Kinetic Technologies Boosts Cobot Welding With Modular Positioners
Kinetic Technologies has expanded its products and services with a new family of modular headstock-tailstock positioners geared toward making welding cobots faster and more accurate.
Developer of welding cobot accessories Kinetic Technologies has released a modular headstock-tailstock positioner family that aims to speed up the cobot welding process, even when welding complex geometries.
Cobot welding on an HT1 table. Image used courtesy of Kinetic Technologies
Headstock and Tailstock Positioners
Positioning parts for welding modern components is not as simple as it may have been in Welding 101 class. Rather than simply clamping a flat metal workpiece to a flat metal table, a headstock-tailstock positioner allows welders to position parts of much more complex shapes.
Furthermore, some positioners can be driven by servos to reposition the workpiece for easier welding. Instead of having to pick up and reclamp a workpiece multiple times, a positioner can dynamically rearrange the part, exposing the next surfaces to be welded. Using a positioner speeds up overall welding time and enhances safety, as a worker does not have to keep walking into the manufacturing cell to reposition the part manually.
Since a welding cobot can work in tandem with servo-driven positioners, welding time is maximized, cobot duty cycle increases, and ultimately, more welded parts leave the manufacturing cell.
Cobot performing a weld using an HT2 positioner. Image used courtesy of Kinetic Technologies
The HT1 and HT2 Modular Positioners
Kinetic Technologies has expanded its offerings with two new systems, the HT1 and HT2 Headstock-Tailstock Positioners. Both positioners allow for dynamic part positioning and increased welding speed. The servos allow for precise control, making welds accurate to within 0.005 of an inch.
The HT1 is the smaller of the two new positioners, designed for smaller parts or manufacturing facilities that require machines with a small footprint. It is 48 inches by 60 inches and can support a welder reach of up to 51 inches.
The HT2 is a larger version of the HT1. It has a footprint of 18 inches by 120 inches and can handle a cobot with a reach of up to 69 inches.
HT Positioner dimensions. Image used courtesy of Kinetic Technologies
Cobot Welding Productivity
At first glance, it is easy to overlook the importance of a good positioner. Cobots often get the spotlight, representing the future made into the present. However, a welding cobot can only be as accurate as the positioner which aligns the parts. Even the most advanced welding cobot cannot produce high-quality parts on a subpar welding surface.
Additionally, one cannot underestimate the potential for improving manufacturing cell safety. With complex geometries, a part may need to be repositioned multiple times, meaning either extra cobots are required to manipulate the part or a worker must enter the manufacturing cell and manually reposition. A high-quality positioner minimizes the number of times a worker must enter this cell, meaning there is less chance of a cobot collision and accidental arc exposure.
These are the types of problems that the HT1 and HT2 are designed to solve.
