Download Finding “Good Robot Applications”

Finding “Good Robot Applications”
Who are Good Prospects?
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Using a pallet/month of spooled wire?
Using cylinder Ar?
3 Welders doing “bench work”?
Asking for 3 new manual welding machines?
Has upstream CNC equipment or Laser?
Willing to change?
Evaluating a Robot Opportunity:
• We want to focus on Opportunities that are
– Technically sound: Can we weld it?
– Defined decision path: Is it a good investment?
– Good Business Decision: Does it help grow the
business?
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Can We Weld it?
1. How good are the parts?
• Automation works best when we can present a
consistent, weldable joint to the robot.
• The manual welder’s strength is JUDGMENT
• The robot’s strength is REPEATABILITY
• The hardest thing for a robot to handle is GAPS
What to look for
• Ask how the parts are made upstream from the
welding area. Look for CNC equipment, Lasers,
etc to produce a consistent part
• Hand cut parts, manual press brakes without backgages, “profile” parts like C-Channel are all warning
flags
• ASK THE WELDER if he sees gaps or what he
fights with to maintain the expected tolerances
• Can a man weld it with his eyes closed?
Simple Part Repeatability
•As a rule of thumb, weld joint repeatability in all three
planes should equal 1/2 times the wire diameter
•(ie .045”wire should have +/- .023” repeatability).
•Gaps (if any) must be consistently sized, located and
weldable (half or less of the material thickness)
•Greater variance may require adaptive type robot
controls or procedures
- Touch sensing
- Through the Arc Seam Tracking (TAST)
- Adaptive Welding
What if the parts vary?
• Touch Sensing
– Requires additional cycle time and hardware
– High Voltage available for Aluminum, scaly
plate
• Through arc Seam Tracking
– Requires weaving, lower speeds, two weld
edges
– Extra hardware and training required, but
works well
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Can the customer Change the Design?
Design away from outside corners
• Gap with no backing
will usually vary:
– formed parts won’t
repeat
– cut lengths will vary
– sheet flatness will
vary
– cutting process will
vary
Pictures courtesy of Genesis Systems Group
Joint Design: OEM’s can change
Alternative Design
“Wrap to Lap”
Pictures courtesy of Genesis Systems Group
Joint Design Alternative
Alternative Design
“Flange to a flare”
Pictures courtesy of Genesis Systems Group
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Torch Access
Unable to reach
below this port
for a leak-free
weldment.
Possible Design
Alternative.
A weld in this area
will be free from
the cylinder ports
Pictures courtesy of Genesis Systems Group
Part Design: Tab & Slot
Is It A Good Investment?
• Not all manufactures have the same criteria for
justification, some are easy and some hard
• Not all robot buyers can handle the technology
once they get it
• However, there are patterns
Investment Evaluation
• Ask the questions and understand your process.
– Timeline
– Motivation
– Justification
Give the “Flinch Test”
• There is no point debating or designing the
$150K solution to the $40K problem
Different Solution
$$$$$ Solution
$$ Solution
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Alternate Solution
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Complex Solution
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Crawl, Walk, then Run
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Payback
• Find out what is required. Not everyone needs
an MBA style payback/ROI calc.
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“Thumbnail” Economics
• Average manual welder
has 20-30% arc-on time
• With 2 station concept,
Robot has 60-90% arc-on
time
• Productivity gain is
typically 2.5 - 3 : 1
• Direct Labor Savings: 2
salaries per shift
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Cultural Evaluation of Your Organization
• Choose the best culture below:
– “I have a laser and other CNC equipment. How can
a Robot improve my productivity?
– “The robot has to do exactly what the man does
now. I’m not changing anything.”
• Is the culture a WINNER or a future problem?
Make it “Easy”
Weld Navigator
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Customer Evaluation
• Winners grow their skills, take responsibility for
the cell, and are on a continuing path of
squeezing the variations out of their
manufacturing process.
• Winners have realistic expectations, and realize
that to get anywhere, it takes work.
Summary: Evaluating an Application
• LOOK UPSTREAM! Are the parts being made
on CNC equipment?
• LOOK AT THE WELD JOINT! Inconsistent fit
up (gaps) are a problem Could the welder weld
it “with her eyes closed”?
• LOOK AT THE VOLUME! Is there enough
welding to keep 3 people busy? Will we need
hundreds of fixtures?