CaseStudies RoboticArcWelding PDF

CASE STUDIES:
ROBOTIC ARC WELDING

Table of Contents
Construction Vehicles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Building Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Agricultural Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Construction Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Petroleum Extraction Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Metal Fabrication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Oil and Gas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Metals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES
Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

Arc Welding
CHALLENGES SOLUTION payload total). Span between headstock/

Provide flexible robotic welding system Yaskawa Motoman provided a custom tailstock faceplates is 3.75 meters. Index
to automate welding of new design of welding system, including: time is 5 seconds.
motor grader with seven models. Front, (2) Operator stations (one per welding
middle and rear assemblies are manually Motoman 20-kg payload, extended reach
robot with controller and base riser. station). Functions: Job Start, Emergency
pre-tacked prior to robotic welding, then Stop, Hold, Alarm Reset, and Servo Power-up.
manually welded together to form the 5-m servo track with 1,000-kg capacity. Palm button for cycle start activation.
final frame. (2) Tandem-arc GMAW torch packages, Ready signal light and alarm indication
Large, heavy parts consist of mild steel and 500-Amp digital welding power light. Positioner auto/manual switch.
plate 19-76 mm thick. Depending on the sources, with interface to robot controller. Thumbwheel switch for program selection
model, rear frames weigh more than 1,000-lb bulk wire reels with high-speed (up to 100 programmed jobs) and manual
2,000 kg each; front frames weigh wire-assist feeders. positioner jog joystick.
approximately 1,450 kg and mid-section Workcell protection package, including
Automatic wire cutter and tandem torch
frames weigh approximately 1,500 kg. safety fencing, light curtains, and three
reamer.
Each frame section requires 50-150 welds, safety-interlocked access gates. Meets
which range from 102-2,743 mm L. 200-V Com-Arc seam-tracking and touch-
Canadian CSA Z434-03 robotic safety
sensing package.
Improve productivity and shorten lead time. code as well as ANSI/RIA R16.06-1999
Motoman two-axis servo-tilt/rotate safety standard.
Reduce dependency on skilled human
skyhook
welders due to shortage.
positioner with 3,000 kg payload capacity. FIXTURES/TOOLING
Make aesthetically pleasing welds on X-axis orbital speed is 0-1.9 rpm. Y-axis Customer provided manual fixtures for
outside of grader frame that do not need orbital speed is 0-2.7 rpm. this project. Operators manually bolt frame
to be ground down prior to being painted. parts onto the two positioners. Robot
Motoman three-axis, two-station servo-
Accommodate low ceiling in plant with powered positioner. Includes two welds grader front and rear assemblies on
non-gantry robot system. headstock/tailstock positioners mounted the headstock/tailstock positioner; mid-
on a rotating base axis. Each headstock/ sections on the skyhook positoner.
tailstock has a 3,000 kg payload (6,000 kg
PROJECT RESULTS
Robot system meets or exceeds all project Flexible system accommodates various Tandem arc welding is at least 2.5 times
goals. Allows customer to build on two models/batch runs with easy changeover; faster and can eliminate need for multiple
shifts what would have taken three shifts, operator simply selects new program using passes on long, heavy deposition welds,
eliminating a production bottleneck. robot teach pendant. saving cycle time.
System requires two operators
versus 10-11 skilled welders.
motoman.com
Yaskawa America, Inc. | Motoman Robotics Division
100 Automation Way | Miamisburg, OH 45342
ACS-082-B 2014 YASKAWA AMERICA, INC. AUGUST 2014 Tel: 937.847.6200 | Fax: 937.847.6277 MOTOMAN IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK
BUILDING COMPONENTS

