In this video we sit down with Welding Applications Engineer for ABB Robotics; Matthew Conklin, and Key Account Manager for Abicor Binzel; Scott Huber, to discuss Optical Seam Tracking in automated processes. For more welding knowledge visit our blog:
Visit our Website: www.binzel-abicor.com
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Scott, I'm going to start with you. First question I have about seam tracking. Tell me how seam tracking's grown from its first inception to today seam trackers?
Twenty years ago the CPUs weren't as strong as they were. They couldn't handle that much data. Today we're able to take that data, process it faster, allowing for closer look aheads, shinier materials, different weld joints. The memories in these are becoming so we can hold more jobs, look at different applications. We're allowed a three-line technology, so we're able to get that data back in, process it, and in milliseconds be able to get the data to the robot, and make those corrections and offsets as needed.
What should people know about seam tracking if they're looking at it right now for their robotic welding application?
With optical seam tracking, it's there to enhance what you currently have, or what you would like to do. It's not the effects fix-all cure, but it can do a lot. It can definitely help in parts that are not fitting up correctly, that they vary a little bit, but they have to vary within reason. We can't just have parts that are scattered all over the place that we just say, "Hey, we're going to set them down and weld it." There are some limitations, but overall the process is very, very good and reliable for enhancing what you currently have, or what you would like to do.
There's a lot of seam tracking options out there. Not all of them are made the same. Some of them vary in features and spec. So Scott, I'll start with you. What are some of the evaluation criteria you tell a person who's looking at seam tracking? Basically, what separates optical seam tracking solutions from one another?
That's a great question, too. Because when you're looking at going to optical seam tracking, a lot of people will look at their parts, they'll have off-location welds. They'll look at tooling that's expensive, and can I set back on my tooling a little bit? So when evaluating going to optical seam tracking, what you have to look at is what does my weld joint look like? What's my material type? What is my end goal? Because like Matt alluded to, it doesn't fix your non-weldable product. So if your part's not weldable to begin with, if you've got large gaps, if the material fit up isn't allowed to be welded, optical seam tracking's not going to fix that. What it's going to do is if you have a part, or the weld joint is just moving in different locations, because today's robots are highly repeatable. They go to the same spot every time.
What optical seam tracking does is allow the robot to have a set of eyes, per se. So it's going to look at the joint, it's going to say, "Hey, this is where the joint is, this is where I was taught." And it's going to adjust to that point. So you really have to look at, does optical seam tracking apply to that process? I'm going to let Matt take over and talk a little bit about the robot side of it-
But that's what we'd look at to even say, "Yes, you can put an optic on this." Then we go to our robot partners and say, "Hey, this is what we're looking at. It can do it. What do you guys need?"
So a lot from from our end we start looking at, okay, is there access? Can we fit the torch and the camera in there? Do we have to use a different torch? ABICOR BINZEL has a great line of torches, and do we have to mount the laser in a different orientation? One way that we like to qualify these different leads, and things, is through one of our tools, RobotStudio, which is a offline programming tool. We actually have 3D CAD models from BINZEL, and we actually bring them in, snap them to the robot, and start checking reach offline even before the tooling is built.
And where we start looking at differences here is through the arc seam tracking is one option that we can do, but it has its limitations also, just like every other process. Thinner materials doesn't do as well. Aluminum doesn't do as well, and that's where the TH6, and a lot of the other models, really excel on the shiny materials. On aluminum does a great job. So there's a lot of opportunity there for optical seam tracking.
Why is optical seam tracking, in your opinion, the most effective solution for seam tracking?
The aspects of optical seam tracking, it's zero contact. We don't have to touch the part. We're able to have a standoff distance. We're able to get real time data. We're able to do the different material typ
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