Essentials For Producing The Perfect Robotic Weld
When trying to get the best results out of your robotic welding, it's important to remember that the small details matter just as much as the large details. While you must pay close attention to the robotic arm itself, you should also focus on issues such as using the right wire.
The Right Wire Used the Right Way
Robotic welding has very precise tolerances. Small variations in the feed can lead to welds that are unacceptable. Therefore, you must always use a wire that feeds carefully into the drive rolls and liner. The best wires to choose are the ones that are designed for use specifically in robotic welding. Metal-cored wire is one of the best options for robotic welding. Metal-cored wire is also much less likely to produce splatter.
In addition to using the right type of wire, you must monitor wire feeding. If the liner is too short, it can cause folding at the front and cause poor wire feeding and burnbacks. Also, when there is too much articulation of the weld gun, you might experience burnback.
The Right Contact Tips
Use small-diameter contact tips to avoid burnback. Some robotic welders assume that large-diameter contact tips will reduce the risk of burnback, but the opposite is true. The burnback results from the wire welding to the contact tip. The contact tip bore can increase during welding, especially when the tip wears out. The weld current transfer point varies, which can lead to microarching and can ultimately lead to burnback. If you use a tip somewhat smaller than the wire matched to it, you will get better results.
Program your robots based on the type of metal you will be working with. There are many critical differences between aluminum and steel. Aluminum can be tricky to weld because it is initially difficult to heat. However, once it does heat, it melts at a lower temperature. Robots may struggle to weld thick-to-thin sections because the heat tends to absorb into the thick section and causes it to not want to fuse to the thin section.
The Right Consumables
Use the right consumables. With robotic MIG welding, consumables play an important role in exposing the welding wire to an electrical current and shielding gas. When the robots are using the wrong consumables, you are more likely to experience burnback and arc start failures. But with the right practices, you'll be able to much more efficiently produce welds with robots.
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