This is the first in our series on TIG or Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of aluminum. We have chosen to focus on weld quality beneath the surface. On the internet you will find no shortage of photos of gorgeous manual TIG welds. I can appreciate a “stack of dimes” weld bead as much as anyone. Symmetrical, perfectly spaced ripples do indeed showcase the skills of the welder. But sometimes beauty is only skin deep.
Eight is (much) greater than six when it comes to robot axes. In this episode, we showcase how a two-axis part positioner with coordinated motion will allow your six-axis robot to do things no human can.
Regular viewers of Weld of The Week seem to enjoy both cutting-edge as well as older technology. This episode showcases an odd old technique. I would like to read your comments if you are familiar with it.
I have made a good living building machines that make welded coatings on a variety of parts around the world. Welding creates strong metallurgical bonds between the coating and the part. But there is another way: thermal spray.
No other arc welding process allows you to make full penetration welds on a variety of metals up to 3/8” thick without a bevel and without filler material. The arc punches through the part creating the “keyhole”, molten metal fills behind the arc making narrow deep weld through the entire section.
We use Tab & Slot construction in our weld shop to fabricate our robotic manufacturing systems. I was introduced to the technique by Richard Holdren who had applied it in the shipbuilding industry.
Plasma Transferred Arc Welding (PTAW) is a great process for robotic joining and overlay. The tightly columnated arc focuses the arc energy in a small area, making torch height less critical. The tungsten electrode is protected. So you change the tungsten less and weld more. PTAW allows the use of powdered filler materials, so you can weld all sorts of composite and exotic metals.
Not many people are aware of the buried arc welding process so it is rarely seen in the industry. This is a shame because no other welding process can make 1-inch fillet welds in a single pass and penetrate 5/8″ into the part. The process is limited to 1G and 1F welds on aluminum.
On this week’s episode of The Roboticist Chronicles, Dan Allford is joined by Cameron Serles, President of XIRIS Automation, Inc... As they talk about the history of arc video monitoring, the various technical applications involved, and how XIRIS does it differently, and why it is better.
Cameron Serles founded Xiris Automation, a developer of machine vision systems, was founded in 1989 but got into arc video monitoring 12 years ago. Dan and Cameron discuss the history of arc video monitoring dating back to the 1980s with Charles Stenning’s Stenning Vision to high dynamic range imaging.
“These welding vision systems are something we use on a lot of ARC Specialties machines. They are a critical part of the technology we sell…”
-Dan Allford
Subscribe to ARC Specialties’ Roboticist Chronicles podcast to learn more about the nuts and bolts of robots, automation, and the implications of an evolving machine workforce.
Sometimes less is more! Most butt welds are made using a 75 degree included angle V butt joint and the welder must fill the entire groove. By going to a narrow groove you drastically reduce weld volume, weld metal usage, and production time. Plus weld defect rates are typically measured as a percentage of feet of the weld. If you reduce weld length you reduce defects.
