Integrated electrode maintenance for robotic welding cell

Abstract

A welding station includes a welding gun that includes first and second caps. The welding gun is movable between a working position and a maintenance position. The working position corresponds to a welding operation on at least one workpiece. A maintenance tool assembly is configured to cooperate with the first and second caps in the maintenance position. The maintenance tool assembly includes a cap extractor, a cap dispenser and a cap dresser. The cap extractor is configured to remove the first and second caps from the welding gun. The cap dispenser is configured to provide a new cap to the welding gun for installation. The cap dresser is configured to shape the cap face. The maintenance tool assembly includes a lift actuator. A translate actuator is respectively configured to move the maintenance tool assembly in the lift and translate directions with respect to the welding gun.

1 . A welding station comprising:
 a welding gun having first and second caps, the welding gun movable between a working position and a maintenance position, wherein the working position corresponds to a welding operation on at least one workpiece; and   a maintenance tool assembly configured to cooperate with the first and second caps in the maintenance position, the maintenance tool assembly includes at least two of a cap extractor, a cap dispenser and a cap dresser, the cap extractor configured to remove the first and second caps from the welding gun, the cap dispenser configured to provide a new cap to the welding gun for installation, and the cap dresser configured to shape at least one of the first cap, the second cap and the new cap, the maintenance tool assembly includes a lift actuator and a translate actuator respectively configured to move the maintenance tool assembly in the lift and translate directions with respect to the welding gun.   
     
     
         2 . The welding station of  claim 1 , wherein the maintenance tool assembly includes a plate supporting that at least two of the cap extractor, the cap dispenser and the cap dresser, and a platform is mounted to a pedestal that pivotally supports the weld gun for rotation between the working and maintenance positions. 
     
     
         3 . The welding station of  claim 2 , wherein the lift actuator is arranged between the plate and platform and is configured to lift the plate relative to the platform. 
     
     
         4 . The welding station of  claim 1 , wherein the cap extractor includes a housing and a pair of springs, first and second arms arranged between the springs, each of the first and second arms having teeth configured to engage a welding cap, the first and second arms configured to move relative to the housing in first and second directions transverse to one another by deflecting the springs. 
     
     
         5 . The welding station of  claim 1 , wherein the cap dispenser includes a sleeve slidably receiving a drawer configured to house a column of weld caps, and a spring cooperates with a slide block arranged in the drawer, the spring urging the slide block toward an aperture in the drawer that is configured to receive a welding gun electrode. 
     
     
         6 . A method of operating a welding station comprising the steps of:
 pivoting a welding gun from a welding position to a maintenance position;   dressing the welding cap in the maintenance position;   extracting a worn welding cap from the welding gun in the maintenance position; and   installing a new welding cap on the welding gun in the maintenance position.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , comprising the step of translating a maintenance tool assembly between cap extracting, cap dispensing, and cap dressing positions, which respectively provide the extracting, installing and dressing steps. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the maintenance tool assembly is supported on a plate, and comprising the step of lifting or lowering the maintenance tool assembly during at least one of the extracting, installing and dressing steps. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , comprising the step of sensing the presence of the new welding cap subsequent to performing the installing step. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , comprising the step of sensing the absence of the old welding cap subsequent to performing the extracting step. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , comprising the step of verifying the presence of the newly installed welding cap prior to returning the welding gun to the welding position. 
     
     
         12 - 31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . The welding station of  claim 1 , wherein the cap extractor includes a housing with an aperture on each of opposing sides configured to respectively receive the first and second caps, the lift actuator configured to move the cap extractor between raised and lowered positions to remove the first and second caps respectively in the raised and lowered positions. 
     
     
         33 . The welding station of  claim 1 , wherein the cap dispenser is a first cap dispenser, and the maintenance tool assembly includes a second cap dispenser, the first cap dispenser provides one of the new cap in a first orientation, and the second cap dispenser provides another of the new cap in a second orientation opposite of the first orientation. 
     
     
         34 . The welding station of  claim 3 , wherein the plate is supported relative to the platform by guide posts, and the lift actuator is arranged between the guide posts. 
     
     
         35 . The welding station of  claim 2 , wherein a slide assembly is provided between the platform and a base of the pedestal, the slide assembly includes keyways, the translate actuator is configured to slide the plate relative to the pedestal along the keyways.