Movable Welding Cell Enclosure With Modular Roller Shutter Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing welding robot cells lack a compact and flexible design that optimizes workspace utilization while ensuring the safety and accessibility of welders during welding processes.
Innovation Solution
A compact welding cell with a protective casing featuring a pneumatically controlled guide device for bidirectional movement of the protective housing, incorporating roller shutter devices for modular access to work areas, and a modular welding table for flexible work surface configuration, allowing for efficient protection and maximum work area utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a protective enclosure is used to enclose the welding robot and work area, then welder protection from harmful fumes and sparks is improved, but accessibility to work areas for welder intervention deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective enclosure is designed with movable side walls that can be shifted between a closed position for protection and an open position for accessibility. This dynamic structure allows the enclosure to adapt its state based on operational requirements, resolving the contradiction between protection and access.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure is divided into segmented side walls that can move independently. This segmentation allows partial opening of the enclosure to provide access to work areas while maintaining protection in other sections, thus balancing safety and accessibility needs.
2Volume of moving object
If the protective enclosure is designed to be compact, then space utilization and transportability are improved, but the range of movement for the welding robot deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing the enclosure to expand its internal volume when needed for robot movement and contract to a compact form when not in use. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between compact storage and operational flexibility.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the protective enclosure completely encloses the work area, then welder safety is improved, but the work area ratio and productivity deteriorate due to reduced accessible workspace
Solution Approach 1:
The movable side walls enable the enclosure to dynamically adjust between fully enclosed and partially open states. During welding operations, the enclosure provides complete protection, while during workpiece loading/unloading, the walls open to expand the accessible workspace, thus maintaining both safety and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous productivity by seamlessly transitioning between enclosed and open states. The movable walls allow uninterrupted workflow where the enclosure provides protection during critical welding phases while enabling efficient material handling during preparation and post-processing phases.
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 solution enables optimized, safe, and parallel welding operations with a high work area ratio, providing a compact and transportable system that can be easily integrated into existing systems, while ensuring the welder's safety from harmful fumes and sparks.
Implementation Method 1
The guide device can preferably be controlled pneumatically
Implementation Method 2
which can move roller shutters up and down in a modular manner to enclose the respective work area
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
The present invention relates to a compact cell Z having a protective enclosure 3 for welding operations by means of welding robots 15, having a protective enclosure 3 consisting of a roof 1, side walls 2, a front side 4A and a rear side 4B, said protective enclosure 3 being movable from a first position into a second and back again by a guide rail 23 supported on a pneumatically actuable guide device 24, and as a result being able to enclose a front working area A1 in the first position and a rear working area A2 in the second position, respectively. The front side 4A and rear side 4B of the protective enclosure 3 furthermore comprise at least in each case one roller shutter device (22A; 22B) which can open and close roller shutters (5A; 5B) that close the entire side or modularly combinable roller shutters (18; 20) on respective roller shutter mounts (V1; V2; V3) integrated in the roof 1.