A combination component handling and connecting device connectable to a multi-axis robot for use in moving and connecting components and subassemblies includes a housing and an actuator fixedly connected to the housing. The actuator includes an actuating link movable from a first position to a second position. Connected to the actuating link is an end effector for concurrent movement with the actuating link. The component handling and connecting device includes a clamp having a first jaw and a second jaw. The second jaw is connected to the actuating link for selectively moving the second jaw toward the first jaw operative to engage a component.

A series of many electrical resistance spot welds is to be formed in members of an assembled, but un-joined, body that presents workpiece stack-ups of various combinations of metal workpieces including all aluminum workpieces, all steel workpieces, and a combination of aluminum and steel workpieces. A pair of spot welding electrodes, each with a specified weld face that includes oxide-disrupting features, is used to form the required numbers of aluminum-to-aluminum spot welds, aluminum-to-steel spot welds, and steel-to-steel spot welds. A predetermined sequence of forming the various spot welds may be specified for extending the number of spot welds that can be made before the weld faces must be restored. And, during at least one of the aluminum-to-steel spot welds, a cover is inserted between the weld face of one of the welding electrodes and a side of a workpiece stack-up that includes the adjacent aluminum and steel workpieces.

A robotic end effector system and method having a plurality of end effectors which are selectively suitable for particular applications on a workpiece. The end effectors include a resident controller adapted to execute tasks specific to the end effector and are rapidly attachable and removable from the robot for easy change over to different workpieces.

An upper electrode assembly for welding fasteners includes a body that supports an electrode that has an aperture. The aperture is configured to receive a movable pin of a lower electrode assembly arranged opposite the upper electrode assembly. The lower electrode assembly supports a fastener in a welding position. The upper electrode assembly includes a position sensor which includes a position sensor member that is arranged in the body and is configured to cooperate with the pin to detect a fastener welding characteristic.

A spot welding system includes a position detection part which detects the position of a movable arm, a first calculation part which calculates the combined spring constant of the movable arm and a fixed arm based on a position when the movable arm is driven by a predetermined drive force and the drive force, a second calculation part which calculates the spring constant of the movable arm based on a position when the movable arm is driven by a predetermined drive force and the drive force, a third calculation part which calculates the spring constant of the fixed arm based on the combined spring constant and the spring constant of the movable arm, and an elastic displacement calculation part which calculates an amount of elastic displacement of the fixed arm based on the spring constant of the fixed arm and a drive force when welding is performed.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a resistance spot welding apparatus for welding a workpiece made of layered metallic plates. The resistance spot welding apparatus includes a first electrode; a second electrode arranged such that the workpiece is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a pressure mechanism that applies pressure to the first electrode towards the first metallic plate by air. The pressure mechanism includes a piston coupled to the first electrode; a cylinder having an inner space that accommodates the piston; a first ventilation unit that supplies the inner space with air for applying pressure to the first electrode; and a second ventilation unit that discharges air from the inner space as pressure is applied to the first electrode. At least one of the first ventilation unit or the second ventilation unit includes two or more air passages that communicate with the inner space.

According to one embodiment, a control device controls a welding device performing resistance welding. When an inspection value satisfies a first condition, the control device modifies a setting value for the resistance welding and causes the welding device to perform the resistance welding. The inspection value is obtained by an inspection of a weld zone formed by the resistance welding. The control device does not cause the welding device to perform the resistance welding when the inspection value satisfies a second condition.

A method for joining two dissimilar metal plates having different volume resistivity with enhanced joint strength. The method includes overlaying a first metal plate made of first metal and a second metal plate made of second metal with higher volume resistivity and higher melting point in comparison with the first metal, bringing a pair of electrodes into contact with the surface of a portion of the second metal plate overlapping the first metal plate, supplying current between the electrodes so as to resistance-heat the second metal present in a current-flowing region to a temperature lower than the melting point of the second metal and higher than the melting point of the first metal, thereby partially melting the first metal plate with the heat so that an intermetallic compound is generated between the first and second metal plates, and thus joining the first and second metal plates via the intermetallic compound.

A new weld configuration is used to obtain a robust and consistent resistance weld between the tabs of an anode current collector and the casing of an electrochemical cell. This is done by adding a resistive transferable electrode tip between at least one of the welding electrodes, preferably the movable welding electrode, and the stacked parts that are being joined together. The purpose of the transferable electrode tip is to generate a sufficient amount of heat during the welding process so that the stacked parts are joined together without adding any product functionality. In one embodiment of the present invention, the transferrable electrode tip is a stainless-steel ball, the stacked anode current collector tabs are of nickel, and the cell casing is of stainless-steel.

A spot-welding system including a spot-welding gun including a movable part including a movable electrode, and a drive part that drives the movable part, a controller that controls the drive part, an applied pressure sensor that measures an applied pressure from the movable electrode of the spot-welding gun, and an own-weight calculator that calculates an own weight of the movable part based on the applied pressure detected by the applied pressure sensor in two different postures of the spot-welding gun that places the movable electrode in different movement directions. The controller superimposes a dither signal onto a control signal so as to control the drive part in measuring the applied pressure for use in calculating the own weight of the movable part by the own-weight calculator, and after the own weight is calculated, the controller corrects the control signal based on the calculated own weight.