The RemoWeld project aimed to an extended, sustainable and competitive use of remote laser welding systems promoting the development of competitive manufacturing procedures.
During the project period from January 2001 to June 2002, a powerful and easy-to-use offline NC programming and simulation base system for Highly Efficient and Flexible Remote Welding System has been developed. Two main types of current welding application, CO2 Laser Gantry System and Nd:YAG Laser Robot Handled System, are planned to be supported by this system. Currently, a gantry station based offline programming system is under running testing. Based on powerful geometry platform, the system possess a variety of CAD model exchange interface: IGES, DXF, CATIA, STEP and BRep. Spot, stitch and continuous welding methods and a number of different welding geometries, e.g. linear, cross, circle, arc, are able to be defined easily from end user point of view.
Following the experiment results of the studies on welding process, welding machining sequences, welding cycles and welding process optimisation methodologies will be implemented by developer, as well as welding quality prediction. Furthermore, the whole software development followed object oriented software method, any new functionalities are able to be integrated freely in the future.
It is well known that laser welding is a common practice in much industrial area, including automobile area and non-automobile manufacturer. As a result, this offline programming system can be applied both for laser remote welding machining and conventional laser welding machining.
The suitable group users are automobile manufacturer and some machinery equipment manufacturer.
Compared with conventional laser welding offline programming system, RemoWOPS system could define variant welding targets, simulate the welding process and its quality which concerning remote welding technology - a completely new way of laser welding. It is able to deal with both the gantry system and robot-handled system.