In this contribution we present a robot assistant consisting of a mobile platform and a manipulator to support manual workplaces in production environments. We propose a general definition of robot assistants. Two applications for the robot assistant rob@work are described – the assembly of hydraulic pumps and the assistance of manual gas metal arc welding (GMAW). A description of the hardware ...

In the automotive industry, a barrier to widespread implementation of friction stir welding (FSW) for aluminum joining is the perceived need for high cost, custom capital machinery. The reason for this perception is that the FSW process requires relatively large forces that commonly used automation machinery (e.g. an industrial robot) has difficulty producing. Further complicating the issue, is...

Industrial technology programs around the country must be sensitive to the demands of manufacturing and industry as they continue to replace “vocational” curriculum with high-tech alternatives. This article examines whether or not teaching oxyacetylene welding in the industrial technology classroom is required to learn arc welding processes. The results of this study suggests that there appears...

This paper is a summary of master thesis written in the fall of 2015 in the department of Product Development in Jonkoping University in Sweden as a part of a research project with focus on the implementation and management of systems for design automation and design for manufacturing. It includes an implementation with the aim of enhancing a system currently in operation at an aerospace suppli...

Today, the competitive environment of the knowledge age has been replaced with the competitive environment of the industrial age as the rules of the business world are changing completely. The focused issue is to reach to the knowledge as soon as possible, and to process and apply it rapidly. In this context, one of the important goals that the companies try to reach in order to achieve acceler...

Resistance welding is an electrothermic process commonly used in Industry for joining sheet metal, particularly steel, in applications such as automobile bodies and chassis assemblies. The method is suitable for partial or total automation, and is very reliable. However, as with any process, problems can occur and inspection is therefore necessary. Although ultrasonic inspection of spot welds h...