Content tagged with "robotic-welding"
Results: 39
Article
March 1, 2010
Think before you integrate (robotic welding)
Before taking the plunge with robotic welding, stop and consider these common mistakes so your experience is a successful one
The number of manufacturers investigating the benefits of flexible automation or robotic-based systems has rapidly increased in their quest to lower production... Read more...
Article
January 14, 2010
5 traits to look for in a robotic cell operator
Figure 1 Robotic cell operators who can visualize how the robotic welding arm moves around a part can become very successful programmers. Photo courtesy of ABB Robotics. The ugly truth in metal fabricating is that an automated welding cell is just as capable of turning out bad parts as an... Read more...
Article
January 12, 2010
Keeping sight of the little things
Choosing the right robotic GMAW gun, consumables, and wire can be just as important to productivity and weld quality as the power source, tooling, and robotic arm. Robotic gas metal arc welding (GMAW) can provide companies with significant gains in productivity and excellent return on... Read more...
Article
October 7, 2009
Raising the bar, one sink at a time
Figure 1 This made-to-order bar setup can be fabricated at Glastender in a matter of days. Driving much of Glastender's manufacturing and business strategy is, of all things, liquor licensing. Seriously. The Saginaw, Mich., manufacturer of high-end commercial food service products... Read more...
Article
September 1, 2009
Robotic pipe welding with a human touch
Pipe welders follow "spool" drawings that map out how the fit-ups are to be joined and how they fit into the overall piping structure to be constructed in the field. When it comes to welding pipe, a welder has to be highly skilled and prepared for many variables. No two jobs are exactly... Read more...
Spanish
July 23, 2009
Automatizando lo pequeño
Figura 1
Dados los parámetros correctos, los robots soldadores pueden aumentar la eficiencia, incluso con las producciones más pequeñas de partes.
Recientemente le cortaron el pelo a mi hijo. Es un niño, por lo que el peluquero no tiene que cortarle demasiado cabello, pero a sus 5... Read more...
Article
April 14, 2009
Welding with vision
If you had asked anyone in manufacturing five years ago, "What is your opinion of using a vision system in the welding environment?," you may have heard answers like "not practical," "too sensitive," "too costly," or "too much maintenance." But today's vision systems, with cameras placed... Read more...
Article
January 15, 2009
Keeping welding costs from spiraling out of control
Figure 1
Skyline Steel’s Cartersville, Ga.-based facility has been making spiral pipe with the same mill equipment that was originally installed in 1992.
The large-diameter pipe used for the transmission of gas and oil traditionally has been made using either the longitudinal or... Read more...
Article
October 14, 2008
Don't be marginalized
Robotic welding systems introduce speed, accuracy, and repeatability into the fabrication process. The repeatability of these systems can increase productivity and reduce welding production costs, thereby maximizing the return on the investment in automation. When compared to semiautomatic... Read more...
Article
September 26, 2008
A 'Case' for agility
Figure 1 Three identical robotic welding systems stand in a row, each system controlled by one operator. All Case New Holland robot operators are certified welders. Case New Holland (CNH), the global agricultural and construction equipment giant, is bursting at the seams. Its Fargo, N.D.,... Read more...
Article
September 16, 2008
Automating the Small
Figure 1
Given the right parameters, welding robots can increase efficiency, even with the shortest part runs.
My son got a haircut recently. He's a kid, so the barber didn't have to cut too much hair, but being 5, my son required some time to get him seated and adjusted to a... Read more...
Article
September 16, 2008
Robotic GTAW
Many welding applications require precise control, exact penetration, or minimal heat input regardless of bead appearance, while others are focused solely on the surface of the weld. This is where the advantages of gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) are most prominent, and in most situations... Read more...
Article
August 26, 2008
Ultrafabrication, ultraexpansion
Figure 1 Ultra employs more than 200 welders, all trained for heavy-plate fabrication. That sums up Ultra Machine & Fabrication, a small company just three years ago. Today it employs more than 375, and over the past 24 months, managers sank some serious money into capital equipment: two... Read more...
Article
June 17, 2008
Auto weld that ends well
The robotic welding cell Tommy Gate Co. installed two years ago has a footprint roughly 20 feet by 20 feet. Three years ago Peter Dunlop, production supervisor for Tommy Gate Co./Woodbine Manufacturing at the time, and Andrew Fitzgibbon, a manufacturing engineer, asked themselves a question... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2008
Automation in tube and pipe welding
Robotic welding of tube and pipe means more control over a task that can be grueling for welders if done manually. Encompassing applications ranging from exhaust systems and fenders to furniture and fencing, tube and pipe welding is a complicated task. That's why robots make so much sense.... Read more...
Article
February 12, 2008
Nothing standard about this fab shop
After five years of working for a family-owned metal fabricating business in eastern Connecticut, Rob Marelli wanted to do things his way. He approached the president with an offer to buy the company from him, but he was soon gone with a handshake and a letter of recommendation. He eyed... Read more...
Article
November 6, 2007
Fixturing on display
A Keystone employee brings the robot into position to check clearances in preparation of the weld sequence. Few areas of commerce are as volatile as the ever-changing product mix that retailers are required to navigate. Looking at the packaged dry goods category alone, and defining a new... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2007
Improve your welding process with a mechanized welder
A mechanized welding system from Bug-o Systems will increase production, improve product quality and work environment, reduce metal distortion and the need for material handling. The modular construction adapts to your particular job.
