TRUE INNOVATION: A scan system with real time seam tracking.
When considering the scanner systems implemented in industry today the majority of applications have been realized for overlap joint configuration, which is less sensitive to positioning errors.
However as carmakers are striving for shorter flanges in their body components also welding of fillet seams is demanded as it allows to decrease flange size and also offers other process advantages. For zinc coated materials fillet seam configuration – in contrast to overlap welding – allows welding with zero-gap, which eliminates time and cost intensive measures to create a controlled gap. Furthermore, quality assessment can be achieved in a more direct manner for fillet seams as their surface topography can be directly measured
In order to process fillet seams, a robust and accurate detection and following of the edge of the top sheet, is required. Blackbird Robotersysteme has developed a scan system enhanced by a co-axial illumination and camera with integrated seam tracking functionality – the so called “Weldeye” concept.
The system combines the accuracy required for processing of fillet seams with all of the advantages of robotic scanner welding.
- Robust seam tracking with an accuracy of typically 0.1 mm (at 100Hz)
- High flexibility through omnidirectional processing and large standoff of almost 0.5 meters
- Maximum efficiency through minimized robot movements and jump times