automation solutions for complex hot wire welding and cladding applications dsp based control and...
TRANSCRIPT
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ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES
AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS FOR
COMPLEX HOT WIRE WELDING AND CLADDING APPLICATIONS
“DSP” Based Control and Power Supply Products
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
Present basic review of the Hot Wire Process and its uses Present control architectures, automation interface, and process-monitoring
requirements Review several automated systems that perform critical narrow-groove welding and
cladding operations. Demonstrate software solutions that provide virtual alignment to compensate for
torch/part misalignment, joint feature tracking for real-time compensation of torch-to-part movement, and internal cladding of valves with intersecting bores.
HOT WIRE BACKGROUND
Process Basics Incoming wire is resistance heated to near the melting point via
a power supply connected to the wire feed tube Wire is typically added to the rear of the pool Wire typically enters the pool at a high angle >45°
Process Results Increase productivity by up to 8-10 times
Increased fill rates, travel speed, and narrower joint design
1/4”-1/2” root land width and 2-6° bevel angle Double travel rates from GTA 2-4 times wire feed rates (up to 300 ipm in the flat
position, depending on quality requirements) Maintains GTA weld quality Allows splitting energy between the main arc and the wire
heating Preheating the wire to the melting point makes the wire feed
into the pool smoother Can provide greater control of pool size and side wall erosion Provides greater control of slope in and slope out of weld pool
and wire deposition Improved control of dilution for cladding operations
Approximately 50% of our systems are Hot Wire
WORK
TRAVEL
HOT WIRE BACKGROUND
Equipment Hot Wire Power Supplies for GTA or Plasma
DC Supplies Wire typically feed into the front of pool Can have wire feed synchronized with current
pulse AC Supplies (mitigate arc blow)
Wire typically feed into the the rear of pool Variable Frequency
• Improves flow of wire into the weld pool
Hot Wire Torch Contact for transferring current to wire Gas coverage optional
Voltage / Current Control Sensing Power supply vs. torch (accounting for cable
losses) Camera Systems
Bore Considerations (size, heat, ext. lighting)
Water / Gas Cooling
HOT WIRE - “More Fill Faster”
“GTA QUALITY AT THE SPEED OF GMA” Applications
Improve production rates on high volume products Reduce the total weld time for thick wall products Product requirements that can’t be met with GMA/SMAW Cladding to reduce overall cost of products
Expensive clad on lower cost material Cladding to produce bi-metallic products
Surface protection on high strength base Cladding to repair casting or other process related defects
Quality vs Productivity 6-5/8 / 1.062 wall High Production - 15 Minutes High Quality - 60 Minutes
Boilers and Pressure VesselsChemical Plant Piping
Nuclear Vessels Oil and Gas Thick Section Pipe
Oil and Gas Drilling and Production Riser PipeOil and Gas Valve Products
Mining and Exploration Products
HOT WIRE / AUTOMATION
Advantages• Higher production rates because of continuous processing• Narrow gap bevel options / Less weld metal required• Automation provides for the ability to continuously make the
root and fill passes, even if the root pass is cold wire / Higher productivity
• More process consistency resulting in more consistent joints with improved weld strength, toughness / Fewer repairs
• Ability to weld high strength steels and alloys / Higher component properties
• Reduces human error factor / Higher quality and productivity, especially with long duration welds
• Less physical strain on welders especially on long welding/cladding processes / higher quality and productivity
• Less manpower/equipment for heavy wall and large diameter components / lower processing costs
• Documentation / traceability / Better QA-QC • Ease of training weldersDisadvantages• More complex systems• Higher initial system cost• Higher level of control equipment is required
AUTOMATION SYSTEM DESIGN
Establish Requirements, Develop Concepts, Model Concepts, Fabricate and Test
AUTOMATION CONTROL
AUTOMATION CONTROL REQUIREMENTS Basic Control Parameters
Weld Current Pulsation
Part / Torch Motion and Position Coordinated motion for spiral, tapered bore, and intersecting bore
cladding Jog offset / override Multi-pass for thick sections Synchronized with pulsation
Wire Feed Speed Synchronized with Pulsation / Oscillation
Hot Wire Voltage / Current Arc Voltage Control
Advanced Control Parameters Magnetic Oscillation
Synchronization capability Mechanical Oscillation
Synchronization capability Hot Wire Frequency Wire Nozzle Position
Sensor Integration Joint Tracking Inter-pass Temperature Independent Part Position Gap Measurement
Override Capability Video Monitoring / Recording Process Monitoring / Data Acquisition
Power SupplyControl Module
CAN BUS
Pendant/Operator Display
AdditionalAdditionalControlControl
PowerSupply
Gas SolenoidFault SensorsCurrent Sensor
Linear Slide/ Servo Motor/ Encoder
VoltageSensor
Servo Motor/ EncoderLinear/ Rotational
Linear Slide/ Servo Motor/ Encoder
