An additive manufacturing system includes an energy source and a material delivery device. The energy source is configured to direct an energy beam toward a component to form a melt pool. The material delivery device is configured to feed a wire toward the melt pool to deposit material on the component. In some examples, the material delivery device is configured to discharge a current to the wire to disengage the wire from the melt pool. In some examples, the material delivery device is configured to measure an arc voltage between the wire and the component.

The present invention is directed to a system and method of remotely controlling a welding machine with command signals transmitted to the welding power source across a weld cable connecting the power source to a remote device, such a wire feeder. A transmitter transmits the control commands containing desired welding operational parameters to a receiver disposed in the power source across a weld cable also designed to carry welding power from the power source to the wire feeder.

In the context of additive manufacturing processes wherein an object is built by layered accumulations of discrete instantaneous deposits of feedstock material at specific locations according to a three-dimensional digital data model, systems and methods are taught for operating multiple independently-moving depositing devices in a shared build space to build the object. In some embodiments, depositing components perform discrete material depositing actions according to sequential lists of deposit location instructions which are dynamically sortable, enabling a control methodology to alleviate collision risks among depositing components and to improve thermal conditions of a workpiece during construction. Further embodiments provide for dynamic apportionment of discrete deposition actions among the available depositing devices for load balancing and fault tolerance.

An arc welder includes a welding power supply, a forward/reverse welding wire feeder, and a controller for the power supply and the wire feeder. Welding is implemented by repeating unit welding steps each including a short circuit stage with the welding wire and a base material being short-circuited and an arc stage with an arc being generated between the wire and the material. A transition period continues from a starting point of the arc stage till the wire feeding rate reaches a forward maximum. An average welding current is defined as an average of the welding current during the short circuit and arc stages. Within the transition period, the controller sets a current suppression period during which welding current is smaller than the average welding current. Transition period length T0 and current suppression period length T1 are set to satisfy the inequality 0<T1/T0≤0.8.

Devices for laser welding using welding wire have a welding head, a wire guide for the welding wire, and a wire feed drive. The welding wire can be moved by the wire feed drive during a welding process with a feed movement in a feed direction, guided by the wire guide. A positioning device has a positioning drive, by which the welding wire is moved in an oscillating manner in the longitudinal direction of the welding wire, when a wire end of the welding wire is arranged in a welding readiness position. Methods for laser welding using a welding wire as added material are carried out using the devices. A control program controls the devices. The devices for laser welding can be provided as a part of a welding robot.

Embodiments of welding systems and methods with coordinated dual power outputs supporting a same welding process or a same AC output process are disclosed. One embodiment of a welding system includes an engine and a generator operatively connected to the engine, where the engine is configured to drive the generator to produce electrical input power. The welding system also includes a power supply operatively connected to the generator and having at least one controller. The power supply is configured to convert the electrical input power to form two power outputs that are coordinated with each other, at least in time, via the controller to support a same welding process. The same welding process may be, for example, a hotwire welding process, a tandem metal inert gas (MIG) welding process, or an alternating current (AC) output process.

A portable advanced process module system includes, for example, a welding power source, an portable advanced process module, and a wire feeder. The portable advanced process module and the wire feeder are separately enclosed in suitcase style enclosures with disconnectable power and communication means between the portable advanced process module and the wire feeder. The processing unit includes power electronics to enable advanced weld processes that can be delivered to the wire feeder and a welding work piece. The portable advanced process module is powered by a DC bus that can be supplied by a welding power source. Connecting the portable advanced process module between the welding power source and the wire feeder enables advanced welding processes to be accomplished at great distances from the main welding power source. Separating the power electronics into the portable advanced process module and maintaining a standard suitcase wire feeder form factor keeps the welding equipment used in the working area envelope small, light, and portable.

An arc welding method is described where pulse arc welding is performed with a welding wire being fed in a forward direction during a first period and short-circuit transfer arc welding is performed with the welding wire being fed in the forward direction and a reverse direction during a second period. The arc welding method alternately switches between the first period and the second period, where the switching of the first period to the second period is performed during a peak period of the pulse arc welding.

A robot controller includes a contact detection unit that detects contact of a welding wire protruding from a welding torch with a welding target, an override-value adjustment unit that sets and changes an override value for increasing or decreasing an operating speed of the robot from a predetermined speed, and a control unit which receives an operation signal from a teaching operation device and that controls the robot according to the operation signal at the operating speed based on the override value which is set by the override-value adjustment unit. When the contact of the welding wire with the welding target is detected by the contact detection unit, the control unit temporarily stops the robot, and the override-value adjustment unit decreases the override value.

A generalized additive modeling approach to separate global geometric shape deformation from surface roughness is provided. Under this statistical framework, tensor product basis expansion is adopted to learn both the low-order shape deformation and high-order roughness patterns. The established predictive model enables the optimal geometric compensation for product redesign to reduce shape deformation from the target geometry without altering process parameters. Experimental validation on WAAM manufactured cylindrical walls of various radi shows the effectiveness of the proposed framework.