along with manual SMAW. For the effective application of robotization, it is necessary to use computer simulations. The aim of welding process simulation is to verify the configuration of the welding parameters and conditions without performing expensive specific welds. The principle of simulation is to replace the real system with a computer model. The experiments carried out using the computer model can be simultaneously validated and their solutions optimized before being applied in the real system (Refs. 1–4). The Experiment This part of the article describes the technology and methods used in the experiment. Before performing the experiment, it was necessary to determine which of the company’s products would be used, since the company’s portfolio of products is very wide. After considering all the reasons, it was decided to perform the experiment on the frame for the lifting forks with a size of 1212 ¥ 866 mm (48 ¥ 34 in.)and a total weight of 192 kg (87 lb). Because the available times to produce the part were not up to date, new measurements of the production times for manufacturing the frame were performed. It was suggested utilization of a welding robot would reduce the production time. Experiments were conducted that focused on reducing the time for welding the lifting fork frames. Decreasing the overall production time is important not only in terms of production efficiency (increased production, reduced associate time), but mainly for reducing the overall production costs. The experiment was conducted in the following three stages: • Measurement of the production time of a frame for lifting forks • Proposal and implementation of the solution • Program testing. Welding Process KOVACO uses an inverter-type welding machine for GMAW. It uses a ternary mixture with the composition of 90.5% Ar, 7% CO2, and 2.5% O2 as shielding gas. The filler metal, which is in the form of a welding wire, is placed on a cylindrical roll. Chemical composition of the filler metal is shown in Table 1. Mechanical properties of the filler metal for the GMAW process are listed in Table 2. A FANUC Robotics Arc Mate 120 iC/10L welding robot was used to weld Table 1 — Chemical Composition of Filler Metal for GMAW (Ref. 5) TD Δ C Si Mn P S Cu Cr Mo Ni V Heat (mm) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 13256 1.2 0.080 0.850 1.460 0.011 0.011 0.140 0.060 0.010 0.020 0.003 Table 2 — Mechanical Properties of Filler Metal for GMAW (Ref. 5) Average Average Average Average Yield Tensile Elongation Impact Strength Strength Strength TD Heat Quality TD(a) (MPa) (MPa) (%) (J) 13256 MAK 10 470 570 28 80 (40° C) MARCH 2016 / WELDING JOURNAL 55 (a) Quality TD — quality of product (TD — designation of the product, for example MAK 10) Notes: According to AWS A5.18 ER70S6/ EN ISO 14341AG 42 4 C1/M21 3Si1. Table 3 — Basic Technical Parameters of the Arc Mate 120 iC/10L Welding Robot (Ref. 7) Axis: J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 Controlled axis 6 — — — — — — Controller R30iA — — — — — — Max. load capacity at wrist (kg) 10 — — — — — — Repeatability (mm) ± 0.1 — — — — — — Mechanical weight (kg) 250 — — — — — — Reach (mm) 2009 — — — — — — Motion range (deg) — 340/370 260 460 400 360 900 Maximum speed (deg/s) — 195 175 180 400 400 600 Moment (Nm) — — — — 22 22 9.8 Inertia (kg/m2) — — — — 0.63 0.63 0.15 IP Rating IP 54 — — — — — —
Welding Journal | March 2016
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