A Stuy on Automatic Seam Tracking of Arc Welding Using an Laser Displacement Sensor

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Welding systems cannot adapt to changes in the joint geometry which may occur due to a variety of reason. Automatic seam tracking technigue is essential to adjust the welding torch position in real time as it moves along the seam. Automatic tracking system must keep the welding speed constant unrelation to the change of the welding path. Therefore, the information from the laser displacement sensor must be converted into the input to operate the X-Y table and to rotate the desired torch position by proposed algorithm. In this research, laser displacement sensor is used as a seam finder in the automatic tracking system. X-Y moving table manipulated by ac servo motor controls the position and velocity of the torch-and-sensor part. DC motor controls the position and velocity of the torch. X-Y table controls the position of sensor and relative position of torch is controlled by dc motor which is mounted at sensor-and-torch part. Sensor is always ahead of torch to preview the weld line. From the experimental results, we could see the possiblity that the laser displacement sensor can be used as a seam finder in welding process and that the seam tracking system controlled by proposed algorithm is well done.