Spot Welding Program Creation With Semitransparent Model Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for creating welding programs for spot welding on stacked sheet-like workpieces are inefficient due to the inability to visually check the back side of welding portions, which may be obstructed by overlapping workpieces, leading to potential issues with holes or notches.
Innovation Solution
A program creation device that generates a transparent image of the product model, allowing for setting welding portions on a selected surface while making the workpiece semitransparent, thus avoiding the need to rotate the model and check for back-side obstructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the product model is rotated to check the back side of welding portions, then the visibility of holes or notches is improved, but the operation efficiency deteriorates due to the need for model rotation and manual checking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies transparency changes to the workpiece model rather than color changes. The display control unit makes the workpiece semitransparent when a specific surface is selected, allowing the operator to see through the workpiece to the back side welding portions without rotating the model. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining full visibility of back side features (holes, notches) while eliminating the time-consuming model rotation operation, thus improving productivity without losing information.
2Ease of operation
If the workpiece is made semitransparent to view the back side, then the need for model rotation is eliminated, but the complexity of the display control system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects when a surface is selected and automatically applies the semitransparent display mode without requiring manual intervention. The display control unit monitors the selection state and autonomously adjusts the transparency of the workpiece model, making the system self-regulating. This minimizes the perceived complexity for the operator while maintaining ease of operation, as the transparency change occurs automatically based on surface selection.
3Productivity
If the welding portions are set without checking the back side, then the operation speed is improved, but the welding quality deteriorates due to potential holes or notches being missed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary visualization of the back side welding portions by making the workpiece semitransparent before the operator sets the welding portions. This allows the operator to see potential issues (holes, notches) in advance and adjust the welding portion settings accordingly, ensuring manufacturing precision is maintained while keeping the operation speed high, as no model rotation is needed during the setting process.
Data Source
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AI summary
A welding program is created for performing spot welding by a program creation device 22 with the efficiency of the creation operation sufficiently enhanced. The program creation device 22 includes a display unit 32 configured to display an image, and an image generation unit 36 configured to generate image data of a product model MD before being subjected to spot welding in accordance with shape data on a product and display the product model MD on the display unit 32. The program creation device 22 also includes a display control unit 40 configured to make a workpiece having a selected surface in the product model MD to be semitransparent, a welding portion setting unit 44 configured to set welding portions to be allotted for the selected surface in the product model MD, and a program creation unit 46 configured to create the welding program including related data for a welding robot 14 with regard to the set welding portions.