Design and Fabrication of Computer Numerical Controlled 3-Axis Welding Manipulator for Automotive Industries

The quality, a main issue in deciding the service life of the fabricated components in automotive industries is to be concentrated with extra care. The quality is achievable, if the processes involved in the operation are controlled suitably. Automation of any welding process is essential to control the welding process parameters and to achieve high production rate with desirable quality in automotive applications. Welding speed is an important process parameter thataffecting the weld quality significantly. Also, Researchers always control the welding speeds within the required speed levels. Hence a separate automation is required to be developed for achieving different welding speeds. Welding manipulator is a device to control the welding speed in an effective manner. Due to the availability of computer assisted controls which playing their important impacts in the field of automotive, the numerical controller is a main source to befocused for obtaining automation in any field. In this work a welding manipulator is developed and fabricated with interfacing computer numerical controllers to control the welding speeds along with other two axis motion. The developed manipulator was designed, fabricated and calibrated for the effective working and found satisfactory. This set up is capable of controlling the welding speed in a very effective manner and thereby help to achieve various benefits in termsof welding automation in automotive industries.