Arc Welding
CHALLENGES Miller Auto-Axcess 450-Amp power FIXTURES/TOOLING

Robotically weld large assembly and source with air-cooled Motoman Tough Customer provided their own fixtures. Each
fabrication tables that are 4-m L x 2-m W Gun torch. Robot welds using barrel-fed MotoSweep cell has two stationary holding
and weigh approximately 2,450 kg, as well 0.035" steel wire with an 80/20 mix of fixture tables, one per side. The robot can
as subassemblies that weigh 181-227 kg Argon/CO2 shielding gas. process the same type of parts on both
each. Tables are mild steel 6-13 mm thick Automatic wire cutter, nozzle cleaner and sides or different parts can be run on
and each requires 660 single-pass welds, sprayer, and torch realignment device. opposite sides of the same robot cell. Parts
ranging from 25-152 mm long. are fixtured very tightly and concisely to
Two stationary holding fixture tables,
Improve safety and reduce high turnover one per side of the robot cell. ensure welded parts
due to manual welding in 100-degree plus are square and flat.
Operator station on stand-alone pedestal.
heat during summertime.
Functions include: Job Start, Emergency
Provide flexible welding system that can Stop, Hold, Alarm Reset, and Servo Power-
accommodate a wide variety of models up. Palm button for cycle start activation.
and subassemblies, and has capability to Ready signal light and alarm indication
perform 85% of welding on large tables. light. Thumbwheel switch for program
selection (up to 100 programmed jobs)
SOLUTION
and manual jog joystick.
Yaskawa Motoman provided two
MotoSweep cells, each including: Workcell protection package that meets
ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999 safety standard,
Six-axis Motoman Expert Arc robot including safety fencing, light curtains,
with controller. and safety-interlocked gates.
MotoSweep transport beam. Robot is
invert-mounted from MotoSweep
transport beam and controlled as an
external axis.
PROJECT RESULTS
Highly flexible, extended-reach robot Production capacity increased from 20- Reliable robot system helped customer
system meets or exceeds all project goals 25 per month to 6-7 per day, enabling reduce lead time from 20-24 weeks to 16
and objectives. customer to bring out-sourced production weeks. Customer anticipates further lead
Conservatively speaking, robot system of 40 units per month back in-house. time reduction to eight weeks.
payback was less than six months. Flexible robots produce high-quality,
consistent welds, significantly reducing
scrap and rework.
motoman.com
AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT

Arc Welding and Handling
CHALLENGES Miller 450-amp AutoAxcess weld Allen-Bradley PLC package with HMI
Provide flexible system to weld and handle package, including interface, four-roll wire interface.
12 different hay baler roll assemblies. feeders and feed rolls, interconnecting Cell guarding package that complies with
These consist of tubes with trunnions on cables and weld dress-out package. ANSI/RIA-15.06-1999 safety standard.
each end that are tack-welded in place, Motoman Tough Gun package with Includes perimeter safety fence with two
plug-welded and then final-welded. 500-Amp air-cooled torch. access gates; arc flash curtains; safety
Tubes are 1,170-1,556 mm L and have ODs Motoman ComArc (80-V) touch-sense laser scanner at trunnion infeed station;
ranging from approximately 89-168 mm. package with seam-tracking. and 4-color status beacon with audible
Final welded assemblies are 1,318-1,959 mm L. alarm.
Reamer/sprayer nozzle cleaning station.
System must be designed to hold enough
Custom end-of-arm tool pneumatic FIXTURES/TOOLING
parts to support approximately one hour
multi-function mechanical gripper for robot. Yaskawa Motoman provided a custom
of unattended production.
Motoman rotary positioner (for trunnion pneumatic multi-function mechanical
Improve weld quality and reduce rework. gripper for the material handling robot
infeed) with 300 kg capacity per side and
Achieve run-out tolerance within 1.5 mm that handles two trunnions and one tube/
4-second index. Includes two fixtures (one
for tubes and 0.4 mm for trunnions. roll assembly of the required sizes. Gripper
per side), each with 24-trunnion capacity.
Achieve cycle time of approximately includes open/closed sensors, and laser
Tube infeed/outfeed devices gravity-fed
5-6 minutes per part. sensor that searches for slots or holes
infeed with singulator, and gravity outfeed
in tubes and verifies length/diameter.
SOLUTION chute, including three-level racks with
Customer-provided pneumatically clamped
A Yaskawa Motoman custom welding and rack-full sensors.
mechanical slide welding fixture is mounted
handling solution, including: Laser sensor station. Laser sensor is used on heavy-duty positioner.
Two Motoman robots with base risers. to determine the location of the welded
The arc welding robot features a 50-kg trunnion shaft relative to disc.
payload; the material handling robot Motoman headstock positioner with 3,000 kg
features a 200-kg payload. rated headstock load; 6.7 rpm headstock
speed; and 4.95-second 180-degree sweep.
PROJECT RESULTS
System exceeds requirements for quality Robotic solution achieves goal of System achieves adequate cycle time,
improvement. Run-out tolerances are significantly reducing rework and related which is expected to improve even more
consistently held to 0.2 mm on trunnions direct labor costs. as customer implements additional tooling
and 0.75 mm on tubes, which is twice as System meets requirement for ability and part changes.
good as the goal of 0.4 mm on trunnions to support approximately one hour of
and 1.5 mm on tubes. unattended production.
motoman.com
CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

