robotic welding of aluminium - blue maritime cluster

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Robotic welding of aluminiumProfessor Olav Egeland

Seminar

Ålesund 2019-02-13

Norwegian University of Science and Technology 2

Robotics and Automation Group

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, NTNUProfessor Olav Egeland, Head of Group

Professors

• Olav Egeland: Production Automation

• Amund Skavhaug: Embedded Computer Systems

• Christian Holden: Subsea Control Systems

• Lars Tingelstad: Robotic Production

Lecturer

Kristine Thevik: Robotics and Mechatronics

Professor II

• Stig Pedersen, IIoT and Industry 4.0

• Gunleiv Skofteland, Offshore Control Systems

Research Engineer

• Dr. Adam Leon Kleppe


Quantec Robot Cell

Robot Cell for Heavy Welding and Assembly

• 2 Large 120 kg Robots

• 2 Welding Robots

• Fronius TransSteel MIG/MAG welding system

• Vision, Force Control

• Off-line Programming

• KUKA Industrial control system with ROS extension


Utfordringer med innføring av robotisert produksjon

Problemer med dagens teknologi:

• Proprietære protokoller

• Betydelig engineering av avanserte celler

• Tidkrevende kalibrering og igangkjøring

3D kamera

Robot-kontroller

PC

Seise-utstyr

GS

PLS

GS

GriperSikkerhets-utstyr

Frese-verktøy

Robot-kontroller

GS

Ethernet

EtherCAT

EtherCAT

EtherCAT

PROFINET

PROFINET

PROFINET

EtherCAT

Modbus

Robotcelle ved MTP


Industri 4.0:

Robot cell

Production Line World

Internet of Things Security

VisionSystemsAssembly

instructions

Operator

CAD-models

MonitorCloud Mobile app Internet

Main elements

• Cyber-physical systems with local intelligence

• Internet of Things

• Sensorer

• Digitale models

Main principles

• Open protocols for communication

• Local intelligence

• Automatic configuration

• Functional integration


Industri 4.0 for Norwegian Industry

Characteristics of Norwegian production:

• Small series, ETO

• Advanced products of high added value

• Specialized competence towards

– Maritime sector

– Oils and gas industry

– Renewable energy

– Fish farming

• Commercially available robotics is specialized for the automotive industry

• Norwegian industry requires

– Rapid changeover between different product variants

– Advanced robotic systems that are profitable for small series


Digital twin: A digital copy of a production line

• For simulation of production

• 3D graphics

Applications

• Planning and design of new production facilities

• Planning and design of layout of robot cells

• Planning og logistics and production of variants

• Supervision and control in real time

• Report generation:

– Product flow through production line

– Bottleneck reporting

– Product in internal storage

– Efficiency of machine centers

Machine Center 1

Storage Paint Line

Digital twins

Machine Center 2

Storage

https://youtu.be/HPRURtORnis?t=5m6s


Robot Technology Levels

Teach-Pendant

Programming

Offline Programming

Digital factories,

cyber-physical

systems and IoT

Simple tasks, small

batches

Advanced products, larger

batches

Technological

sophistication

Off-the shelf industrial technology Advanced industrial

technology

Next generation production

systems

Level of

Competence

Integration of CAD,

robotic production and

vision systems

Automatic one-piece

productionIndustry 4.0


KPN: Robotic welding of aluminium hulls

• Goal:

– New technology and methods for efficient robotic welding of large aluminium structures.

– Cost effective production of aluminium hulls in Norway

• Integration of CAD, ship design, robot programming and welding

• Improved control and documentation of welding process with possible design implications.

• Project Manager: Professor Olav Egeland, NTNU

• 4 PhD scholarships.

• Industry partners: Hydro, Fjellstrand, Leirvik, Digitread

• The project will use the new robotic welding lab of ManuLab

– Welding lab: 6.5 mill. NOK

– Industry 4.0 lab: 6 mill NOK

Project start: Q2 2019


Traditional geometry

with shear connectionFloating frameGeometry without

shear connection

±X

mm

Shear connection

using extra part

Alternative designs for welding of aluminium hulls


Welding of aluminium: Some challenges

• Aluminium deforms to a larger extent than steel under welding.

• Less material may be added than for steel

• Sensors are important to compensate for deformation

• The surface oxide has a high melting temperature and may cause reduce weld quality.

• Aluminium welds absorbs hydrogen

• Tracking of weld with pendulum motion is more difficult than for steel.

• The surface oxide makes touch sensing more difficult than for steel

• The aluminium surface is highly reflective, which is a challenge when robot vision and laser systems are used


Integrated Design, Production and Documentation

• Integration of CAD systems and 3D simulation tools are available for production lines and robots

– Siemens NX, Teamcenter and Tecnomatix Robot Expert

– Dassault: CATIA and Delmia

– Visual Components, KUKA.Sim, ABB Robot Studio

• Automatic production of product families based on CAD is possible

• Robot vision is used for calibration of geometry

• Welding parameters can be included in the CAD

• Metrology and documentation can be integrated


Industri

4.0 lab

• 5 Robots

• One collaborative robot with 7 joints

• Two 7DOF robots

• Two KUKA KR6 Agilus

New Robot Welding Lab at NTNU


AGV-lab

• 2 robots

• Each AGV has a 7DOF robot arm.


Robotic

Welding

• 8 robots

• MIG, TIG og CMT welding

• Grinding and polishing capability

ROBOTIC WELDING LAB

Large welding cell

• 1 stationary robot

• 1 robot on track

• Positioning table with 2 axes and 5 tonnes capacity.

Grinding and finishingcell

• 2 large KUKA KR120 robots with 2.5 m reach and 120 kg lifting capacity

• Closed area

robotic welding of aluminium - blue maritime cluster

Documents