Overview

As an intern in the Manufacturing Technology Department, my research concerned the automation of welding defect detection and, ultimately, path correction while welding. Kawasaki Heavy Industries manufactures and uses multipurpose industrial arm robots, which can be equipped with a variety of end effectors. In my case, the robot served as an arc welding robot.

Automatic Welding Defect Detection

Researched and implemented methods for automatically detecting welding defects in AC/DC TIG and GMAW using industrial arm robots. This involved testing on steel or aluminum specimens, depending on the welding method used.

Automatic Robot Motion Correction and Tracking

Programmed logic (in AS language) for robot path correction while welding with either DC or AC TIG, particularly in response to defect detection and maintaining consistent arc lengths over curved or misaligned surfaces.