The torch orientation plays an important role in welding a lap joint. This paper proposes a torch orientation planning method for planar lap joint. In this method, the seam coordinates are firstly generated based on the visual servoing approach. The rotation matrix describing the torch orientation is calculated at each seam point according to the geometrical contains of the torch, which is set according to welding conditions and the arrangement of the workpiece. The rotation angle increments used to adjust the torch orientation is then calculated. A curve seam was used to validate this method. The robot movement experiments prove the torch can be automatically adjusted to the desired orientation when the robot moves the torch along the seam using the generated seam coordinates.
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