Construction and design
The welding unit is designed by Laser Machining Inc. AB in Nås together with JE RobotTeknik och Automation AB in Gnosjö.
The IPG YLS-3000-U fiber laser is, as the name suggests, a fiber laser. The laser produces a high output of concentrated and amplified light with a wavelength of 1070 nanometers. This light beam, when focused through a lens, has such a high output that it can vaporize, melt or thermally change the structure of the material. To control the process, the laser is controlled with the ABB Robot control system supplied by JE Robotteknik AB.
The roof and walls of the cell are double-walled and monitored by KUKA LaserSpy beam monitoring. The LaserSpy system ensures that the emergency stop circuit is immediately tripped if any laser radiation leaves the first layer of the closure, interrupting all movements and laser emissions.
RexWeld robot cell
RexWeld Laser Welding is a Class 1 robot cell that uses an ABB robot control system to move the IPG focusing unit and a custom-built 2-axis positioner inside the cell. An integrated vision system in the focusing unit enables precise and accurate adjustment of welding positions. The front door, which is equipped with a large-screen TV for monitoring, opens and closes automatically for loading and unloading of welding parts.
The ABB Robot system is the superior one and has control over the vision system, positioning and laser system as well as safety closure of the robot cell. The operator in turn controls the process from a customized interface (“HMI”, Human-Machine Interface) on the side-mounted touchscreen. From this interface it is possible to edit all the parameters that affect the welding process, from ramp-ups and ramp-downs to power settings and signal timing.
The interface also has a module for order management and quantity counting.
Argon or Nitrogen is used as a shielding gas in the welding process and is also monitored by the control system.
The welding process takes place in a Class 1 robotic cell which, using safety switches, prevents laser radiation from leaving the workstation.
