More on Automated Welding in the Military
, by Jim Ryan, 1 min reading time
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We noted that the Army had moved toward robotics for the welding needs it has in its vehicle production. Last month Michael Bell of Pemamek had an article on Accurate Data Collection for Welding Process Reporting to the Military at SME's website. It seems that "Manufacturing for the military requires the capture of an immense amount of detail from the conceptual stage to the finished product." Welds are no exception, and apparently automated welding dovetails nicely with the automation of the collection of data pertaining to the welds. Bell says,
On the other hand, when doing manual welds, the welder may take a break but there is no documentation as to where, when and how long the break took. There is no record of the stop and start point of the weld, whether a void was created or the degree of adhesion.
Moreover, in automation, "The scans perform a double-duty of sorts—then ensure a stable repeatable welding process and capture the process data every step of the way."
The article provides illustrations of these ideas, primarily from contractors for the Navy.