero-space industry.

Computers have already entered the field of welding and the

situation today is that the welding engineer who has little or no computer
skills will soon be hard-pressed to meet the welding challenges of our
technological times. In order for the computer solution to be implemented,
educational institutions cannot escape their share of responsibilities.

INTRODUCTION TO AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS

Automation and robotics are two closely related technologies. In an

industrial context, we can define automation as a technology that is
concerned with the use of mechanical, electronics and computer-based
systems in the operation and control of production. Examples of this
technology include transfer lines, mechanized assembly machines,
feedback control systems, numerically controlled machine tools, and
robots. Accordingly, robotics is a form of industrial automation.

There are three broad classes of industrial automation: fixed

automaton, programmable automation, and flexible automation. Fixed
automation is used when the volume of production is very high and it is
therefore appropriate to design specialized equipment to process the
product very efficiently and at high production rates. A good example of
fixed automation can be found in the automobile industry, where highly
integrated transfer lines consisting of several dozen work stations are used
to perform machining operations on engine and transmission components.
The economics of fixed automation are such that the cost of the special
equipment can be divided over a large number of units, and resulting unit
cost are low relative to alternative methods of production. The risk
encountered with fixed automation is this; since the initial investment cost
is high, if the volume of production turns out to be lower than anticipated,
then the unit costs become greater than anticipated. Another problem in
fixed automation is that the equipment is specially designed to produce the
one product, and after that products life cycle is finished, the equipment is
likely to become obsolete. For products with short life cycle, the use of
fixed automation represents a big gamble.

Programmable automation is used when the volume of production is

relatively low and there are a variety of products to be made. In this case,
the production equipment is designed to be adaptable to variations in
product configuration. This adaptability feature is accomplished by
operating the equipment under the control of program of instructions
which has been prepared especially for the given product. The program is
read into the production equipment, and the equipment performs the
particular sequence of processing operations to make that product. In terms
of economics, the cost of programmable equipment can be spread over a
large number of products even though the products are different. Because
of the programming feature, and the resulting adaptability of the
equipment, many different and unique products can be made economically
in small batches.
 There is a third category between fixed automation and
programmable automation, which is called flexible automation. This is
more suitable for the mid volume production range. It must be programmed
for different product configurations, but the variety of configurations is
usually non-limited than for a programmable configuration
.

Relationship of fixed automation programmable automation, and flexible

Automation as a function of production volume and product variety.

Of the three types of automation, robotics coincides most closely

with programmable automation. An industrial robot is a general-purpose,
programmable machine which possesses certain human like characteristics
of present-day robots is their movable arms. The robots can be programmed
to move its arm through a sequence of in order to perform some useful task.
It will repeat that motion pattern over and over until reprogrammed to
perform some other task. Hence the programming feature allows robots to
be used for a variety of different industrial operations. Like machine
loading and unloading, spot welding, continuous arc welding, spray
painting etc.

The official definition of an industrial robot provided by the Robotics

Industrial Association (RIA) is as follows: An industrial robot is a
reprogrammable multifunctional manipulation designed to move materials,
parts, tools or special devices through programmed motions for the
performance of a variety of tasks.

INTRODUCTION TO WELDING

Welding is a process of joining different materials. The large bulk of

materials that are welded are metals and their alloys although welding is
also applied to the joining of other materials such as thermoplastics.
Welding joins different metals or alloys with help of a number of processes
in which heat is supplied either electrically or by means of a gas torch .

SPOT WELDING

As he term suggests, spot welding is a process in which two sheet

metal parts are fused together at localized points by passing a large electric
current using two copper electrodes, hence producing the weld. For
relatively small parts a spot welding machine is used in which the parts are
inserted between the pair of electrodes that are maintained in a fixed
position. Whereas for larger works such as in automobile bodies a portable
welding gun is used which consists of a pair of electrodes and a frame to
open and close the electrodes.

