#Industry News
Optical Seam Tracking
Automatic seam tracking improves welding processes
General Situation
In welding processes, the correct position of the welder is critical for the quality of the weld bead. Traditionally the welders are not guided at all or are a mechanical pin is used to guide the welder. These pins only guide in x position, the height of the welder is often not known, and the current can be not optimal. The pins often get stuck or brake. A non-contact optical measurement system will not have these problems, but will also deliver x and z position for the welder to use.
Challenge
Optical weld seam tracking is real-time tracking of the position where the weld is going to be applied. With the guidance of Quelltech Q4-60 Laser Scanner, a robot or machine can adjust its path accordingly. During this guiding, it is also possible to adjust several parameters like driving speed, wire feed speed or current to keep optimal weld bead formation. Thanks to these adjustments, seam tracking has fewer spatters, continuous bonds and uniform heat level. Unlike tactile probes, non-contact optical seam tracking can be programmed to track just the welding seam and skip the tack welds that would throw any tactile-based system off.
QuellTech Solution
Contactless QuellTech Laser Scanners using the help of dedicated tracking software can extract the coordinates to be applied in real time. Based on the selected algorithm, it is possible to track middle and upper or lower corners of the gaps depending on the need. In QuellTech, we can design and produce task-specific, tailored laser scanners on demand which enables us to create solutions from very small gaps to large multi-layer weld gaps.
Benefits for the Client:
The client can get the advantage of better seam quality, faster path completion, accurate seam positioning, fewer errors from thermal warping using automatic seam tracking systems.
