Systems and methods supporting weld quality across a manufacturing environment

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods for supporting weld quality across a manufacturing environment are disclosed. One embodiment includes a manufacturing cell supporting welding of a sequence of welds to manufacture a workpiece. The manufacturing cell includes robotic welding equipment to make robotic welds as at least a portion of manufacturing a workpiece. The manufacturing cell also includes non-robotic welding equipment configured to allow a human operator to make non-robotic welds as at least a portion of manufacturing the workpiece. The manufacturing cell further includes a weld sequence controller configured to control timing associated with making the robotic welds and the non-robotic welds as a sequence of welds to manufacture the workpiece.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A manufacturing cell supporting welding of a sequence of welds to manufacture a workpiece, the manufacturing cell comprising:
 robotic welding equipment configured to make robotic welds as at least a portion of manufacturing a workpiece;   non-robotic welding equipment configured to allow a human operator to make non-robotic welds as at least a portion of manufacturing the workpiece; and   a weld sequence controller configured to control timing associated with making the robotic welds and the non-robotic welds as a sequence of welds to manufacture the workpiece.   
     
     
         2 . The manufacturing cell of  claim 1 , wherein the timing and the sequence of welds is predetermined and fixed before welding begins. 
     
     
         3 . The manufacturing cell of  claim 1 , wherein locations of the non-robotic welds to be made to manufacture the workpiece cannot be reached by the robotic welding equipment. 
     
     
         4 . The manufacturing cell of  claim 1 , wherein the weld sequence controller is configured to adapt at least one of a position and timing of a subsequent weld to be made in the sequence of welds, while manufacturing the workpiece, based on a condition of a previous weld of the sequence of welds. 
     
     
         5 . The manufacturing cell of  claim 1 , wherein the weld sequence controller is configured to adapt the sequence of welds, while manufacturing the workpiece, by adding a non-robotic weld as a next weld to be made when an immediate previous weld in the sequence of welds is a robotic weld that was missed by the robotic welding equipment, and wherein a location on the workpiece of the next weld to be made, non-robotically, is the same as a location of the immediate previous weld. 
     
     
         6 . The manufacturing cell of  claim 1 , wherein the weld sequence controller is configured to determine if an immediate previous weld made, of the sequence of welds, is defective based on at least one quality parameter of the immediate previous weld made. 
     
     
         7 . The manufacturing cell of  claim 1 , wherein the weld sequence controller is configured to adapt the sequence of welds, while manufacturing the workpiece, by adding a non-robotic weld as a next weld to be made when an immediate previous weld in the sequence of welds is a robotic weld that was determined to be defective, and wherein a location on the workpiece of the next weld to be made, non-robotically, is the same as a location of the immediate previous weld. 
     
     
         8 . The manufacturing cell of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one sensor associated with the at least one weld of the sequence of welds, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense at least one quality parameter associated with generating the at least one weld and report the at least one quality parameter, directly or indirectly, to the weld sequence controller. 
     
     
         9 . The manufacturing cell of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of a visual spectrum sensor, a radiographic sensor, a laser sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, a spectrometer sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor. 
     
     
         10 . The manufacturing cell of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one quality parameter is related to at least one of a weld position on the workpiece, a weld bead size, a weld bead shape, weld penetration, weld fusion, weld porosity, weld cracking, weld inclusion, a weld discontinuity, an arc plasma type, or an arc plasma temperature.