Investigation of heat conduction welding process of L-shaped sheet metal parts for machine tools based on mortise and tenon joint without a supporting jig using a laser welding robot

Abstract

This study was performed to construct a new production system involving use of a fiber laser welding robot for welding of sheet metal parts of machine tools. Production technology with automation of the welding process is indispensable to produce competitive sheet metal parts, even in high-mix, low-volume production. On the other hand, robot welding requires a jig to temporarily assemble and fix multiple sub-parts. However, there can be problems if the number of jigs is increased too much. Here, to develop a jig-less automation system, the layout of laser irradiation to the 90°butt corners of the L-shape and the introduction of tenon joints to fix temporary joints were investigated.