Join Gary Kowalski, Senior District Manager at FANUC AMERICA, and Dan Allford, President of ARC Specialties, as they reminisce on some of their past projects. They will go over some of their failure, successes, and proudest achievements in the robotics industry.
Thanks for the comments & questions regarding Additive Manufacturing (AM) and material properties. Our motto, see below, really is our mission statement. We learn when you send us problems.
Additive Manufacturing with High Strength Steel
or Tensile Testing the Texas Way
We have received requests for aluminum AM parts. Last week we developed the technology to build 3D aluminum parts using a FANUC America Corporation robot and a Lincoln Electric R350 Power Wave with Advanced Module running in AC pulse mode.
As we refined the process parameters we were pleasantly surprised to find that the best results coincided with higher wire and travel speeds. As productivity increased so did build quality. My professor once taught me that a small weld puddle has sufficient surface tension to negate the force of gravity. He was right. We are able to build horizontal just as well as vertical!
After welding & motion control the final piece of the AM puzzle is programming. We are working with Gregory Culp and the Robotmaster team to slice cad models and generate torch path and orientation to build complex 3D parts. Being able to build horizontal complicates programming but greatly expands feature build capacity.
The build parts have passed Liquid Penetrant (LP), side and face bend tests. UTS and YS, R of A and %Elong are typical for 5356 alloys.
If you have an aluminum part you would like to build with AM, contact me.
ARC Specialties thrives on problems, send us yours!
Dan Allford
From FANUC America:
FANUC America Authorized System Integrator ARC Specialties designs and builds custom manufacturing machinery and automated systems including systems for metal welding and cutting, material handling, pick and place, test equipment and other custom applications. In this robotic system, ARC Specialties utilizes a FANUC M-710iC/20L robot to perform plasma cutting for 40-foot long sections of metal pipe.
First, a full-length pipe moves from a notched workplate to an automated infeed conveyor system. The automated in-feed conveyor indexes the pipe into the headstock cutting area, where the pipe is automatically positioned into place by chuck jaws. The system has five sets of chuck jaws that can be manually changed to accommodate pipes of varying diameter – from 0.75” to 24” in outer diameter. The six axis FANUC M-710iC/20L robot, equipped with a quick tool changer, picks up either an OAC or PAC torch from the quick tool change station. The robot uses touch sensing, as well as laser sensing to locate the nozzle parts and the pipe.
Once the pipe has been located the FANUC robot proceeds to first make a bevel cut. The headstock contains a robotic aux axis motor package and pop-up turning rolls that rotate the pipe in coordinated motion with the robot as it makes the cuts. After the bevel cut, the robot proceeds to plasma cut small and large holes into the pipe. The robot uses FANUC Constant Path, which allows it to maintain the same path regardless of static or dynamic speed override changes.
The system features simple setup – An operator simply inputs the desired cut dimensions into the HMI, presses the Go button, and the robot executes the cut. ARC Specialties’ cutting software generates robot code to execute the desired cuts based on the operator’s input, and the HMI is able to save and store these part programs. Once the FANUC robot is finished cutting, the pipe parts roll onto a gravity-fed pipe rack where they are removed from a notched work plate and finished pipe rack manually.
FANUC America Authorized System Integrator ARC Specialties transform manufacturing processes into high-quality, high-production and high profit operations. To learn more, please visithttp://www.arcspecialties.com.
