On the 13 June 2003 at the Fraunhofer Institute, in Magdeburg, the NOMAD consortium demonstrated the latest project developments in mobile robotic welding systems.
NOMAD is the name given to the Framework V project Autonomous Manufacture of Large Steel Fabrications. The project aims to develop a demonstration system capable of fabricating steel structures in the 5 to 50 tonne range without the need for special tooling and dedicatedcapital equipment. Members of the industrial press and consortium members attended the event which showed the system's current capabilities.
During the demonstration the vision system (IFF) recognised the component in the robot cell. By matching the real image with three-dimensional CAD data, the system located the part and identifed its position and orientation. Thesimulation system (Delfoi) then created the offline program and path data for the Robot arm (Reis Robotics) and RTV, Robot transport vehicle (Robosoft). The RTV approached the bridge component, (Nusteel Structures) and carried outrobot arm movements as if performing a weld. Even though the system is still being developed, only minor adjustments were needed for the demonstration to proceed smoothly and prove the high levels of integration.
All positional multipass welding procedures with adaptive control (TWI) and welding consumables (ESAB) are being developed within the project. These will be integrated into the system in time for the final demonstration, which willinclude the welding of an excavator stick (Caterpillar).
For further information visit www.nomadrobot.org/
