Thin Aluminum Welding Cell with CMT
Thin Aluminum Welding Cell with CMT Case Study
Project Details
- MESH designed, manufactured, integrated and started-up a custom engineered welding cell for welding .055” thin aluminum. Fronius CMT (Cold Metal Transfer) process was used to dramatically reduce burn through and control thermal extremes.
- Cell was used to weld service loop structures for fiber optics. Eliminating weld burn through was critical to ensure the service loop structure did not damage fiber optics.
Automation Equipment
- GEN0 MAC Cell with MAC controller
- Fronius TPS4000 power supply with CMT (Cold Metal Transfer)
- ABB IRB1600ID robot and IRBP R-300 positioner
- Abicor Binzel TCS-6 PP Torch Cleaning Station
- Cognex 2D barcode scanner
Fixturing
- Custom engineered quick change fixture.
- Fixture featured design elements to reduce weld induced stresses that if not taken would have increased cracks and warping in the product.
- Accommodated 10 different sized loops.
- Spatter shields were used as a layout template for changeover and were coated with a nonstick finish.
- Barcodes were riveted to the spatter shields so the cell automatically pulled up the correct program without operator intervention.
Final Project Outcome
Final Project Outcome
Productivity: Compared to an existing robotic welding cell, the customer saw an increase in production of ~55%
Quality: In addition to productivity, the amount of scrapped or reworked parts, due to burn through and cracked welds, dropped from roughly 35% to less than 5%.
Uptime/ Maintenance: The cell achieved an OEE of 92%. Additionally, scheduled PM took considerably less time.
Changeover Time: <5 Minutes
Other: Customer is ordering a second cell