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.

To accurately make a dressing quality determination based on resistance waveforms, a dressing quality determination method determines the quality of dressing performed for electrodes when resistance welding is performed at a plurality of welding points. This method includes accumulating a known resistance waveform immediately after dressing the electrodes, and a known resistance waveform immediately before dressing the electrodes; creating, by a statistical method, a model for setting a threshold value for dressing quality determination, based on a plurality of known resistance waveforms immediately after dressing and a plurality of known resistance waveforms immediately before dressing; acquiring an unknown resistance waveform immediately after dressing the electrodes; and determining whether dressing is normal or dressing is abnormal by comparing the unknown resistance waveform immediately after dressing with the threshold value for dressing quality determination.

A multi-loop antenna and an RFID system are used for monitoring tools when machining rotationally symmetric workpieces. A multi-loop antenna is arranged on a tool carrier near a rotationally symmetric tool so that multi-loop antenna encloses the rotationally symmetric tool and the rotationally symmetric tool carries an RFID transponder. The position of this RFID transponder is arranged on the rotationally symmetric tool so that it is arranged in the electromagnetic ring field of the multi-loop antenna. The multi-loop antenna is arranged on the tool carrier so that it is possible to query the RFID transponder on the rotationally symmetric tool in any position while in motion and when at rest.

A modular vehicle assembly system and methods for increased flexibility and adaptability of a high-volume assembly facility which builds several vehicle models. In one example, the invention includes modular assembly equipment (AE) support pallets which are shipped to vendors for installation of selected AE equipment devices that are specific to a predetermined assembly operation and then validation tested prior to shipment to the assembly facility. The validated modular AE pallets and AE devices are then shipped to the assembly facility and quickly installed to support manufacturing, assembly or other operations.

A welding tip inspection apparatus and method to more accurately inspect dressing quality and a foreign object attachment regarding a front end of a welding tip using a color sensing technique is provided. The welding tip inspection apparatus includes an inspection block on which a front end of a welding tip is mounted, a color sensor that is disposed within the inspection block, that is configured to irradiate light to the front end of the welding tip and that is configured to receive the reflected light from the front end of the welding tip. A controller is configured to analyze a wavelength of each color of the reflected light received by the color sensor.

A tip dressing cutter (1) includes a rotary holder (5) and a cutter plate (2). The cutter plate (2) includes a cutting blade portion (2d) formed on a continuous portion of a rake face (2a) and a flank face (2b) and extending along a direction intersecting with a rotation axis (C1). A plurality of recessed grooves (2e) are formed on the flank face (2b), the plurality of recessed grooves (2e) extending from a location proximate to the cutting blade portion (2d) in a circumferential direction around the rotation axis C1 away from the cutting blade portion (2d) and being spaced at predetermined intervals along a direction intersecting with the rotation axis (C1).

A spot welding system includes a spot welding gun, a robot, and a tip dresser that polishes a face of electrode. The tip dresser includes a blade that cuts the face of the electrode and a blade driving motor that rotates the blade. A dresser control section of a control device detects torque of the blade driving motor. When the torque of the blade driving motor exceeds a predetermined torque upper limit value, the dresser control section carries out speed reduction control that reduces the rotation speed of the blade driving motor.

A cap dispenser for a welding gun includes a sleeve that slidably receives a drawer that is configured to house a column of weld caps. The cap dispenser also includes a spring that cooperates with a slide block that is arranged in the drawer. The spring urges the slide block toward an aperture in the drawer that is configured to receive a welding gun electrode.

A cap extractor for a welding gun includes a housing, a pair of springs, and first and second arms that are arranged between the springs. Each of the first and second arms have teeth that are configured to engage a welding cap. The first and second arms are configured to move relative to the housing in first and second directions that are transverse to one another by deflecting the springs.

Provided is a tip dresser blade comprising a body of M-2 steel hardened to a Rockwell C hardness in the range of 63 to 66, inclusive, by double tempering. The body may be ground to provide a specific first geometry, or a specific second geometry, or a specific third geometry, or a specific fourth geometry.