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Robotic Welding Comes Of Age
Robotic welding has come of age in the past few years. In advances in computer technology and robotics, simple, repetitive tasks in manufacturing are often performed by robotic welding devices, with a resulting savings in labor and an improvement in safety, since there is less human interaction and less chance for human error.
Trade shows and conventions for the fabrication industry and welding trades often feature robotic welding devices these days. Demonstrations at the trade shows give examples of robotic welding machines doing graceful and complex maneuvers, demonstrating speed and flexibility possible with robots today that were not possible a generation ago.
Industrial robots are used in welding, painting, ironing, assembly, palletizing, pick and place, inspection, and testing of products. Robots have proven themselves to be valuable resources in manufacturing applications in all of these areas.
Any welding task is suitable for automation if the task is repetitive. From a practical, financial standpoint however the number of pieces that need to be welded must be of sufficient quantity to allow a continuous flow, to justify the initial expense of setting up robotic welding machinery. In such instances an automatic welding gun can be placed in a static position or if needed on a curved track to achieve a circular weld. In this type of situation, a work piece can be rotated past the welding gun.
The major manufacturers in three basic sizes offer robotic welding arms. These include a tabletop size with a six-pound payload, a medium sized model with a 13.2 pound payload and larger machines with a 22.2 pound payload. While these robotic welding machines are available new, many used and reconditioned models are also available and popular.
Where robotic welding machines, and industrial robots in general came from is of interest. The first industrial robot, used for simple tasks, was invented in 1962. In 1969 a Stanford University professor developed the Stanford arm, an articulated robot that widened the potential of robots, making robotic welding possible and feasible. By the 1970′s industrial robots were firmly rooted in most industries and robotic welding’s strong points had become obvious to industry. Soon large companies like General Electric and General Motors were manufacturing robots, and several companies n the U.S. stated specifically to manufacture them and market them to industry, including Automatix and Adept Technology, Inc, while Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired Animation, the grandmaster of industrial robotics. Many Japanese companies also entered the arena.
Today’s popularity of industrial robots, and in particular of robotic welding devices is due to the fact that these machines save man hours, allowing skilled human technicians, including welders, to concentrate on more complicated tasks worthy of their skills and training. Simple and repetitive tasks that would be a waste of a skilled welder’s time are generally handled by robotic welding machines with cost savings in the millions every year, benefiting the companies and stockholders.
Overall, Robotic welding is one of the most advanced computer technologies and robotic welding devices save in labor and an improvement in safety, by reducing human error and human tragedy.
Tig Welding
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Welding Hose Reels, Electric – Motorized
Welding hoses and welding cables must be managed with a special kind of hose reel. These welding hose reels and cable reels are engineered specifically to safeguard your investment in expensive hoses and cable by protecting against wear and ensuring performance for the duration of its anticipated life span. Each series model offers multiple sizes for varying environments and features unique characteristics for support, hose management, retraction, safety, and versatility in application.
Motor-Driven Welding Hose Reels
Motorized reels are available in heavy duty models and lightweight models. The heavy duty model features a direct bevel gear drive, low profile outlet riser, open drum slot, and dual brass swivel inlets to ensure smooth, even, and steady hands free retrieval of your welding hose. The lightweight unit is designed as a compact and versatile, smaller version of the heavy duty unit. It is build around a “U” shaped frame and all steel construction to provide additional safety and stability.
Both models can also be ordered from in manual, hand crank retraction if necessary.
Hand Crank Welding Hose Reels
Hand crank reels are based on the heavy duty welding hose reel design and are used for hoses and cables in situations where external power may not yet be available, such as new construction sites and offsite outdoor locations.
Spring Driven Welding Hose Reels
When your hands are full, and you cannot use a hand crank reel, spring driven welding hose reels offer you the convenience of automatic retrieval without the hassle of having to locate an external power source.
Spring driven reels are designed to manage bulky twin line welding hose. Two sizes are available. The standard size reel is compact and designed for operations in crowded facilities. A larger unit can also be ordered that is meant for larger environments where extra capacity is needed for exceptionally long lengths of welding hose. This series features a proprietary dual axle support system that keeps the unit stable during retraction use and minimizes vibration during use.
