Abstract
The robotic $CO_2$ welding is a manufacturing process to produce high quality joints for metal and it could provide a capability of full automation to enhance productivity. Despite the widespread use in the various manufacturing industries, the full automation of the robotic $CO_2$ welding has not yet been achieved partly because the mathematical model for the process parameters of a given welding task is not fully understood and quantified. Several mathematical models to control welding quality, productivity, microstructure and weld properties in arc welding processes have been studied. However, it is not an easy task to apply them to the various practical situations because the relationship between the process parameters and the bead geometry is non-linear and also they are usually dependent on the specific experimental results. Practically, it is difficult, but important to know how to establish a mathematical model that can predict the result of the actual welding process and how to select the optimum welding condition under a certain constraint. In this research, an attempt has been made to develop an intelligent algorithm to predict the weld geometry (top-bead width, top-bead height, back-bead width and back-bead height) as a function of key process parameters in the robotic $CO_2$welding. To achieve this above objective, Taguchi method was employed using five different process parameters (tip gap, gas flow rate, welding speed, arc current, welding voltage) as a guide for optimization of process parameters.
