Robotics and Automation Transform the Future of Welding Operations
Advances in welding processes made possible through robotics and automation require zero operator intervention. The post Robotics and Automation Transform the Future of Welding Operations appeared first on Fabricating & Metalworking.
The innovations found in lasers and vision tracking systems in welding solutions deliver high-speed, high-quality welding results in both thin material and thick plates.
Autonomous SAW Tech Enables Root-to-Cap Welding Without Intervention
ESAB Welding & Cutting Product’s (North Bethesda, MD) adaptive submerged arc welding (SAW) technology, Adaptio, enables autonomous multi-wire/multi-layer welding in V or U bevels with a depth of up to 150 mm (6”). Adaptio automatically compensates for deviations in bevel angle, gap and alignment, enabling a complete weld from root to cap without operator/welder influence. The technology especially benefits wind tower, offshore and pressure vessel applications.
Adaptio technology improves SAW performance because bevel dimensions fluctuate in large diameter objects and thick sections due to cutting or milling imperfections. If an operator is observing the weld and manually adjusting SAW torch positions and welding parameters, bevel irregularities and joint misalignments each require reducing welding speed. Even then, the human eye cannot detect bevel variations in large objects (e.g., a 3 mm deviation in a wind tower base with a 4.5 m circumference).
Laser seam tracking can help keep the wire in position and subsequently increase welding speed, but the system cannot choose the correct bead order position, nor can it compensate for variations in bevel angle or gap, which increases the risk of patching in the cap pass. For example, if the crown of the weld is too high, or the weld beads are not placed correctly, the weld may not meet structural welding code requirements and must be repaired.
Adaptio uses a combination of laser and optical vision systems, combined with leading edge hardware and software and a PLC for control to automatically read the bevel, plan bead placement and automatically compensate for irregularities. During weld execution, Adaptio uses feedback from its sensors to adjust weld metal deposition rate, travel speed and bead placement — while staying within the Weld Procedure Specification — so that the complete weld will not need any patching.
A New Era of Laser Welding
AMADA AMERICA INC.’s (Buena Park, CA) Fiber Laser Welder (FLW) achieves a high-speed, high-quality weld not possible with a conventional laser welder. The FLW ENSISe is a complete welding solution equipped with a unique processing head, offline programming capabilities and many productivity enhancing features.
The FLW ENSISe takes laser welding to a higher level of precision and productivity. The fiber laser technology provides Process Range Expansion (PRE) by ensuring precise, high-speed results even when processing reflective materials such as brass and copper. It also features an AI-Teaching Assist System that utilizes a camera to prevent deviation from the targeted weld path. It is also equipped with a patented rotating lens. With this unique feature, the laser beam is no longer aligned with a specific point along the target path — instead, it circles within a small area as it is welding. A rotating lens makes it possible to bridge larger and uneven gap sizes while producing a clean, even weld. The heat input into the material is also optimized and results in precisely defined weld edges with virtually no unnecessary deposits of material.
The ENSIS engine contains a Variable Beam Control Unit that automatically adjusts the laser beam’s properties to process a wide range of material thicknesses. Three kilowatts or 6 kilowatts of power is generated with a single module, eliminating the need for a combiner and reducing overall power consumption. This simplified design does not require laser gas, mirrors, or any other items typically associated with CO2 beam generation. The ENSIS provides economical operation, high-speed welding in thin material, and superior weld quality on thick plate.
Versatility During Automated Welding
Excellent weld appearance, targeted heat input, reproducible ignition — these are just a few of the advantages that make the Fronius (Portage, IN) iWave stand out when used in robot applications or as the core element in automation systems. The all-rounder is now available in power categories 300i, 400i, and 500i, each as a DC or AC/DC variant, and with water or gas cooling as required. With dynamic wire control, this system is setting new standards in cold wire TIG welding, and as a Multiprocess PRO version, this future-proof 2-in-1 solution has already become the go-to for high-end TIG and MIG/MAG welding.
Be it in rolling stock construction, in the production of automotive parts, or in container and pipeline construction, the iWave increases productivity in TIG welding in industrial manufacturing and delivers maximum weld quality for every material. Innovative technologies ensure targeted heat input, significantly improved ignition, and maximum control over the arc.
The CycleTIG process variant, for example, is the perfect solution whenever an excellent weld appearance with fewer temper colors is crucial. Outstanding control over the weld pool and precise heat input are particularly beneficial when working with very thin sheets or when delicate corner and butt welds are on the agenda, as well as for repairs involving edge applications. The extremely stable ignition behavior due to the high-frequency ignition during TIG welding is another outstanding feature. The RPI auto setting ensures fast and reproducible ignition regardless of the material properties, and the tacking function causes the weld pool to oscillate, which can reduce the time needed for tacking by up to 50%.
X-Ray Quality Welds with Zero Operator Intervention
Novarc Technologies Inc. (Vancouver, BC, Canada), a full-stack robotics company specializing in the design and manufacturing of cobots and computer vision artificial intelligence (AI) for automated welding applications, offers the NovEye Autonomy Gen 2. It is the only AI machine learning real-time vision processing system that constantly improves welds based on data collection and model enhancement. It is the future of automated pipe welding.
NovEye Autonomy gets smarter as it continuously improves through a terabyte-scale library of welding videos, ensuring unmatched precision and reliability. NovEye Autonomy Gen 2’s technology is based on machine learning and data collected through Novarc’s fleet of Spool Welding Robots at customer sites in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. The technology has undergone extensive internal and external testing to ensure all of the features are performing and the weld quality meets ASME standards.
Simulating Robotic Integration Results in Successful Installation
Visual Components (Carmel, IN) offered attendees at FABTECH 2024 a hands-on experience with a fully immersive welding robot layout. Users selected from more than a dozen robot vendors and looking through a head-mounted display experienced how simulating robotic integration in a virtual environment before installation provides a quicker return on robotic investments and higher production efficiency.
In addition to the company’s simulation software, Visual Components also showcased its offline programming (OLP) robotic software. Compatible with any industrial robot brand, process or complexity, Visual Components leverages the flexibility of its software to integrate with the customer and not the other way around. The OLP improves robot utilization rate with fast, accurate and error-free programing. Manufacturers decrease downtime because robots can continue working on the production floor while programmers update or re-program them from anywhere. The OLP software also saves data so operators can reuse programs and preserve institutional information.
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