The Design and Fabrication of an Automated Shear Stud Welding System

Stud welding is a process used in the construction industry to anchor concrete slabs to underlying steel substructures . This process is highly repetitive and, thus, a good candidate for automation. A robotic device, the Studmaster , has been developed which will automate stud welding currently done in the construction of industrial buildings. This machine, currently controlled by a microcomputer , utilizes a loading and welding mechanism which is fully actuated by only three pneumatic cylinders and one mechanical relay. This mechanism is mounted on a carriage which is manually indexed to each weld site by a human operator . An proposed version of Studmaster , costing $25 ,000 and using a single operator, is more productive than a crew of two using existing equipment and would pay for itself in eight months.