CONTINUOUS ARC WELDING

Arc welding is a continuous process as opposed to spot welding

which might be called a discontinuous process. Continuous arc welding is
used to make long welding joints in which an air tight seal is often required
between the two pieces of metals being joined. The process uses an
electrode in the form of a rod or a wire of metal to supply the high electric
current needed for establishing the arc. Currents are typically 100 to 300A
at voltages of 10 to 30GV. The arc between the welding rod and the metal
parts to be joined produces temperatures that are sufficiently high to form a
pool of molten metal to fuse the two pieces together. The electrode can also
be used to contribute to the molten pool, depending on the type of welding
process.

For robot applications two types of arc welding processes seems to

be most practical, namely: gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and gas
tungsten arc welding (GTAW). Gas tungsten arc welding is also called
MIG welding for metal inert gas welding.
 CHAPTER-2

WHY CONTINUOUS ROBOTIC ARC WELDING?

Arc welding is performed by skilled workers who are assisted by a

person called fitter. The purpose of the fitter is to organize the work and
fixture the parts of the welder. The working condition of the welder is
typically unpleasant and hazardous. The arc from the welding process emits
ultra-violet radiations which is injurious to human vision. As a result
welders are required to wear eye protection in the form of a welding helmet
with a dark window. The dark window filters out the dangerous, but it so
dark that the welder is virtually blind while wearing the helmet except
when the arc is struck. Other aspects of the process are also hazardous. The
high temperature created in arc welding and the resulting molten metals are
inherently dangerous. The high electric current used to create the arc is also
unsafe. Sparks and smoke are generated during the process are a potential
threat to operators. Because of the hazards for human workers in
continuous arc welding, it is logical to consider industrial robots for the
purpose.

ROBOT ARC WELDING

Robot welding means welding that is performed and controlled by

robotic equipment. In general equipment for automatic arc welding is
designed differently from that used for manual arc welding. Automatic arc
welding normally involves high duty cycles, and the welding equipment
must be able to operate under those conditions. In addition, the equipment
components must have the necessary features and controls to interface with
the main control system.

A special kind of electrical power is required to make an arc weld. A

welding machine, also known as a power source, provides the special
power. All arc-welding processes use an arc welding gun or torch to
transmit welding current from a welding cable to the electrode. They also
provide for shielding the weld area from the atmosphere.

The nozzle of the torch is close to the arc and will gradually pick up
spatter. A torch cleaner (normally automatic) is often used in robot arc
welding systems to remove the spatter. All of the continuous electrode wire
arc processes require an electrode feeder to feed the consumable electrode
wire into the arc.

Welding fixtures and work piece manipulators hold and position parts to
ensure precise welding by the robot. The productivity of the robot-welding
cell is speeded up by having an automatically rotating or switching fixture,
so that the operator can be fixing one set of parts while the robot is welding
another.

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.

TYPICAL COMPONENTS OF AN INTEGRATED ROBOTIC ARC-

WELDING CELL:

1. Arc welding robot

2. Power source
3. Welding torch
4. Wire feeder
5. Welding fixtures and work piece positioners
6. Torch cleaner
7. TCP calibration unit

ARC WELDING ROBOT

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.

Off-the-shelf programmable robot arms are today available from

different suppliers such as ABB, FANUC, PANASONIC, KUKA,
MOTOMAN.

ARC WELDING POWER SOURCES

A welding power source must deliver controllable current at a voltage

according to the requirements of the welding process. Normally, the power
required is from 10 to 35 V and from 5 to 500 A. The various welding
processes and procedures have specific arc characteristics that demand
specific outputs of the welding machine.

Automatic arc welding machines may require power sources more

complex than those used for semi-automated welding. An automatic
welding machine usually electronically communicates with the power
source to control the welding power program for optimum performance. A
power source for arc welding is designed to provide electric power of the
proper values and characteristics to maintain a stable arc suitable for
welding.

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.

