Investigation of path compensation methods for robotic friction stir welding
Abstract
Purpose
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a novel method for joining materials without using consumables and without melting the materials. The purpose of this paper is to present the state of the art in robotic FSW and outline important steps for its implementation in industry and specifically the automotive industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This study focuses on the robot deflections during FSW, by relating process forces to the deviations from the programmed robot path and to the strength of the obtained joint. A robot adapted for the FSW process has been used in the experimental study. Two sensor‐based methods are implemented to determine path deviations during test runs and the resulting welds were examined with respect to tensile strength and path deviation.
Findings
It can be concluded that deflections must be compensated for in high strengths alloys. Several strategies can be applied including online sensing or compensation of the deflection in the robot program. The welding process was proven to be insensitive for small deviations and the presented path compensation methods are sufficient to obtain a strong and defect‐free welding joint.
Originality/value
This paper demonstrates the effect of FSW process forces on the robot, which is not found in literature. This is expected to contribute to the use of robots for FSW. The experiments were performed in a demonstrator facility which clearly showed the possibility of applying robotic FSW as a flexible industrial manufacturing process.
Keywords
Citation
De Backer, J., Christiansson, A., Oqueka, J. and Bolmsjö, G. (2012), "Investigation of path compensation methods for robotic friction stir welding", Industrial Robot, Vol. 39 No. 6, pp. 601-608. https://doi.org/10.1108/01439911211268813
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited