May 6, 2019 - The Artificial Intelligence Pipe Welding System (AIPW) incorporates the 6-axis UR5 collaborative robot arm from Universal Robots to carry out the challenging welds. The AIPW officially launches at ARC Specialties’ booth 705 at the Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston, TX, May 6-9.
The AIPW pre-scans the root opening (gap) using a 2D laser, then uses the data to generate the robot path and welding parameters. Gap variations are compensated for with changes in oscillation, torch position, travel speed and welding conditions. The UR5 positions the torch over a tack weld to start the arc to insure 100% root weld acceptance. Fill and cap pass programs are optimized to fill the groove using user selectable weave or stringer bead welding techniques.
The AIPW uses the Miller Auto Continuum welding power supply to weld the root with Regulated Metal Deposition (RMD), then switches to pulsed spray for the fill and cap passes. The AIPW follows two other welding solutions featuring Universal Robots developed by ARC Specialties; the MIG welding SnapWeld and the plasma cutting SnapCut.
