Six-axis robots automate friction welding

A pair of versatile, six-axis robots are being supplied to a friction welding machine company to automate a friction welder, which will produce commercial vehicle components in China.

KUKA robots have been chosen to automate a friction welding machine which is being used to produce commercial vehicle components in China.

The versatile, six-axis robots were supplied to Thompson, the established manufacturer of friction welding machines, by KUKA Automation + Robotics.

The pair of KR500 robots, the largest in KUKA's range, are responsible for loading parts for truck rear axle housings weighing 180kg from an input conveyor into the Thompson double-ended Model 125 machine.

After the friction welding process is complete, the robots then unload the welded components onto an output conveyor for the next stage of the manufacturing operation.

The KUKA robots were chosen to provide a flexible and versatile handling system to fit seamlessly into the Chinese manufacturer's production line.

Each robot is capable of handling a 500kg payload and has an impressive reach of up to 3326mm.

The Thompson friction welding machine also includes a shear flash removal facility, portable, touch-screen operator control console and a computerised weld monitoring system for recording weld data.

"KUKA was pleased to be involved with this project and delighted to work closely with Thompson to ensure the best solution possible was produced for its customer.

The automated handling system using KUKA robots proved to be more cost-effective than a traditional gantry method," explained Paul Richards, KUKA's general sales manager.

Thompson, which shares the same Halesowen HQ as KUKA, has secured a significant number of orders for its friction welding machines in recent months from component makers in Europe, Scandinavia, South America and the Far East.

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