Automatic Path and Program Generation for Fixtureless Welding with Two Synchronized Robots

In industrial series production, path welding is an important joining process, which is often automated by the use of robots. In single-part production, however, corresponding automation solutions quickly become uneconomical. Conventional programming of welding robots and individually designed component fixtures do not meet the necessary demand for flexibility and adaptability. These weak points form the starting point for the work described in this paper. As a result, a production cell with two robots was created in which components to be machined are picked up without fixtures and the robot programs are generated automatically. For this purpose, the components to be welded are first scanned using a laser scanner, then the geometric contours are modeled in a simulator and the synchronous movements of the robots are generated. Further scans of the components improve the path accuracy for the final welding process.