Arc Welding Seam Tracking With Gap-Adaptive Parameter Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional arc welding methods are costly and inefficient in adapting to changes in joint geometry caused by tolerances and thermal distortions during the welding process, particularly due to the high cost of using a laser sensor to continuously record joint geometry.
Innovation Solution
An arc welding method that uses seam tracking signals from an arc sensor to adjust welding parameters such as wire feed speed, welding current, and arc length in real-time, allowing for continuous adaptation to changes in gap width between workpieces, thereby optimizing the weld seam without the need for expensive additional sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a laser sensor is used to continuously record joint geometry, then the welding process can be flexibly adapted to changes in gap width, but the cost becomes very high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the expensive laser sensor with a cost-effective arc sensor that uses the welding arc itself as the sensing element. The arc sensor provides sufficient measurement capability for gap width detection at a fraction of the cost of laser sensors, while maintaining the ability to adapt welding parameters to joint geometry changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding arc serves dual purposes: it performs the welding function and simultaneously acts as the sensor for detecting joint geometry. By evaluating arc characteristics (voltage, current) during the welding process, the system obtains gap width information without requiring separate expensive sensing equipment.
2Manufacturing precision
If welding parameters are continuously adapted to detected joint geometry, then weld quality is optimized, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the welding process control and seam tracking functions into a single integrated system. The arc sensor signals are processed to generate both position correction for torch movement and parameter adjustment for welding quality, eliminating the need for separate complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding control system performs multiple functions: it controls torch movement, processes arc sensor signals for position tracking, determines gap width, and adjusts welding parameters. This multi-functional approach reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate dedicated systems for each function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables cost-effective adaptation to changes in joint geometry, improving the quality of the weld seam by dynamically adjusting welding parameters based on real-time gap width measurements, reducing the risk of burn-through and ensuring a consistent weld quality.
Implementation Method 1
the welding arc is used as a sensor in order to detect deviations in the components caused by tolerances and/or thermal distortion
Implementation Method 2
a welding torch is guided by a robot along a path line with a superimposed pendulum movement perpendicular to the path line to execute a predetermined weld seam
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3g
AI summary
The invention relates to an arc welding process for joining at least two workpieces, in which a robot guides a welding torch along a path with a superimposed pendulum movement perpendicular to the path to execute a predetermined weld seam, and seam tracking signals are generated during the movement of the welding torch depending on at least one time-varying state variable of the welding arc such as welding current and/or welding voltage, from which lateral correction signals and/or vertical correction signals are generated to track the position of the welding torch with respect to the predetermined weld seam, with which the movement path of the welding torch is adjusted to produce the weld seam, wherein the welding torch performs a welding process by setting a plurality of welding parameters such as wire feed speed, welding current, welding voltage and/or arc length.The method according to the invention is characterized in that seam tracking signals are evaluated at the time of a pendulum elongation relative to the path of approximately zero in order to determine a gap width between the workpieces to be welded, wherein at least one of the welding parameters is wire feed speed, arc length, welding voltage and/or welding current (Fig. 3 a - g).