The selection of a welding power source is based on

1. The process or processes to be used

2. The amount of current required
3. The power available at the job site
4. Economic factors and convenience

WELDING TORCH

A welding torch is used in an automatic welding system to direct the

welding electrode into the arc, to conduct welding power to the electrode,
and to provide shielding of the arc area. There are many types of welding
torches, and the choice depends on the welding process, the welding
process variation, welding current, electrode size and shielding medium

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 FEEDER

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 continuously. 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.
WORKPIECE FIXATION AND POSITIONING

In order to join parts successfully in a robotic welding application,

individual parts must be aligned precisely and held securely in place while
the welding is proceeding. An important consideration, then, is the design
of a fixture which holds the individual parts in the proper alignment. The
tool must allow for quick and easy loading, it must hold the parts in place
securely until they are welded together and must allow the welding gun
unrestricted access to each weld point.

One starting point for positioning the work piece 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 because 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 work piece 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
positioners 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 work piece positioners, 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.

TORCH CLEANER

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.

TCP-CALIBRATION UNIT

End-of-arm sensor and tool centre point calibration is a critical aspect

of successful system implementation. End-of-arm sensing, in the context of
robotic welding, is used to detect the actual position of the seam on the
workpiece with respect to the robot tool frame.

Analysis of the profile data yields the relative position of the seam with
respect to the sensor reference frame. If the sensor reference frame pose is
known with respect to the end-frame of the robot, and the tool frame pose is
known with respect to the end-frame, then the sensor data may be used to
accurately position the tool centre point (TCP) with respect to the work
piece.
 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.
 BENEFITS OF ROBOT ARC WELDING

1. HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY

Factors that contribute to the increased rate when robots used in

batch production is the elimination of fatigue factor. Robots do not
experience fatigue in the sense that human workers do. A robot can
continue to operate in the entire shift with need of periodic rest breaks.

2. IMPROVED SAFTEY AND QUALITY-OF-WORK LIFE

Improved safety and quality-of-work environment result from removing the

human operator from an uncomfortable, fatiguing and potentially
dangerous work situation.

3. GREATER QUALITY OF PRODUCT

Greater product quality in robot arc welding results from the

capability of the robot to perform the welding cycle with accuracy and
repeatability than its human counterpart. This translates into a more
consistent welding seam; one that is free of the start-and-stop builds up of
filler metal in the seam that is the characteristic of many welds
accomplished by human welders.

FEATURES OF ARC WELDING ROBOTS

An industrial robot that performs welding must possess certain features and
capabilities. Some of the technical considerations in arc welding
applications are discussed in the following.
1. WORK VOLUME AND DEGREES OF FREEDOM

The robots work volume must be large enough for the size of the parts to
be welded. A sufficient allowance must be made for the manipulation of the
welding torch. Five or six degrees of freedom are generally required for arc
welding robots. The number is influenced by the characteristics of the
welding job and motion capabilities of the parts manipulator. If the parts
manipulator has two degrees of freedom, this tends to reduce the
requirement on the number of degrees of freedom possessed by the robot

2. MOTION CONTROL SYSTEM

Continuous path control is required for arc welding. The robot must
be capable of smooth continuous motion in order to maintain uniformity of
welding seam.

3. PRECISION OF MOTION
The accuracy and repeatability of the robot determines to a large
extend for the quality of welding job. The precision requirements of
welding job vary according to size and industry purpose, and these
requirements should be defined by each individual user before selecting the
most appropriate robot.

4. INTERFACE WITH OTHER SYSTEM

The robot must be provided with sufficient input/output and control
capabilities to work with other equipments in the cell. These other pieces of
equipments are automobile fixturing units, conveyors, and parts of
positioners. The cell controller unit must co-ordinate the path and path of
robot with operation of parts manipulator and the welding parameters such
as wire feed rate and power level.
5. PROGRAMMING

Programming the robot for continuous arc welding must be considered

carefully. To facilitate the input of the program for welding paths with
irregular shapes; it is convenient to use the walk through method in which
the robot wrist is physically moved through its motion path. For straight
welding paths, the robot should possess the capability for linear
interpolation between two points in the space. This permits the programmer
to define the beginning and points of the path the robot is capable of
computing the straight trajectory between the points