Arc Welding
CHALLENGES (3) Fronius Robacta Twin Compact FIXTURES/TOOLING

Provide flexible robotic system capable 900-Amp water-cooled tandem-arc Yaskawa Motoman provided hydraulic
of welding 26 different outrigger beam GMAW torch packages. clamping fixtures for the two headstock/
models distributed across three part (3) Nozzle cleaning stations for tandem- tailstock positioners. A large spanner
families. Mild steel parts range from arc torches. Reamer-type with wire cutter between the HS/TS faceplates is adjustable
approximately 1,524-3,658 mm L, and anti-spatter spray. to accommodate various beam lengths.
6-19 mm thick and weigh 227-771 kg. Two alignment clamps and two swing arms
(6) ComArc (200-V) seam-tracking and
Each beam requires 7-10 welds, ranging per fixture hold each part for welding.
touch-sensing packages.
from approximately 51-3,048 mm L. Fixtures include part-present and clamp
(2) Motoman headstock/tailstock
Achieve 27-minute cycle time for all open/closed sensors.
positioners with 3,000 kg rated load.
models (one part every 0.45 hours).
MotoMount fixture mounting system
Depending on model, beams take
included.
3-4 hours to weld manually.
Common equipment base for controllers
Increase throughput and productivity to
with table for welding power supplies.
enable out-sourced beams to be brought
back in-house. Fixture package adjustable spanner
and hydraulic fixtures that accommodate
Improve weld quality and consistency.
required range of part lengths and models.
Allow skilled manual welders to be
Operator station.
redeployed to other jobs within the plant.
Cell guarding package that complies with
SOLUTION ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999 standard, including
Yaskawa Motoman provided a flexible triple 2.4-m woven-wire perimeter safety fence;
welding system, including: arc flash protection curtains; (4) sliding
(3) 20-kg payload robots with individual gates with positive-break safety switches
controllers and base risers. at positioner load/unload station for part
flow-through; and three-color status beacon.
(3) Fronius TimeTwin TPS 5000 digital
weld packages.
PROJECT RESULTS
Motoman system welds parts significantly Customer was able to bring all out-sourced Robotic tandem-arc GMAW system
faster than the 27-minute cycle time production back in-house, saving time consistently produces high-quality
requirement. Some parts are welded in and money. heavy-deposition welds and enables
13 minutes. Most parts average skilled manual welders to be redeployed
17-18 minutes. Flexible robotic solution meets or exceeds elsewhere in the plant.
project goals and objectives, and can weld
all required parts.
motoman.com
CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

Arc Welding
OVERVIEW The manufacturer identified the need to A custom-designed hydraulic tool on

