One-Sided Spot Welder Layout for Exterior Access to Interior Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional one-sided spot welding methods are complex and time-consuming, especially when welding from inside a vehicle body, as they require the welding gun to be inverted or enter through a narrow opening, leading to extended cycle times and interference with other robots.
Innovation Solution
A one-sided spot welder design featuring a cylinder with a retractable rod and arm-mounted welding electrodes, allowing the electrodes to be positioned on opposite sides of the cylinder axis, enabling welding from outside the vehicle body and reducing the need for multiple welders by using a single unit with a floating joint to absorb moment loads, facilitating smooth operation and reduced cycle times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the welding gun is allowed to enter the vehicle body through a door opening and inverted inside to weld from the interior side, then welding can be performed on target joining areas from the interior side, but the operation becomes very complicated and cycle time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of inverting the welding gun inside the vehicle body to weld from the interior side, the invention positions the welding gun outside the vehicle body and uses a long rod to press the welding electrode against the target joining area from the exterior, achieving welding from the interior side without inverting the gun
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the approach dimension by accessing the target joining area through the door opening from the exterior side rather than inverting from the interior side, allowing the welding gun to remain outside while still welding areas previously accessible only from inside
2Ease of operation
If the welding gun is allowed to enter the vehicle body deep to reach around the door opening to weld from the interior side, then welding can be performed on target joining areas from the interior side, but other welding robots must wait longer during which their entry into the inside of the vehicle body is limited, thereby extending cycle time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention reverses the approach by positioning the welding gun outside the vehicle body and extending the rod through the door opening to reach interior target joining areas, allowing other robots to enter and work simultaneously without waiting for the welding gun to invert or reposition
Solution Approach 2:
The welding system is segmented into a stationary gun body positioned outside the vehicle and a movable rod with welding electrode that can be extended through the door opening, allowing independent operation and reducing interference with other welding robots
3Length of moving object
If a conventional welding gun design is used with the welding electrode at the end of a long rod, then the rod becomes long and inclined when the welding electrode presses the target joining area, but this causes the rod to incline and affects smooth operation
Solution Approach 1:
The welding electrode is positioned asymmetrically not at the very end of the rod but at a point along the rod, with the tip disposed on the another side in the axial direction than the base end, creating a more balanced configuration that reduces rod inclination
Solution Approach 2:
An arm is introduced as an intermediary component between the rod and the welding electrode, allowing the electrode to be positioned optimally for welding while the rod maintains a more stable, less inclined position during operation
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 design simplifies the welding process by allowing easy access to interior vehicle areas without inverting the welding gun, reduces the number of welders needed, decreases installation space requirements, and enhances operational efficiency by minimizing cycle times and preventing rod inclination.
Implementation Method 1
a cylinder having a cylinder body and a rod, the rod projecting from an inside of the cylinder body by driving the rod toward one side in an axial direction, the rod retracting toward the inside of the cylinder body by driving the rod toward another side in the axial direction
Implementation Method 2
electricity is applied between the welding electrode 134 and an earth electrode (omitted in the drawings) that is in contact with a place away from the target joining area of the work, thereby forming a nugget at the target joining area
Implementation Method 3
the rod and the arm are connected together via a floating joint. Therefore, when the first welding electrode presses at its tip the target joining area of the plurality of metal plates, a large moment may be added to a base of the arm
Data Source
AI summary
A one-sided spot welder includes a cylinder that includes a cylinder body and a rod, the rod projecting from an inside of the cylinder body by driving the rod toward one side in an axial direction, the rod retracting toward the inside of the cylinder body by driving the rod toward another side in the axial direction; an arm that is fixed to the rod; and a first welding electrode that is fixed to the arm, a tip of the first welding electrode being disposed on the another side in the axial direction than a base end of the first welding electrode.