Welding Hose Reels with Spring Driven Safety Retraction
In some environments, static buildup can be hazardous due to the combustibility of nearby fuel, chemicals, or fumes in the air. In such an environment is necessary to use hose reels that are built to retrieve hoses and cables without building up a static charge. This is accomplished by using a special spring-driven retraction mechanism that has been modified to turn the hub at only 20% the normal rate of speed than standard model reels, and to end the retraction cycle gently without slamming the last bit of hose onto the reel.
These welding hose reels, like other spring driven units, also feature super hub, dual axle support to maintain stability and rigidity while in use. Both compact and standard sized reels are available.
Welding Cable Reels
Welding cable is expensive, and not something you want to replace because of careless handling or accidents. Protect your investment with 25, 35, or 50 foot self-retracting welding cable reel. These units are ideal for maintaining a clean, safe, and well-organized work environment at all times. You can order these from your vendor in either hand crank retraction or motorized retraction. Ideal as well for extremely long cable lengths, these reels feature internal components set inside the drum to allow for a narrower, compact coil on the reel, and they can also accommodate an optional stacking bracket to create a lead/ground combination when required.
Most of these reels can be further customized with any number of accessories. Ask your material handling specialist about customization options.
Welding Tutorials
Get the Promotion you Deserve – Add Value to your Organization
Your organization has hired you for the results you can achieve with your talents and abilities. The organization believes that by using those talents and abilities, you will “add value.” You solve problems, you help the organization meet the needs of its clients, you contribute ideas that are valuable, etc. Those types of things add value.
In order for the organization to give you value—your salary and your position—it needs you to add value. It’s that simple.
How can I add value to my organization today?
The value you create is what you are paid for. The more value you create that is recognized by the company, the more you can earn in salary and position.
The key thing to remember is your compensation is a portion of the value that you create. You should aim to add ten times as much value as the compensation that you desire to be paid.
Do something that other people don’t know how to do.
Value is created out of scarcity. Gold is precious because it is relatively scarce. Iron costs less because it is more plentiful. Value derives from scarcity!
This principle of scarcity applies in the workplace as well. When you can do things that other people cannot do, what you can do has great value! Your skill is scarce! This creates a wonderful opportunity for you.
You get paid more for doing things other people can’t do!
Constantly learn new skills. Never stagnate Read books, attend courses, and build your skills. Look for the “missing skills” in your company. Look for skills and knowledge that are relatively scarce in your society. What is missing? What can you learn to fill the gap?
If everybody is studying French and German, you can study Chinese or Japanese. When I left college and joined a major electronics manufacturer, I was paid twice as much as other college graduates because I could speak Japanese and English and understood the basics of computers.
If you are a welder, you might notice that very few welders are qualified to work with copper or to weld exceptionally thick pipes. I once new a welder who owned two Rolls Royce’s because he had learned to weld materials that very few welders could handle. He could name his price, and he did.
By the way, don’t expect this to be easy. If it were easy, probably someone else would already be doing it!
Robotic Welding Comes Of Age
Robotic welding has come of age in the past few years. In advances in computer technology and robotics, simple, repetitive tasks in manufacturing are often performed by robotic welding devices, with a resulting savings in labor and an improvement in safety, since there is less human interaction and less chance for human error.
Trade shows and conventions for the fabrication industry and welding trades often feature robotic welding devices these days. Demonstrations at the trade shows give examples of robotic welding machines doing graceful and complex maneuvers, demonstrating speed and flexibility possible with robots today that were not possible a generation ago.
Industrial robots are used in welding, painting, ironing, assembly, palletizing, pick and place, inspection, and testing of products. Robots have proven themselves to be valuable resources in manufacturing applications in all of these areas.
Any welding task is suitable for automation if the task is repetitive. From a practical, financial standpoint however the number of pieces that need to be welded must be of sufficient quantity to allow a continuous flow, to justify the initial expense of setting up robotic welding machinery. In such instances an automatic welding gun can be placed in a static position or if needed on a curved track to achieve a circular weld. In this type of situation, a work piece can be rotated past the welding gun.