After experiencing an increase in the implement a robotic welding solution to the positioner held the cab body on the
number of orders for its hydraulic meet its increased demand and chose central component common to all eight
excavators, a global construction Yaskawa Motoman based on its ability to different excavator models. This holding
equipment manufacturer suddenly found provide the fastest cycle times with the method required very little adjustment
the manual welding process at its new least amount of welding cells. when switching between the different cab
assembly plant to be insufficient to meet body models.
demand. The manual welding stations CHALLENGES The welding system included four
were responsible for the final welding of Position large and heavy components Motoman MH50 robots, each featuring
cab bodies for eight different models of quickly and efficiently an AccuFast seam-finding sensor,
hydraulic excavators. With the sheer size Produce consistent welds for eight Lincoln power source, Dinse weld torch
of the three large cab body components, different models that meet stringent and a custom HMI.
and a combined weight of 12,000 pounds, inspection requirements A Servo-Robot seam-finding camera
each station would require its own costly
Adapt welding parameters for varying measures the gap between components.
positioning device in addition to welding
tolerances in gap sizes up to 6 mm wide It then uses weave adjust adaptive fill
equipment. The work also meant dealing
technology to adjust oscillation, weave
with quite a bit of tolerance (part variation),
SOLUTION amplitude and travel speed to compensate
and required the welder to compensate for
Yaskawa Motoman provided two dual for varying gap tolerances and produce a
gap sizes from 0-6 mm. Since the finished
robot dual positioning cells designed to final weld that meets requirements.
weld would be highly visible after the
excavator was fully assembled, presenting handle weights up to 15,000 pounds. The
a consistently perfect weld was absolutely positioners had two axis of rotation in
necessary. addition to Z-lift capacity.
PROJECT RESULTS
After passing a macro etch test to verify Due to the fast cycle times of the robotic The robotic welding systems have helped
the internal quality of the welds, as system, the manufacturer was able to meet the manufacturers assembly plant save
well as a visual test for consistency, the the increased demand of their product. time and money, producing up to 12,000
manufacturer installed the robotic welding The Motoman robots, combined with hydraulic excavators per year.
system at its new assembly plant. adaptive welding technology, consistently
produce high quality welds that meet the
manufacturers stringent requirements
motoman.com
ACS-134 2014 YASKAWA AMERICA, INC. AUGUST 2014 Tel: 937.847.6200 | Fax: 937.847.6277 MOTOMAN IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK
PETROLEUM EXTRACTION EQUIPMENT

Arc Welding
OVERVIEW efficiency gains. The company collaborated The MotoSweep configuration provides
Following a spike in orders due to growing with Yaskawa Motoman to implement tremendous flexibility and additional
demand for oil and gas refining products, robotic arc welding in the manufacturing reach for large weldments, as well as easy
a global supplier of petroleum extraction of these components, including a welding access for part setup and maintenance.
equipment identified the need to improve system with the capacity to weld parts of Since the part was very tall and had to
manufacturing efficiency. Specifically, the varying sizes. be welded on both sides, the flexibility
company sought to increase productivity and reach of MotoSweep allowed a single
in the manufacturing of walking beams CHALLENGES robot to accomplish the welds, saving the
and frame bases, essential components in Increase throughput by 65 percent, expense of a second robot.
its pump jack artificial lift systems that are compared to previous production operations
used to extract crude oil from the ground. WALKING BEAMS
Improve weld quality A two-station arc welding cell was
While the design of pump jack systems Accommodate ten different sizes of designed to manufacture the walking
hasnt changed significantly in 60 years, the walking beams beams. The cell features two extended
company realized it needed to change how reach MA3100 robots and two MHT-3100
it manufactures walking beams and frame SOLUTION headstock/tailstock (HS/TS) positioners.
bases in order to remain competitive and
FRAME BASE The HS/TS features a 6,300 kg (13,891.5 lb.)
control costs. Thats because, while the
The custom arc welding robotic system rated load, and a universal fixture that
frame bases are a single, standard size, the
designed to manufacture the frame accommodates a variety of beam sizes.
manufacturer produces walking beams in
base features a Motoman MA3100 The positioner motion is coordinated with
ten different sizes. The companys maximum
extended reach robot invert-mounted to a the robot(s) for welding of contoured parts.
walking beam size is 40" x 14" x 310" with a
MotoSweep overhead servo beam.
maximum weight of 6,740 lbs. ComArc, a through-the-arc seam tracking
This fully integrated system features a
It was determined that utilizing an function, follows the weld joint during
Miller Auto-Axcess weld package and
automated robotic welding solution in the welding by sensing the change in current
cell guarding.
production of walking beams and frame while weaving. AccuFast, a non-contact
Specific welding programs are selected laser sensor, greatly reduces cycle time
bases was key to achieving the necessary
by using a bar-code reader located at the and provides faster search speeds by
operator station. eliminating wire cutting and wire deflection.
PROJECT RESULTS
Following a customer run-off to verify the The automated robotic welding solution The systems extended flexibility and reach,
effectiveness, quality and efficiency of the led to the manufacturer achieving its combined with the ability of its sensing
walking beam and base frame welding requirement of increasing throughput by functions to provide precise monitoring,
solutions, the manufacturer took delivery 65 percent in the production of frame drove improvements in weld quality,
and began its welding operations. bases and all ten sizes of walking beams. accuracy and cycle time.
motoman.com
METAL FABRICATION

