Stud Welding Gun Teaching Tool for Robot Setup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual adjustment of minute distances in stud welding operations, such as the probe to collet distance and stud height, is inaccurate and labor-intensive, requiring skilled operator intervention and measurement scales, which hinders precise programming of robots for automated stud welding processes.
Innovation Solution
A teaching tool is mounted in the stud welding gun's collet to automatically set and program the probe and collet distances, utilizing a body with specific surfaces and a biasing spring to ensure accurate positioning, allowing a robot to learn and replicate these dimensions for precise stud welding operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual measurement and adjustment methods are used to set probe to collet distance and stud height, then operator skill and experience can be utilized, but measurement accuracy deteriorates due to the minute distances involved (typically only a few millimeters) being difficult to accurately gauge by the eye
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a teaching tool as an intermediary device that physically interfaces with both the collet and probe. This tool includes a body with a first surface that engages the collet and a second surface that engages the probe, with a predetermined distance between these surfaces. The teaching tool acts as a mechanical mediator that transfers the precise predetermined distance from the tool manufacturer to the welding setup, eliminating the need for manual measurement of minute distances while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual visual measurement and estimation process with a mechanical positioning system. The teaching tool provides fixed mechanical surfaces that physically constrain the probe position relative to the collet, substituting human visual judgment with precise mechanical geometry. This mechanical substitution ensures accurate positioning without relying on operator skill or visual estimation of sub-millimeter distances.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual teaching methods are used to program robot coordinates for stud welding positions, then flexibility in programming can be maintained, but productivity deteriorates due to the time-consuming nature of manual teaching and adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The teaching tool embodies preliminary action by pre-establishing the correct geometric relationships between collet, probe, and workpiece surfaces during tool manufacturing. The predetermined distances and surface geometries are built into the tool itself before use, so that during operation, the robot simply needs to follow the mechanical constraints of the tool rather than requiring complex manual programming. This preliminary preparation of geometric data in the tool design phase dramatically reduces setup time while maintaining programming flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The teaching tool enables self-service programming by allowing the robot to automatically learn its position and orientation relative to the workpiece through physical interaction with the tool's predefined surfaces. The tool provides self-contained geometric references that the robot can detect and use to automatically establish welding coordinates, reducing the need for manual intervention in the programming process while maintaining adaptability to different workpiece configurations.
3Productivity
If automated stud welding processes are implemented with robot programming, then productivity and consistency can be improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for precise coordinate programming and setup procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The teaching tool serves as a simplified intermediary that bridges the complex robot programming system and the physical welding setup. By providing fixed, predetermined geometric surfaces that physically define the correct positions, the tool reduces the programming complexity to simple follow-the-tool procedures. The robot program becomes less complex because it only needs to track the tool's position rather than calculate complex coordinates, while productivity benefits from automated consistent execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The teaching tool changes the parameters of the setup process from abstract numerical coordinates that require precise programming to tangible physical surfaces that provide direct mechanical guidance. By transforming the problem from one of numerical precision to one of physical contact, the device complexity is reduced while maintaining automated productivity. The predetermined distances and surface geometries in the tool encode the necessary parameters in a form that is easier for the robot system to acquire and follow.
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
The tool enables precise and automated setup of stud welding dimensions, reducing manual error and improving the accuracy of robot programming for consistent and reliable stud welding operations.
Implementation Method 1
A biasing spring may be mounted in the body and engaged with the stem to normally bias the end of the stem outward relative to the body.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for teaching a programmed controlled robot at least one of two set up position coordinates by use of a tool having a first surface aligned with the end of a stud welding gun collet when the tool is mounted in the collet, a second surface on the tool spaced from the first surface by a predetermined set up distance. A probe carried by the stud welding engagable with the second surface on the tool to establish a predetermined set up distance. A third surface on the tool spaced from the first surface and engagable with a work piece to establish a minimum stud-welding gun set up dimension. The coordinates of the stud-welding gun when the third surface is engaged with the work piece are transmitted to a robot control program to establish the predetermined stud weld gun travel distance dimension.