PROBLEMS FOR ROBOTS IN ARC WELDING

1. A related problem is that arc welding is often performed in confined

areas that are difficult to access, such as insides of tanks, pressure
vessels, and ship hulls. Humans can position in to these areas more
readily than robots.
2. One of the most difficult technical problems is the variation in the
 dimensions of the parts in a batch production job. This type of
dimensional variations means that the arc-welding path to be
followed will change slightly from part to part.
3. Another technical difficulty is the variations in the edges and
surfaces to be welded together. Instead of being straight and regular,
the edges are typically irregular. This causes variations in the gap
between the parts and other problems in the way the pieces mate
together prior to the welding process
 Arc welding robots performing in a workshop

CHAPTER 3

WHY ROBOT SPOT WELDING?

For larger works on spot welding the welding guns with cables
attached is quite heavy and can easily exceed 100lb in weight. To assist the
operator in manipulating the gun, the apparatus is suspended from an
overhead hoist system. Even with this assistance, the spot-welding gun
represents a heavy mass and is difficult to manipulate by a human worker at
high rates of production desired on a car body assembly line. There are
often problems with the consistency of the welded products made on such a
manual line as a consequence of this difficulty.

As a result of these difficulties robots have been employed with great

success on this type of production line to perform some or all of the
welding operations. A welding gun is attached as the end effectors to each
robots wrist, and the robot is programmed to perform a sequence of welds
on the product as it arrives at the workstation. Some robot spot-welding
lines operate with several dozens of robots all programmed to perform
different welding cycles on the product. Today, the automobile
manufacturers make extensive use of robots for spot-welding.
ROBOT SPOT WELDING

Automatic welding imposes specific demands on resistance welding

equipment. Often, equipment must be specially designed and welding
procedures developed to meet robot welding requirements.

The spot welding robot is the most important component of a robotized

spot welding installation. Welding robots are available in various sizes,
rated by payload capacity and reach. The number of axes also classifies
robots. A spot welding gun applies appropriate pressure and current to the
sheets to be welded. There are different types of welding guns, used for
different applications, available. An automatic weld-timer initiates and
times the duration of current.

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.

TYPICAL COMPONENTS OF AN INTEGRATED ROBOTIC SPOT

WELDING CELL:
 1) Spot welding robot
2) Spot welding gun
3) Weld timer
4) Electrode tip dresser
5) Spot welding swivel

SPOT WELDING ROBOT

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 or 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

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

WELD TIMER

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.

ELECTRODE TIP DRESSER

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.

Good weld quality is essential and depends, to a considerable degree,

upon uniformity of the electrode contact surface. This surface tends to be
deformed (mushroomed) with each weld. Primary causes for mushrooming
are too soft electrode material, too high welding pressure, too small
electrode contact surface, and most importantly, too high welding current.
These conditions cause excessive heat build-up and softening of electrode
tips. Welding of todays coated materials also tends to contaminate the face
of the electrodes.

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.

SPOT WELDING SWIVEL

A major advancement in resistance spot welding is the swivel. This unit

permits passage of compressed air, cooling water, electric current and
signals through different channels within a single rotating unit.

This invention greatly improves total efficiency of robotic spot-weld

installations. Electrical connection between swivel and transformer is
minimal thus permitting maximum utilization of access to spot-weld area

Basic advantages are:

Less work space needed -No mass of cables and hoses hanging from
the robot arm, resulting in floor space economy.
Improved accessibility - 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.

Reduced try-out costs - No un-

defined cables exist on the robot,
which reduces programming time to
minimum. True off-line
programming is now a real. The
swivel, which fits directly onto the
weld-gun fixture plate without any
hoses or cables, ensures the highest
quality condition of the spot weld.
No electrical degeneration on cables
and no hoses that wear.

BENEFITS OF ROBOT SPOT WELDING

1. IMPROVED PRODUCT QUALITY

 Improved quality is in the form of more consistent welds and better
repeatability in the location of welds. Even robots with relatively
unimpressive repeatability specifications are able to locate the spot welds
more accurately than human operators.

