Evaluation of the 2-Axis Movement of a 5-Axis Gantry Robot for Welding Applications

Abstract

The development of technology in fabrication and manufacturing systems is increasing nowadays. The use of robots as mediators to assemble all kinds of product has become a new challenge in this era, and robotic welding technology is now the choice for certain automotive industries to produce their vehicle products. This research will develop an artificial robot welder with a type of gantry robot as a training prototype to gain more in-depth knowledge of industrial robots. The purpose of the paper is to develop an initial welding robot system, focusing on evaluation of the 2-axis movement of X and Y. The robot's movement will be controlled by a microcontroller, and its level of accuracy and repeatability will be measured a by Faro Arm Portable Coordinate Measuring Machine (PCMM) with an error of around 0.02 mm. This measurement method will consist of five speed characteristics, which make the robot move for a constant distance of 125 mm. The results show that the best level of accuracy is 0.83%, at 2.5 mm/s of velocity. The X and Y axes produce movement with the best repeatability of 96 μm and 108 μm, respectively. Based on the results, the gantry robot displays good performance in repeatability and accuracy, proving it can work effectively.