A pickup mechanism for feeding of weld pins from a magazine to a welding electrode of a welding gun, where the pickup mechanism is attachable to the welding gun in connection to the welding electrode, and where the magazine is attachable to the pickup mechanism, the pickup mechanism comprises a movable pickup lever arm displaceable between a pickup position and a delivery position, where the pickup lever arm is adapted for displacing the weld pin from a pickup position in the magazine to a welding position at the welding electrode; wherein the pickup lever arm has a pickup part comprising a feeding portion for feeding the weld pins from the pickup position to the welding position, where the pickup part comprises a retrieving portion arranged with a sliding surface for displacing the pickup lever arm in a direction essentially perpendicular to the direction of the movement between the delivery position and the pickup position when the sliding surface is in contact with a first weld pin in the magazine, and when the pickup lever arm moves between the delivery position and the pickup position to pick up the first weld pin, where the pickup part is configured such that the sliding surface bridges the first weld pin to the feeding portion at a predetermined position of the pickup lever arm, and such that the first weld pin engages the feeding portion in the pickup position.

Provided is a projection bolt welding method, which involves welding a projection bolt to a steel sheet component by electric resistance welding. The projection bolt includes a shank, a circular enlarged diameter portion, and a welding projection including an initial fusion portion with a tapered portion and a main fusion portion. A ratio of a volume of the initial fusion portion to a volume of a portion of the steel sheet component having the same diameter as a diameter of the initial fusion portion is selected, or a ratio of a circular area of the initial fusion portion to a sheet thickness of the steel sheet component is selected.

A control unit and method for a joining system having at least one joining station, which is designed to join at least one first joining element to a workpiece, determines actual data with respect to a first joining element joined to a current workpiece by the joining station. The control unit and method determine, in accordance with the actual data, a subsequent control instruction for the joining station for joining a first joining element to a subsequent workpiece.

A welding auxiliary joining part in the shape of a stud having a head, a shank and a tip is disclosed. The welding auxiliary joining part is driven into a component made of a non- or poorly weldable material by means of a setting method. A welding head is created during driving-in due to mechanical deformation such that subsequently the component can be connected by welding via the welding auxiliary joining part to a further component made of a weldable material.

An apparatus and method for method for joining materials includes a rivet that may extend through a first sheet to be resistance welded to a second sheet. The head of the rivet has a cavity and vents allowing adhesive extruded from a pilot hole to be received in the cavity and vented in a direction parallel to the first sheet. The rivet is deformed to an hourglass shape that fills the pilot hole and displaces the first sheet into the cavity. Rivet dimension allow for holding with a robotic gripper that can be withdrawn before welding. Methods of monitoring joint quality include comparing welding parameter profiles and images of good and discrepant joints.

A securing system, such as a welding system, includes a robot configured to transfer a part to a home position. A securing station has a frame and a gun supported on the frame. The gun includes first and second members movable relative to one another, which are first and second weld gun electrodes, for example. The gun is configured to secure a component to the part in a securing position during a securing operation. A float assembly interconnects the gun to the frame and is configured to permit the gun to glide relative to the welding frame between the home position and the securing position. A homing assembly includes a homing guide configured to release the welding gun from the home position during the securing operation, such as resistance welding fasteners to sheet metal workpieces.

A system is provided comprising a hardened stud body and an unhardened stud subunit coupled to the hardened stud body. The hardened stud body may comprise a first composition having by weight between 17% and 21% chromium, between 2.8% and 3.3% molybdenum, between 50% to 55% nickel, and between 4.75% and 5.5% niobium. The unhardened stud subunit may comprise a second composition having by weight between 20% and 23% chromium, between 8% and 10% molybdenum, at least 58% nickel, and between 3.15% and 4.15% niobium.

A securing system, such as a welding system, includes a robot configured to transfer a part to a home position. A securing station has a frame and a gun supported on the frame. The gun includes first and second members movable relative to one another, which are first and second weld gun electrodes, for example. The gun is configured to secure a component to the part in a securing position during a securing operation. A float assembly interconnects the gun to the frame and is configured to permit the gun to glide relative to the welding frame between the home position and the securing position. A homing assembly includes a homing guide configured to release the welding gun from the home position during the securing operation, such as resistance welding fasteners to sheet metal workpieces.

A resistance welding device, comprising a frame for supporting a tool configured like a clamp with two arms arranged facing one another and having respective welding electrodes, of which a first arm is integral to the clamp and the second arm is assembled with the capacity of being moved with respect to the clamp by means of a first actuator, such that respective movements along a straight trajectory can be imparted to the arms of the clamp for moving their electrodes closer to or away from one another. One of the arms has a hollow head housing the corresponding electrode in a guided manner the tip of which is suitable for receiving the support of a component to be welded on the workpiece, the head and the electrode being able to adopt at least one standby position (A) in which the electrode is inside the mentioned head; and a working position (B), in which the tip of the electrode is arranged in or exceeds the inlet of the head, accordingly placing the component to be welded outside the head.

The modular pin spotting system described herein allows a common welding source to be utilized with both hand held pinspotters and fixed pinspotters. This allows the operator to choose the mode of operation for the welding source based on operator needs. In some aspects, the pin spotting system includes a mobile welding source, a ground handpiece, a handheld pinspotter apparatus, and a fixed pinspotter apparatus. The welding source is removably attachable to either of the hand held pinspotter apparatus and fixed pinspotter apparatus and configured to supply welding energy to the attached pinspotter apparatus. Each of the hand held and fixed pinspotter apparatus are configured to energize the mobile welding source to supply welding energy to a weld pin positioned against a sheet metal surface to affix the weld pin to the sheet metal surface through welding.