Home > Services > Metal fabrication > Thermal joining / welding > Robotic welding

Robotic welding

Robotic welding services from Midwest Metal Fabrication.

There are two popular types of industrial welding robots. The two are articulating robots and rectilinear robots. Robotics control the movement of a rotating wrist operating in space. A description of one of these welding robots is described below:

• Articulating robots employ arms and rotating joints. These robots move like a human arm with a rotating wrist at the end. This creates an irregularly shaped robotic working zone.

To view details about our robotic welding services, please select one of the links below:

• Robotic welding overview
• Workpiece materials
• Inspection
• Other complementary services

Robotic welding overview

Midwest Metal Fabrication uses articulating welding robots to perform dimensionally critical, repetitive, high volume production. We set up our robotic welders in a series of production cells with one operator handling multiple robotic welders. Our operators program each robotic welder to place a series of welds in a precise, predetermined, pattern. We place the workpieces in a fixture fastened to a metal table.

We have 2 types of work robotic welding work cell configurations:

1. One configuration consists of left and right hand welding tables with the robot in the middle of the 2 tables. Our robot’s arm pivots to perform tasks on each table. Our operators remove finished parts from the fixtures one table and place the to-be-welded components back into the fixtures while the robot is performing welding functions on the other table. The operator moves back and forth between tables as the robot is performing the programmed welding functions on the other table.
   
   
2. The second welding configuration consists of a robotic welder situated in the middle of a circular rotating table welding table. The robot, with a fixed arm, is located in center of the welding table. We place the pieces to be welded in fixtures on the table and then the table rotates to the robotic arm which places the welds in the required locations. We program the robot to perform welding functions on one-half of the table area.

Our operators remove the finished parts or components from the fixtures on one half of the table and place the to-be-welded parts or components back into the fixtures as the welding function is being robotically performed on the other half of the table. As soon as the programmed welding functions are completed on one-half of the table, the table then rotates and our operators perform the same part removal and set up activities again on the other side.

Workpiece materials

Midwest Metal Fabrication routinely processes mild steel and high strength steel using our robotic welders. We are capable of using our robotic welders to join materials as thick as 2”.

We can accommodate components with maximum final dimensions of 30” long x 12” wide x 2” thick on our worktables.

Inspection

Midwest Metal Fabrication inspectors sample the first and last unit of each production run. We inspect the first component to determine if our jigs and fixtures have been correctly positioned to hold the workpieces and if the robotic welders are correctly programmed at the start of the run.

We sample the last unit to determine if there has been any deviation in the required tolerances. If our inspectors detect a change in the required tolerances, we then inspect the entire production run to determine which units need to be reworked.

Other complementary services

Midwest Metal Fabrication personnel can grind welds and paint finished components with weldable primer or finish coat. We also offer assembly services, if needed. Midwest Metal Fabrication personnel can affix product identifiers or stamp them onto a finished product or component.

Call us today at 1-219-931-3131, email us at sales@midwestmetalfabrication.com, or send a fax using 1-219-844-8512 to get a quick quote to help solve your heavy gauge steel fabricating problems.

Previous: << Pulse-on-pulse welding
Next: Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) >>