The major manufacturers in three basic sizes offer robotic welding arms. These include a tabletop size with a six-pound payload, a medium sized model with a 13.2 pound payload and larger machines with a 22.2 pound payload. While these robotic welding machines are available new, many used and reconditioned models are also available and popular.
Where robotic welding machines, and industrial robots in general came from is of interest. The first industrial robot, used for simple tasks, was invented in 1962. In 1969 a Stanford University professor developed the Stanford arm, an articulated robot that widened the potential of robots, making robotic welding possible and feasible. By the 1970′s industrial robots were firmly rooted in most industries and robotic welding’s strong points had become obvious to industry. Soon large companies like General Electric and General Motors were manufacturing robots, and several companies n the U.S. stated specifically to manufacture them and market them to industry, including Automatix and Adept Technology, Inc, while Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired Animation, the grandmaster of industrial robotics. Many Japanese companies also entered the arena.
Today’s popularity of industrial robots, and in particular of robotic welding devices is due to the fact that these machines save man hours, allowing skilled human technicians, including welders, to concentrate on more complicated tasks worthy of their skills and training. Simple and repetitive tasks that would be a waste of a skilled welder’s time are generally handled by robotic welding machines with cost savings in the millions every year, benefiting the companies and stockholders.
Overall, Robotic welding is one of the most advanced computer technologies and robotic welding devices save in labor and an improvement in safety, by reducing human error and human tragedy.
Welding Photos
Electrohydraulic Scissor Lifts
Electrohydraulic scissor lifts are some of the most powerful, heavy duty material handling tools used by major factories, power plants, government facilities, and service centers. These products are needed for loads that weigh anywhere from 15,000 LB up to 120,000 LB. Like all scissor lifts, electric hydraulic units are built to keep heavy materials at a stable, consistent elevation for safe access and efficient operations to be performed. They are routinely employed by telephone companies, lumber companies, and air craft engine companies to elevate materials for manipulation, moving, or service work.
Often as well, electric hydraulic scissor lifts will be buried in the ground in order to secure and stabilize tractor trailers during loading and unloading procedures. Two hydraulic scissor lifts will be buried apart from each other at the exact same distance as the front and rear wheels of a truck. The lift will be flush to the ground when it is the elevated position. When the truck needs to be loaded or unloaded, it will be “parked” with both sets of wheels centered on either electrohydraulic lift. The lift tables will then be lowered, locking the truck in place and making the trailer bed flush to the ground.
This allows work crews to drive forklifts directly into the trailer at ground level, and it prevents the truck from wobbling from side to side. It also allows workers to move barrels and containers filled with sensitive materials and flammable liquids safely into the trailer with minimal risk of spillage or injury. Nuclear power plants often use electro-hydraulic scissor lifts to secure trucks that are used to transport containers of nuclear waste.
Of course, heavy duty electric scissor lifts are not always buried like this. In many cases, they are used to elevate heavy engines in tractor companies to work platforms where technicians and welders can work from a standing position rather than having to work from a ladder, or actually climb on top of the engine and risk a fall. The larger the lift; the more weight it will safely elevate, and the higher it can be raised.
Because these machines are engineered for maximum heavy duty performance and reliable strength and stability, they have a design safety factor of 3 to 1. Each electrohydraulic lift is operated by an externally powered motor ranging from 5 to 15 hp, depending on the lift model and size. Motors are controlled from an up/down push button control on the end of a 20 ft cord. Every motor includes an adjustable upper travel limit switch that automatically shuts off the motor and pump at the desired pre-set height. Two secondary, mechanical upper travel back-up stops provide an additional safeguard against over extension.
When necessary, workers can also stand on hydraulic scissor lifts safety. The platforms are supported by rectangular structural tube scissor legs and torque tubes that stabilize horizontal and longitudinal centers of gravity and minimize deflection when the unit is supporting huge loads and workers are moving around on the platform. Toe guards along the edges of the platform add a standard, yet very important, safety buffer against accidental slips and falls.
Heavy duty scissor lifts are made with a number of additional safety and mechanical features that are intended to ensure stability, safe operation, and durability under extreme stress for long periods of time, and reliable performance of all unit components for the duration of the unit’s lifespan. Talk to a material handling specialist for more details.
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