Arc Welding
with Kinetiq Teaching
OVERVIEW Batch sizes of 50 to 300 parts were once Using Kinetiq Teaching allows operators
A full service metal fabrication shop and the norm, but customers are steadily to quickly program robots for new or
contract manufacturer improved weld reducing the number of parts per order. repeat jobs. In-depth programming
quality, throughput and lead times by This reduction in batch sizes requires knowledge is not required; operators
installing Kinetiq Teaching on a robotic more rapid fixture changes to weld simply guide the robot by hand to
welding system. An early adopter of robot different parts, which creates bottlenecks desired weld positions and determine
technology for spot welding and plasma in scheduling and maintaining production the welding parameters through a touch
cutting, the company utilizes eight robot flow through the robot welding cells. At screen interface. Kinetiq Teaching easily
welding systems. the same time, the company now runs facilitates changes in the torch angle
The company offers services from design 800 jobs weekly, operating two shifts a (6D motion) as the operator simply
to complete manufacturing, specializing in day, seven days a week. twists it in the orientation desired. Its
finished in-the-box products. Clients include Despite regular investment in staff simplified programming environment
firms in office furniture, transportation, training to enhance operator skills and allows operators to program tasks by
material handling, display systems, boost productivity, the company needed selecting icons from the teach pendants
consumer products, industrial machines, to further increase productivity without color touch screen, similar to a smart
medical equipment, electronics, military, adding costs for capital equipment, staff phone application.
automotive and aerospace sectors. or overtime.
CHALLENGES SOLUTION
Growth in Internet sales demanded Kinetiq Teaching, an intuitive direct
greater production efficiency, particularly teaching method, allows existing manual
in the rapid production of office furniture welders to quickly develop programming
components. As a result of customers skills to improve robot uptime and reduce
placing more orders online, batch sizes changeover time between batches.
and lead times are both decreasing while
the total number of orders is increasing.
PROJECT RESULTS
The companys president saw the potential changes to adapt to smaller batch runs able to create their first robot program in
of Kinetiq Teaching while attending a while the companys two robot technicians less than 15 minutes. The more operators
trade show and installed it on an existing perform more value-added work. First and utilized Kinetiq Teaching, the more rapidly
Motoman robot. This eliminated the need second shift operators learned within they learned: After four tries, operators
for a large investment in training for manual a few hours how to program robots using who had initially required an average of
welders to become robot programmers. Kinetiq Teaching; then the process accelerated nine minutes to program an operation were
significantly. After watching an instructor able to do so in five minutes.
By utilizing Kinetiq Teaching, manual
welders can program and make fixture perform a task just once, operators were
motoman.com
OIL AND GAS

