A resistance welding pinch protection system for use with a resistance welder, comprising a sensor array adapted to be secured around the base of a positive electrode of the resistance welder, the sensor array including a plurality of proximity sensors positioned along a perimeter of the sensor array, the plurality of proximity sensors defining an electrode operation field around the positive electrode, an input/output interface to be operatively connected to the resistance welder, and at least one processor in communication with the plurality of proximity sensors and the input/output interface, wherein in use, during the lowering of the positive electrode, the at least one processor interrupts the control signal to the resistance welding controller in order to stop the welding sequence, raising the positive electrode in response to the detection of an obstacle within the electrode operation field.

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.

A robot system includes: an articulated type robot which retains a processing tool at an arm tip end portion and which includes a plurality of drive units that drive a plurality of drive axes; and a robot controller which controls the drive units so as to control a relative position of the processing target and the processing tool and the robot controller includes: a torque information detection unit which detects torque information on the torques of the drive units; a contact position estimation unit which estimates, based on the change of tendency of a variation in the detected torque information of at least one of the drive units, a contact position in which the processing target and the processing tool make contact with each other; and a position compensation unit which compensates the target position of the robot based on the estimated contact position.

An electrical resistance spot welding electrode is disclosed for contact with a narrow or other selected spot weld region in a steel workpiece in a stack-up with an aluminum alloy workpiece for use in a spot welding method in which the weld nugget is carefully formed in the aluminum workpiece at the interface of the stack-up. The welding face of the welding electrode for contact with the steel workpiece is shaped with an aspect ratio greater than one, which fits against the contact surface of the steel workpiece, while the welding face for the aluminum-contacting weld electrode is circular (with an aspect ratio equal to one). The stack-up of workpieces may include a single steel workpiece facing two aluminum workpieces in a sandwich type stack-up or two steel workpieces facing a single aluminum workpiece with the outer steel workpiece having the narrow contact surface for the steel welding electrode.

A welding electrode apparatus has a base member and a locking ring for clamping a consumable electrode tip to the electrode base. The base and the tip are predominantly made of copper, or a copper alloy. The base member has a first end that is threaded to fit a welding head that supplies electric current; and an electrically conductive second end to which the electrode tip is mounted. The second portion has an externally facing, axially extending cylindrical wall. A circumferential groove is formed in the wall. The locking ring has a quick-disconnect feature in the form of an array of spring-loaded detents that deflect to release the cylindrical wall of the first member, and that spring inwardly to seat in the circumferential groove.

A device for measuring a welding force and for detecting a welding voltage during a welding process of a resistance welding device, which resistance welding device includes a welding gun with two electrode arms, includes two contact sockets for placing the device at the electrode arms. A sensor element is included for measuring the welding force exerted by the electrode arms during a welding process. A component is included and configured and disposed for detecting the welding voltage during the welding process. A coupling element is configured and disposed so that when the device is placed at the electrode arms, the coupling element mechanically couples the device to the resistance welding device.

The present invention relates to a device for blocking cooling water of a weld gun, the device preventing water leakage by blocking the cooling water leaking from the weld gun when a tip provided to the weld gun is replaced. The device for blocking the cooling water of the weld gun comprises: a first piston valve (23) connected to a first solenoid valve (17), operated by a signal of a control unit, so as to start operation according to a signal thereof, and receiving the cooling water from a cooling water inlet end; a main supply pipeline (23) of which one side is connected to a cooling water inlet pipe (27) of the weld gun and the other side is connected to an outlet end of the first piston valve (23); a second piston valve (29) operated by a first solenoid valve (15), and provided on a main discharge pipeline (31) so as to cut off the cooling water discharged or allow the same to pass therethrough; a suction means (35) for suctioning the cooling water filled in the pipeline by means of vacuum and holding the same when the weld gun tip is removed such that the pipeline is opened; and a pressure sensor (49) for sensing that the weld gun tip is separated and the pressure of the pipeline instantly drops so as to drive a circuit, thereby sensing an instant change in fluid pressure; and a cleaning means (47) for removing scales and foreign substances accumulated inside the weld gun, using spraying of air pressure.

A system and method to correct for height error during a robotic additive manufacturing process. One or both of an output current, output voltage, output power, output circuit impedance and a wire feed speed are sampled during an additive manufacturing process when creating a current layer. A plurality of instantaneous contact tip-to-work distances (CTWD's) are determined based on at least one or both of the output current, output voltage, output power, output circuit impedance and the wire feed speed. An average CTWD is determined based on the plurality of instantaneous CTWD's. A correction factor is generated, based on at least the average CTWD, which is used to compensate for any error in height of the current layer.

To provide a spot welding system of high reliability which, when an abnormality such as a spot missing in spot welding occurs, is capable of more precisely and accurately detecting this immediately. Provided are a robot-side system having a robot and a robot-side control unit which controls driving of the robot; and a welder-side system having a welding gun mounted to the robot, and a welder-side control unit, in which the robot-side system includes: a storage unit which stores in advance appropriate thickness information of a welded part of members on which conducting spot welding; a welded-part thickness measurement unit which measures thickness of the welded part of members on which conducting spot welding; and a comparative determination unit which determines quality by comparing thicknesses of a welded part at the time of a welding start command and at the time of a welding completion command, and comparing with the appropriate thickness information of the welded part stored in the storage unit.

A holding part of a welding gun holds a held part that is provided to an arm having resistance welding electrodes. A first facing part and second facing part of the holding part face each other with the held part therebetween, so as to form a layered part. A connecting part fixes the relative positions of the first facing part and the second facing part. A collar is inserted into a through hole of the first facing part so as to be movable in the layering direction. When a pressing mechanism presses the second facing part, the held part, and the collar in the layering direction, the held part is sandwiched between the second facing part and the collar.