Wire Feed/ Servo Motor/ Encoder
AVCControl
Servo AxisControl(Travel)
MechOsc.Control
WireFeedControl
XM Modular Architecture
HIGH PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
Mult-Station Conventional Welding Applications Requiring Higher Production Rates
0.125” to 0.250” Stainless Steel Multi-process / Multi-Station
GTA Cold and Hot Wire Feed Girth or Plug Weld Capability
DSP based control Magnetic Oscillation Integrated AVC
Either Z or X axis Process Monitoring / Verification
Precision Hot Wire Valve Body Welding / Bore Cladding System
- Thick section hot wire process-Helical bore cladding
-3 Station production system
Critical property and high production requirements for sub-sea oil and gas welding
applications
MULTI-PROCESS SYSTEMS
INTERSECTING BORE SYSTEMS
BelWeld / ERC Intersecting Bore Cladding Systems for Straight and Tapered Bores - Inconel Weld Overlay
o MULTIPLE INTERSECTING BORESo SEAL PASS CAPABILITYo STRAIGHTFORWARD
PROGRAMMING INTERFACEo INTEGRATED VIDEOo HOT WIRE BORE TORCHES
BelWeld / ERC Intersecting Bore Cladding Systems for Straight and Tapered Bores - Inconel Weld Overlay
o MULTIPLE INTERSECTING BORESo SEAL PASS CAPABILITYo STRAIGHTFORWARD
PROGRAMMING INTERFACEo INTEGRATED VIDEOo HOT WIRE BORE TORCHES
INTERSECTING BORE SYSTEMS
NARROW GROOVE SYSTEMS
GTA Hot WireThick Section Narrow GrooveNaval Components
o VIRTUAL CENTERINGo ADAPTIVE GAP CONTROLo INTEGRATED DATA BASEo INTEGRATED VIDEOo INDEPENDENT MONITORING
SMI Precision Hot Wire Pipe/Bore Cladding System
- Thick section narrow-grove hot wire process- Helical bore cladding
Critical property and high production requirements for sub-sea oil and gas welding
applications
NARROW GROOVE SYSTEMS
SENSORS
POSITION SENSORS Tactile Scanning Lasers Mechanically Scanned Laser
Closed Loop Position Control Single-point proximity laser Determines feature vs. cross seam
position Allows programmed offset from
identified feature by pass Allows operator offset from identified
feature Can identify root gaps and modify
control setpoints
AUTOMATION INTERFACE
Interface Demonstration
DSP’s, Data Acquisition, & Process Monitoring
Data Acquisition is the collection of the welding data. DSP’s are designed to perform this at very high rates. This high-speed data is necessary to accurately represent the process which was performed. However it can be very difficult and usually unmanageable to review large amounts of raw data.
Process Monitoring is the analysis of the welding data to determine that the process was performed as programmed and the overall variation in the process. This analysis is often performed after the welding process due to the computer processing requirements. Again dedicated DSP’s are an exceptional platform to provide focused processing power for this “real-time” analysis.
The results of the analyzed data, which is significantly less data, can then be transported via the network for printing, storage, etc. as a record of process performance.
Sample Advent feedback without filtering
Sample Advent feedback with DSP filtering
Process Monitoring Information
Dedicated DSP’s can provide “real-time” sampling, processing and analysis of welding data. The high speed analysis of the data can ensure that the process is monitored at a high rate but the data can be statistically evaluated to reduce the overall data for review and storage.
Data can be analyzed in real-time to determine: Weld current pulsation and AC performance Arc Voltage consistency Torch / Part Position and Velocity performance Statistical Minimums, Maximums, Averages, Std. Deviations and
other parameters Out-of-Tolerance Magnitudes, Positions, and Durations.
This important and powerful capability allows the data to be pre-processed as the welding is being performed so that only significant and relevant “processed” data needs to be recorded.
SUMMARY
HOT WIRE POWER SUPPLIES AND CONTROLS ARE RAPIDLY IMPROVING AND FINDING GREATER ACCEPTANCE AS THE OPTIMAL AUTOMATION SOLUTION TO OBTAINING HIGHER PRODUCTION THAN GTA-CWF PROCESSES AND/OR IMPROVED PROPERTIES OVER GMA AND SUB-ARC APPLICATIONS.
CONTROL HARDWARE / SOFTWARE AND SENSOR INTEGRATION ARE EXPANDING THE CAPABILITIES OF ALL PROCESSES, INCLUDING HOT WIRE TO BE EFFECTIVELY USED FOR APPLICATIONS WITH DIFFICULT GEOMETRIES AND CRITICAL MATERIAL PROPERTY REQUIREMENTS.
SOPHISTICATED, MODULAR, NETWORKED BASED SYSTEMS THAT CAN PRODUCE OUTSTANDING WELDS FOR COMPLEX WELDING OPERATIONS, INCLUDING INTERSECTING BORES, MULTI-PASS THICK SECTION NARROW GROOVE, AND TAPERED BORES ARE MORE AVAILABLE AND PROVEN THAN EVER. THESE SYSTEMS ARE PROVIDING SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS OVER MANUAL OR SEMI-AUTOMATED PROCESSES
AMET
22,000 sq.ft. Manufacturing/Development Facility
GTA / GMA / Plasma Development/Production Systems
Circuit Board Design / Automated Electronics Manufacturing
Automated Machine Shop Capabilities 42 Engineering and Technical Personnel
AMET DSP Controller Products
XM ControllerMultiple ChannelPosition based
Process MonitoringEasily Expandable
Advent ControllerMultiple ChannelPosition Based
Coordinated MotionIntegrated Data Monitoring
Integrated Video
VPC 450Variable Polarity Power Supply
High Speed Power Module Inverter450 Amp 100% Duty Cycle
Intelligent DSP ControlsDC/VP/AC/Mixed VP Modes of Operation
Local or Remote Control