Robotic welding demos: VeloWeld blast-furnace & tank line scaling
Key Questions
What is VeloWeld and how does it integrate with robotics?
VeloWeld is a robotic welding system integrated with collaborative cobots like Copilot, featuring arc feedback and weave capabilities alongside Polmo. It is demonstrated in applications such as blast-furnace welding with Kawasaki robots. This setup emphasizes scaling robotics for heavy fabrication.
What are some examples of robotic welding demos for heavy fabrication?
Demos include VeloWeld with Kawasaki for blast-furnaces, Polmo's 5-robot system producing ~55k Class B tanks per year, and THG cobot with Fronius achieving 700% throughput increase. Other examples are seam tracking for multi-pass adaptive welding, Zhejiang flash butt welding, and LJUNGSTRÖM heavy fab. RoboDK simulation is highlighted for planning these systems.
How do collaborative cobots improve welding performance?
Collaborative cobots like Copilot with VeloWeld/Polmo provide arc feedback and weave for precise adjustments. Systems like THG cobot with Fronius deliver 700% throughput gains. Features such as ergonomic soft-grip handles with tactile vibration feedback, as in LiveArc, guide real-time performance.
What challenges remain in scaling robotic welding for heavy fab?
Key open areas include maintaining quality, uptime, non-destructive testing (NDT), and ROI compared to manual welding. This is amid a 300k welder shortage driving automation needs. Adaptive multi-pass seam tracking and inter-pass cooling help mitigate defects like distortion or cracking.
Why is simulation emphasized in these robotic welding demos?
RoboDK simulation is emphasized for planning and optimizing robotic welding setups in heavy fabrication. It supports demos like Polmo tank lines and LJUNGSTRÖM projects by predicting performance. This aids in addressing scalability amid welder shortages and improving ROI.
Demos scaling robotics: Copilot collaborative cobots w/ arc feedback/weave (VeloWeld/Polmo integration); VeloWeld+Kawasaki blast-furnace; Polmo 5-robot tanks (~55k/yr, Class B); THG cobot+Fronius (700% throughput); seam tracking multi-pass adaptive; Zhejiang flash butt; LJUNGSTRÖM heavy fab; RoboDK sim emphasis. Reinforce heavy fab automation; open: quality, uptime, NDT, ROI vs manual amid 300k welder shortage.