Development of an Automated Wire Delivery System for Robotic Welding Applications

摘要

Our Phase 1 study showed new techniques and procedures are required formaintaining the delivery of filler wire into the weld pool for robotic variable polarity plasma arc welding (VPPAW) and gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding applications. Toward this end, the development and implementation of an autonomous wire delivery system appears very feasible utilizing existing proven technologies. In our Phase 1 research effort, we investigated the requirements necessary of a wire delivery system to assure a quality weldment. We also evaluated various sensing technologies for their ability to provide information related to delivery of the wire into the weld pool. Finally, we described the types of software necessary for the automatic wire delivery system. Several approaches for automating the wire delivery system have been suggested, and we recommend the building of a prototype system in our Phase 2 effort as a logical step in the application of this technology to robotic GTA and VPPA welding. Such a prototype would contain the necessary hardware components, sensors and control software for evaluating the performance of the system as applied to the berthing port, main engine and external fuel tank. This tool would be used to demonstrate the worth and plausibility of automating the wire delivery system for each of these applications.