Yaskawa’s Robot-based spot welding system with two 7-axis units: an all-in-one solution.
Yaskawa has developed a compact and flexible system for high-speed robot-based spot welding. The modular solution comprises a cell with a positioner and two spot welding robots, particularly lightweight spot welding guns, a nut welding machine and a full range of accessories.
A combination of high-performance components results in significantly faster cycle times in spot welding applications than with conventional solutions. At the same time, the design of the robot-positioning cell is so compact that it requires up to 40% less space than a comparable unit. A high degree of rebuilding flexibility from one product to the other makes for additional flexibility in production. The frontal ‘robot on board positioning of the manipulators allows simple removal of the component without interference contours.
Compact robots and spot welding guns
The heart of the unit is the 7-axis Motoman VS100 with a payload of up to 110 kg. The model has an additional tilting axis and offers a highly flexible working range. It can work close to workpieces and other robots, thus enabling flexible and space-saving system design. The additional axis and resulting added degree of freedom permits reorientation of the manipulator axes without changing the position of the spot welding gun. This enables the robot to reach deep into confined spaces or perform longer linear movements. The interference contour of the entire manipulator can be adapted by programming. This robot also contributes towards Yaskawa’s improvement strategies by downsizing tools, extending the working range in the direction of the robot body and using energy-efficient motors.
The robots are supported by the new generation of spot welding guns, which are distinguished by their extremely lightweight. They operate without a compressed air system and are of lightweight construction, making them an ideal complement to the compact robots. Energy consumption is accordingly lower. The deliberately simple design of the gun body, transformer and motor nevertheless guarantees a high degree of robustness. The lateral routing of cables improves the turning capacity of the robot hand and the standard version can be configured in many different ways.
Nut-welding machine as a supplement
A nut-welding machine that was also newly developed by Yaskawa rounds off the new range for robot-based welding processes. It consists of a welding construction that can be set in multiple positions and has an adjustable welding head. A Motoman MH5 handling robot automatically feeds the items to be welded, such as nuts, bushings and pins. This integration of all components in a standardised machine offers numerous advantages in terms of autonomy, performance, reliability, maintenance-friendliness and flexibility of the unit.