2. OPERATOR SAFETY

Improved safety results simply because the human is removed from

the work environment where there are hazards from electrical shocks and
burns.

3. BETTER CONTROL OVER PRODUCTION OPERATION

The use of robots to automate the spot welding process should also
result in improvements in area such as production scheduling and in
process inventory control.

The maintenance of the robots and welding equipment becomes an

important factor in the successful operation of an automated spot welding
production line.

FEATURES OF SPOT-WELDING ROBOTS

1. Robots must be relatively large. It must have sufficient payload

capacity to readily manipulate the welding gun for the application.
2. The work volume must be adequate for the size of the product.
3. The robot must be able to position and orient the welding gun in
places on the product that might be difficult to access. This might
result in need for an increased number of freedoms.
4. The controller memory must have enough capacity to accomplish the
many positioning steps required for the spot-welding cycle. In some
applications, the welding line is designed to produce several different
models of the product. Accordingly, the robot must be able to switch
from one programmed welding sequence to another as the models
change.
 CHAPTER-4

ROBOTIC ARC WELDING SYSTEM

Robotic arc welding (RAWS) is best suited for batch production

involving frequent design changes in a component and even where different
components are to be handled one after the other. This is possible due to
highly flexible system provided by RAWS. However the justification for
installation of such a system has to be looked through return on investment
by considering all the expenses (on equipment, material handling devices,
training, etc.) and the likely savings on account of increased production,
improved quality, savings of energy, men-hours and materials due to the
reduction in reworking of components, lower turnover of employees in the
shop and reduced burden of strikes, etc.

RAWS

The figure given above shows the various units involved in robotic
arc welding system (RAWS). The robotic arc welding system consists of a
manipulator, controller and power supply unit.
MANIPULATOR

The robot consists of a manipulator which is a series of mechanical

linkages and joints capable of producing all sorts of designed movements.
The body, arm and wrist assembly of a robot is sometimes called as a
manipulator. Each link of a manipulator is driven by activators which may
be operated either hydraulic or pneumatic power cylinder or electrical
motors. The forearm of a robot can move in a nearly spherical way, thus
covering a large work volume and providing greater application flexibility.
It is easily possible to reach down into or onto objects placed over the
conveyor.

SENSORS

The robotic arc welding sensor system considered here are all
designed to track the welding seam and provide the information to the
robot controller to help guide the welding path. The approaches used for
this purposes divide into two basic categories:
1. Contact sensors.
2. Non-Contact sensors

Contact arc welding sensors make use of a mechanical tactile probe

to touch the sides of the groove ahead of the welding torch and to feed back
position data so that course corrections can be made by the robot controller.
Some systems use a separate control unit design to interpret the probe
sensor measurements and transmit the data to the robot controller.

The second basic type of sensor system used to track the welding
seam uses no tactile measurements. A variety of sensors schemes have
been explored in this category.

Feedback devices or sensors are devices which are incorporated to

sense the positions of the various links and joints. The information from
these devices is fed to the controller. The sensors used in robotics include
the following general categories.
1. Tactile sensors
2. Proximity and range sensors
3. Miscellaneous types
4. Machine vision

CONTROL SYSTEM

Typical block diagram configuration of a control system for a robot joint.

The information from the feedback devices is fed to the controller.

The controller initiates and terminates motion of the manipulator in desired
sequences and at desired points through interfaces with and manipulators
and activators and feedback systems. It also stores position and sequence
data in memory and performs complex arithmetic functions to control path,
speed and position. The controller is also lined with other auxiliary devices
like power source, wire feed unit, conveyor etc.

The control unit has a computer with lot of computational capability.

The movement of torch centre point installed at the end of forearm of the
robot can be controlled either by
1. Co-ordinate axis control motions
2. controlled path generation
 Only the end points in case of linear path and three points in case of
circular path are specified and the computer automatically generates the
controlled path at the desired velocity including acceleration and
retardation.