Bug-o Systems allow for an increase in production by... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2007
Analyze your arc welding cost
Typical graph showing estimated cost comparisons for proposed and existing welding methods Looking to purchase new arc welding power sources or robots in the near future? Need to justify your costs to get your budget approved? Read on to find out how to simply calculate return on investment... Read more...
Article
July 10, 2007
Article
April 10, 2007
The costs of inefficiency
Discovering inefficiencies upfront in a robotic welding workcell such as this can prevent hidden costs later on. U.S. manufacturers can compete in the world marketplace if we simply learn a few important lessons. Chief among these lessons is efficiency and knowing the cost of change.... Read more...
Article
February 13, 2007
Big shoulders, long strides
Jeff Hansen, Dave Hansen, Cathy Hansen, and Mike Hansen (left to right) are equal partners in Hansen Steel Services. About 25 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., Hansen Steel Services employees wear T-shirts imprinted with the company's Viking logo—a... Read more...
Article
November 7, 2006
Joining GMAW and GTAW
The American Welding Society has defined "hybrid welding" as the combination of two distinct welding energy sources within a single welding process.
Figure 1
A new hybrid welding approach combines a plasma arc and a GMAW arc into one process. These elements detail the process: (1)... Read more...
Article
September 12, 2006
The Pareto principle at work
The Pareto principle, named for Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, may be better known as the 80/20 rule. Pareto observed that in most activities, a small fraction (20 percent) of the total activity accounts for a large fraction (80 percent) of the results. I have come to learn that... Read more...
Article
September 12, 2006
Little Giant takes flight
Brian Nielson, an automated fusion technician with Wing Enterprises, operates one of the company's robotic welding workcells. Nielson said that moving to robotic welding has helped the company's productivity increase by 25 percent to 30 percent. Hal Wing's family business started 32... Read more...
Article
July 11, 2006
Reaching peak performance, productivity
Robotic welding has helped Alpine Engineered Products improve productivity, weld consistency, and overall product quality; eliminate outsourcing; and cut lead-times for its line of truss fabrication tables. The company invested inrobotic welding equipment that performs 85... Read more...
Article
May 9, 2006
Optimizing flow through robotic welding workcells
Figure 1
One of the new CNH systems welds on a loader chassis. Veteran industrial robotic user Case New Holland (CNH), Fargo, N.D., recently installed three robotic welding systems. Each system consists of an inverted robot on a large, three-axis traveling column and two... Read more...
Article
April 11, 2006
Intelligent Robotic Welding
Robotic arc welding has become a mainstay of the manufacturing community, meaning robotic welding vendors no longer have to prove to a customer that a robot can weld. Now customers are asking new questions such as "How can I weld low-volume, multiple part styles in the same workcell?"... Read more...
Article
January 10, 2006
Are company politics undermining your robotic projects?
"Politicians and diapers should be changed often, and for the same reason." Whether or not you agree with this statement, it actually says more about the process of politics than politicians. Those stuck in an environment of political fervor may find it very difficult to break free... Read more...
Article
January 10, 2006
Positioning your welds
Robotic welding can improve your productivity, but its efficiency depends greatly on fixturing design and functionality. When applied properly, robotic welding can be economical; on the flip side, it can be inefficient and cost-prohibitive if you overlook simple fixture design... Read more...
Article
November 8, 2005
Knockout punch
Punched and tapped parts are stacked on a pallet to be delivered to the press brake area for bending. A finished part (after bending) is shown on the left side of the stacking table for illustration purposes. This is an application destined to stay in the U.S. It's a large,... Read more...
Article
November 8, 2005
Robotic welding
Investing in capital equipment is an especially big decision for a small fabricator. Rad Craig owns Induction Concepts, a Pryor, Okla., developer of high-performance twin turbo systems. He's curious about how automation might help him perform finishing work—he knows that robotics... Read more...
Article
November 8, 2005
Reality TV: Frame-making in the U.S.
The A member of the CRT frame is a roll formed strip of chromium molybdenum steel, and the B member is a cold-rolled steel tube cut and bent for the application. When brought together, they form the CRT frame for the front of a television. The game of international trade excites and... Read more...
Article
November 8, 2005
Taking one step at a time
RoboVent Floor Saver, a self-contained filtration system that mounts on top of a robotic welding workcell, helped Pridgeon & Clay execute its plan for equipment versatility throughout its Franklin, Ind., facility. If the company wants to reconfigure the manufacturing floor, it can move... Read more...
Article
October 11, 2005
Article
March 8, 2005
Construction Junction
Two six-axis robot arms perform full-penetration gas metal arc welds on structural steel. Millions of construction companies strive every day to cut production time while maintaining, or even improving, quality. Robert J. Simmons owns a company that has made it happen. Over several... Read more...
Article
July 13, 2004
Intelligent controls improve automotive robotic welding
The automotive industry worldwide has experienced dramatic changes in the last 10 years. Challenges facing the industry include increasingly stringent safety rules; requirements for dramatic improvement in fuel consumption; and the necessity to maintain or even reduce the vehicle price, even... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2003
Loading up on quality, productivity, safety
Like the products it manufactures, CNH Global N.V. has to stay on the move—technologically. The company's Wichita, Kan., facility uses robotic welding to help produce Case- and New Holland-brand skid steer loaders. Powerful yet quick, skid steers can spin on a dime and move heavy... Read more...
Article
February 28, 2002
Mr. Roboto: Welding fundamentals for managers
Experience has taught me never to make assumptions about a person's knowledge of welding and welding automation. Often managers and engineers who have not been exposed to the welding process have a poor understanding of its mechanics. This can and often does lead to misunderstandings and... Read more...
Didn't find what you were looking for? Try our search page to refine your results