Arc Welding
OVERVIEW CHALLENGES provides the flexibility to handle different

A manufacturer of radiators for the Increase production by running during part sizes and perform multiple processes
petroleum industry was faced with unsupervised shifts within the same workcell.
increased demand for its manifold Distinguish among various manifold sizes Both welding robots utilized
headers due to expanding oil and natural and position them accurately for welding Yaskawa Motomans through-the-arc
gas production. Its current header ComArc IV 200V TouchSense package.
manufacturing process, which involved Maintain high weld quality to ensure leak-
proof operation ComArc senses changes in current to
a team of skilled welders manually adjust welding weave and ensure
positioning and welding the several leak-proof welds without overwelding.
different models of headers before
SOLUTION
Yaskawa Motoman provided a triple- A remote monitoring software program
polishing the welds for painting, was unable
robot welding cell coordinated by a provided crucial alerts and current
to keep up with demand. With the high cost
single controller (triple robot control). production data anytime, anywhere, on
of skilled labor, the manufacturer needed
The cell consists of two Motoman any device.
to produce more parts without increasing
staff or overworking its current workforce. MA1900 welding robots and one Motoman
In addition, maintaining weld quality was HP600D material handling robot. Multiple
crucial to prevent manifold leaks that could robot control allows the robots to work
severely damage the attached engine together on the same task or perform
during operation. independent tasks with each arm.
Yaskawa Motoman suggested several The material handling robot, equipped
changes in manufacturing that would with a custom gripper designed for jigless
facilitate automation and developed a welding uses a non-contact AccuFast
complete robotic welding solution to laser sensing unit to detect part location.
automate the manufacturers manifold Jigless welding (using a material handling
header welding process. robot to move parts to the process)
PROJECT RESULTS
As the manufacturer required, production The remote monitoring system monitors equipment costs. Yaskawa Motoman also
of manifold headers now takes place in the robots for 6.5 hours of unattended, programmed the robots to perform paint
three shifts, around-the-clock, including lights-out operation between staffed shifts, preparation grinding after welding, further
times when workers arent present. sending notifications via email if a fault reducing the required labor.
Accufast and ComArc sensing technology condition such as missing arc or low weld Today, the manufacturer uses its triple
reduce cycle times while ensuring accurate gas occurs. robot arc welding solution to market
weld placement on all manifold models to Using a single controller to coordinate against their competition.
provide leak-proof, high-quality welds. three robots saves floorspace and reduces
motoman.com
TRANSPORTATION

Arc Welding
OVERVIEW CHALLENGES of robot cells, is used to optimize robot

A long-haul truck trailer manufacturer Decrease time required to complete and equipment placement, as well as
was facing difficulties with its process component welds. to perform collision detection, reach
to weld large, heavy trailer components. modeling and cycle calculation. Off-line
Maintain critical weld-quality requirements robot programming was completed in
The process, which included layering while layering multiple steel sheets to
multiple steel sheets to the required parallel with the system manufacturing
required thicknesses and adjusting to build.
thickness, typically took 30 to 60 minutes variations in parts.
for a trained welder to complete. With AccuFast, a non-contact laser seam
the combined weight of finished parts Reach the entire part without the expense finder, and ComArc, a through-the-arc
reaching approximately 10,000 pounds, of a track or a second robot. seam tracker, are used to locate part
workers were having trouble maneuvering variations and adjust the welding process
the parts while maintaining weld quality.
SOLUTION accordingly to maintain weld quality.
Also, contoured parts, long seams and Yaskawa Motoman designed four robot
The robot controllers built-in Multi-Layer
tiny variations between parts required welding cells with one extended-reach
function simplifies programming for the
the welder to make adjustments during Motoman MA3100 arc welding robot and
required multi-layer welding. As the first
welding. one Motoman MH50-20 material handling
layer is welded, the path is corrected using
robot per cell; both robots in each cell are
The manufacturer had previously the sensor data. The corrected path is
controlled by a single Motoman DX100
considered automating the welding stored, and the jobs for succeeding layers
controller. Multiple robot control allows
process, but didnt have the budget for are created automatically based on the
both robots to work together on the same
tracks or multiple robots per station saved path.
task or perform independent tasks with
required to position and weld the large
each arm.
components.
Yaskawa Motomans MotoSim off-line
To address these problems, the
programming software was utilized during
manufacturer turned to Yaskawa Motoman
the design and build phases. MotoSim,
for an automation solution.
a comprehensive software package
that provides accurate 3D simulation
PROJECT RESULTS
The robotic arc welding systems reduced The extended-reach Motoman robots Automating the welding process allowed
cycle time and increased efficiency while provide the extension and handling the manufacturer to reduce staffing on the
maintaining the high standard of weld capacity for the full range of parts operation from four workers to one. Three
quality required. produced, without the need for tracks or workers were reallocated to other value-
AccuFast, ComArc and Multi-Layer additional robots. This saved equipment added tasks.
software ensure accurate, high weld quality costs while providing the reach required to
for contoured parts, long seams and weld the large components.
part variations.
motoman.com
METALS

Arc Welding
OVERVIEW SOLUTION
A bridge component manufacturer was Additionally, any robotic welding system Yaskawa Motoman provided one
seeking a quicker and more efficient way would have to compensate for the tiny Motoman MH50-20 robot with a Miller
to manufacture its steel cross frames. The variations in size from one cross frame Auto-Axcess 450 welder and a Dinse
cross frames are built to be bolted in- to the next where the bridge bends and water-cooled torch. This arc welding
between the steel girders that run parallel pitches. Yaskawa Motoman was the only system features two AccuFast
to the flow of traffic, adding structural robotic automation company able to non-contact seam finding sensors to
integrity and support to the bridge. The address these two issues. locate gaps and to ensure accurate weld
manufacturers welding process for the placement. The two AccuFast sensors
cross frames was all manual. With part CHALLENGES were mounted at 90 degrees from each
dimensions of 8 feet by 12 feet and weights Develop an interface capable of accepting other and allowed rapid searching of the
up to 2,000 pounds, welders had to spend information in two-dimensional format frames to truss nodes. Two Motoman
a significant amount of time using an Produce consistent welds among series of MHT3100 positioners securely hold parts
overhead crane to position the part from cross frames with varying sizes during welding and quickly position parts
one weld to the next. between welds.
Accurately position and weld large
The manufacturer had previously steel components with weights up to A custom interface allows information
considered automating its cross frame 2,000 pounds to be added to robot programming from
welding process. But with the two- two-dimensional designs in a recipe-style
dimensional standard in drafting bridge Decrease process time to allow setup. The program saves all dimensions,
designs, most robotic welding systems manufacturer to be more competitive requiring the operator to enter only the
required an engineer to complete the changed dimensions when a subsequent
expensive and lengthy process of converting cross member has a slight variation in
the designs into a three-dimensional format size. The custom interface also allows the
before the information could be added operator to vary the program for different
into the robotic welding program. size and shape frames, adapting to
high-mix and low-volume batches.
PROJECT RESULTS
After installing the equipment, a part Now, a single operator loads and unloads With shorter cycle times requiring less
runoff was completed to verify effective the pre-tacked cross frames for final welding manpower to complete, the manufacturer
operation. Yaskawa Motoman provided in the two-station robot cell. This system was able to reduce its costs per part and
on and off-site training, and continual allowed the manufacturer to reduce cycle gain a competitive edge.
technical support to ensure success. times for its steel cross frames to 20 minutes
per part, a significant reduction from the
time- and labor-intensive manual process.
motoman.com
ACS-136 2014 YASKAWA AMERICA, INC. OCTOBER 2014 Tel: 937.847.6200 | Fax: 937.847.6277 MOTOMAN IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK
motoman.com
MOTOMAN IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE 100 Automation Way | Miamisburg, OH 45342 ALL OTHER MARKS ARE THE TRADEMARKS AND
YR-109-B 2014 YASKAWA AMERICA, INC. OCTOBER 2014 Tel: 937.847.6200 | Fax: 937.847.6277 REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF YASKAWA AMERICA, INC.

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CASE STUDIES:

ROBOTIC ARC WELDING

Construction Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Petroleum Extraction Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Oil and Gas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

CHALLENGES SOLUTION payload total). Span between headstock/

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

CHALLENGES Miller Auto-Axcess 450-Amp power FIXTURES/TOOLING

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

CHALLENGES (3) Fronius Robacta Twin Compact FIXTURES/TOOLING

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

OVERVIEW The manufacturer identified the need to A custom-designed hydraulic tool on

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

OVERVIEW CHALLENGES provides the flexibility to handle different

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

OVERVIEW CHALLENGES of robot cells, is used to optimize robot

Yaskawa Motoman Case Study:

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