An important feature of the RAWS is the searching and following of

the actual welding seam or groove or seam tracking in deviation of pre-
planned line. Without this facility, the programmed welding groove would
different because of errors due to imprecise component clamping and
assembly of improper fit up and inconsistent orientation of the component
etc. However seam tracking system takes care of these problems and
ensures the actual welding grooves to be as per programmed welding
grooves.

ROBOT
WELDING POWER CONTROLLER OR ROBOT
SOURCE AND MASTER MANIPULATOR
CONTROLZ CONTROL OR ARC MOTION

OPTIONAL
ELECTRODE WELDING POSITIONER OR
WIRE FEEDER CONTROL AND WORK MOTION
AND CONTROL INTERFACE AND CONTROL

BLOCK DIAGRAM OF RAWS

 CHAPTER 7

. WELDING SAFETY

Welding is an established manufacturing process with known potential

hazards. Potential safety hazards associated with arc welding include arc
radiation, air contamination, electrical shock, fire and explosion,
compressed gases, and other hazards. Robots were originally designed to
perform the job functions of a human. They were designed to relieve
humans of the drudgery of unpleasant, fatiguing, or repetitive tasks and also
to remove humans from a potentially hazardous environment. In this
regard, robots can replace humans in the performance of dangerous jobs
and are considered beneficial for preventing industrial accidents. On the
other hand, robots have caused fatal accidents.

The introduction of robots requires appropriate safety features in order

to protect both those working directly with the robot and others in the
workshop who may not be aware of its potential dangers. This can be
provided in a number of ways.

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.

Each robot installation must be carefully planned from safety viewpoint

to eliminate hazards. When the robot is in operation it is necessary that
people remain outside the work envelope. Barriers or fences should be in
place around the robot. All doors and maintenance openings must be
protected by safety switches, and the weld areas must be safe guarded so
that the power is immediately removed from the robot when a door is
opened.. Emergency stop buttons should be placed on all operator panels,
robot cabinets and robot programming panels. Barriers must be designed to
completely surround the robot and eliminate the possibility of people
climbing over or under to get inside the barrier. Signal lights must be
arranged on the robot or in the robot area to indicate that the robot is
powered.
 ADVANTAGES IN USING WELDING ROBOT

At present relatively few figures are available on the economics of

robot Welding machines, but it has been found that numbers of
components produced by A robot are 2.5 to 3.5 times greater than that
produced manually over the same Span of the time. It can be said that
for an output of more than 100 parts/month which takes two or three
shift per day there is an increase in number of parts output without
difference in quality, which is not necessarily so with manual shift
work.

Use of robot welding increases the flexibility. Because it is easy to

change the robot work from to another just by changing the program.
When the same time of work is already done, the same programme can
be fed and the time and cost of programming can be eliminated
completely.

Day by day the cost of welding consumable are increasing. Using

robots by slightly changing the edge preparations from normal gap to
narrow gap welding lot of consumable can be served with improved
weld quality (decrease in grain size, distortion). In addition to increase
the productivity it maintains the desired quality throughout the reducing
the rework scrap.

It reduces welder fatigue and welder exposure to the more hazardous

atmosphere.
 CONCLUSION

A substantial opportunity exists in the technology of robotics to

relieve people from boring, repetitive, hazardous and unpleasant work in all
forms of a human labour. There is a social value as well as a commercial
value in pursuing this opportunity. The commercial value of robotics is
obvious. Properly applied, robots can accomplish routine, undesirable work
better than humans at a lower cost. As the technology advances, and more
people learn how to use robots, the robotics market will grow at a rate that
will approach the growth of the computer market over the past thirty years.
One might even consider robotics to be a mechanical extension of
computer technology.

The social value of robotics is that these wonderfully subservient

machines will permit humans more time to do work that is more
challenging, creative, conceptual, constructive and co-operative than at
present. There is every reason to believe that the automation of work
through robotics will lead to substantial increases in productivity, and that
these productivity increases year by year will permit humans to engage in
activities that are cultural and recreational.
Not only will robotics improve our standard of living, it will also improve
our standard of life.
 REFERENCES

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