WELD PROCESS WATCH DOG

Sniff out your bad welds with WeldHound. This new weld "tracker" provides comprehensive monitoring and reporting on critical aspects of the welding process and also automates recordkeeping for Motoman (West Carrollton, OH ) robotic welding cells. WeldHound is simple, easy to use and economical. This hardware and software package is designed to aid plant personnel in applying welding fundamentals required to produce good welds.

Welding codes and most ISO quality documents specify that a joint be welded and then tested to verify its acceptance. The parameters used to produce the passing weld joint are documented on a Procedure Qualification Record (PQR). Many codes specify an allowable range for essential variables (amps, volts, travel speed, etc.). Manufacturers should have a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) which lists the range of variables that can be used to produce a given weld. This is based on the PQR data used to produce the tested part plus/minus the allowable percentage of the variable.

WeldHound provides a simple "learn" mode to record welding parameters, then automatically generates a PQR, assuming weld acceptance. WeldHound also automatically generates the WPS by applying pre-defined limits of essential variables. Reports are in HTML format and can be accessed via a web browser from a laptop or PC at the welding cell or any networked PC via an Ethernet connection. Data from multiple robot cells can be accessed from a single PC if the cells are networked.

WeldHound verifies each part's adherence to the WPS during production. For each part, welds are identified as within or outside of WPS limits. Based on this result, the welding cell can be programmed to alert the operator to prompt for inspection. The history of weld results can be viewed remotely via web browser. Limits can be placed on weld set-points to alert supervisors via e-mail if programmed values are changed beyond limit values.

WeldHound tracks a comprehensive choice of welding process parameters, including (both programmed and actual) robot speed, amps, volts, and wire feeder speed. Optional sensors can be used to monitor gas flow rate and measured weld wire speed (using a tachometer on the weld wire).

Additionally, it monitors limits for weld (ARC-ON) time to eliminate welds which are too short and also monitors heat input for a broader spectrum of parameters.

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Motoman, 805 Liberty Lane, West Carrollton, OH 45449, 937-847-6200, www.motoman.com.