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Arc Welding: In 1995, Kawasaki developed an adaptive laser vision arc welding system. The Kawasaki adaptive laser vision system provides tracking and adaptive control of the welding process, and adjustment for part position and joint variations. With adaptive control of all welding parameters, tracking speeds greater than 10 meters per minute can now be attained. |
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Pneumatic spot welding utilizes an air cylinder to produce the clamping force for the welding electrodes. The C-controller gives the operator two positions in which the weld gun can open. The first position is completely open and the second position is partially open. The partially open position cuts down on cycle time, because the gun does not have to open fully before the robot starts its next movement.
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Servo spot welding uses an additional servo motor and encoder (7th axis) of the robot to drive and control the clamping force of the welding electrodes. Using a spare robot axis to actuate the weld gun gives added benefits than a pneumatic weld gun. First, a wider range of clamping pressures can be controlled for different materials and thicknesses. Reduced cycle time can be achieved by having full control of the stroke of the weld gun. Along with this, it gives a low impact condition when contacting the work piece at the beginning of a weld sequence. This gives a longer life span of the electrodes. And it is much quieter than a pneumatic weld gun.
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Both of these weld guns can be gun changer compatible. This means that one operation can use more than one weld gun per robot. On the other hand, pedestal welding uses a fixed spot welding gun and a robot with a material handling end effector. The robot manipulates a part through the pedestal welding gun. |
