A welding electrode and a method of using the welding electrode for resistance spot welding are disclosed. The welding electrode includes a body and a weld face. The weld face includes a central dome portion and a shoulder portion that surrounds the central dome portion and extends from an outer circumference of the weld face upwardly and radially inwardly to the central dome portion. The central dome portion has a series of radially-spaced ringed ridges that project outwardly from a base dome face surface. The series of radially-spaced ringed ridges on the central dome portion includes an innermost ringed ridge and an outermost ringed ridge. The outermost ringed ridge on the central dome portion has a radial inner side surface and a radial outer side surface. The radial outer side surface extends below the base dome face surface down to the shoulder portion of the weld face.

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 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.

The spot-welding electrode inspection device is provided with: a camera unit 2 including a camera body 7 for taking an image of a tip-end of a spot-welding electrode 10 having a welding gun G attached thereto; a control unit 3 for controlling the camera unit 2; a camera cable 4 connecting the camera unit 2 and the control unit. The control unit 3 is provided with: a control substrate 32 for processing the image taken by the camera body 7 and determining the condition of the electrode 10 by comparing a processing result of the image and a setting value which is set in advance; and a metal casing 31 housing the control substrate 32. The casing 31 is attached to a base 11 made of a metal material.

A welding gun alignment detection device is provided. The device includes an upper block, a lower block, a housing, and a side pressure sensor. The upper block includes a central portion that has an upper tip insertion bore opened upward. The lower block is disposed under the upper block and has a central portion with a lower tip insertion bore opened downward. The housing includes the upper block and the lower block disposed therein and includes inner sides each facing outer sides of the upper block and the lower block. The side pressure sensor is configured to detect a force transferred to the inner side of the housing due to a movement of the upper block and the lower block.

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

A welding controller for controlling a welding operation includes a controller configured to initiate cleaning of a welding tool in a manner adapted to a change of parameters which change in a production operation in a production line in which the welding tool is included.

A device includes: a measurement operation execution unit that controls a mobile machine to execute a measurement operation for moving a welding tip in a first direction to a measurement location; a location data acquisition unit that acquires the location of the mobile machine when the measurement operation has been executed; and a measurement initiation location determination unit that determines, as a measurement initiation location, a location for the mobile machine at which the welding tip is arranged at a prescribed distance apart from a first location in a second direction, which is opposite of the first direction, based on the first location which is acquired during a first measurement operation. During a second measurement operation, the measurement operation execution unit controls the mobile machine to position the mobile machine at the measurement initiation location and then move the welding tip in the first direction.

A moving mechanism brings the rotational axis of each driven rotator into alignment with the rotational axis of a drive rotator, which has an engaging face extending along its rotational axis. Each driven rotator has an engageable face extending along the rotational axis of the drive rotator. Rotating the drive rotator while moving the driven rotator, of which the rotational axis is aligned with the rotational axis, toward the drive rotator will bring the engaging face into engagement with the engageable face.

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. The modular AE pallets and AE devices are quickly installed and easily removable for maintenance or replacement. In other examples, modular AE support platforms and safety fencing are used to support ground level assembly operation and safer working environment.