In a method for scanning the surface of metallic workpieces, during scanning, a welding torch with a consumable welding wire is moved over and towards the workpiece surface, until contact of the welding wire with the workpiece is detected, and the welding wire is subsequently moved away from the workpiece. Before scanning, slag-removal is carried out to remove slag at the welding wire end, wherein the welding current is lowered to a minimum, and the welding wire is moved cyclically with a rapid recurrent forward/backward movement over a specified path length toward the workpiece, and by a smaller distance away from the workpiece, until a short circuit between the welding wire and the workpiece is detected, whereupon slag-removal is ended, and upon the detection of no short circuit, slag-removal is repeated, and upon the detection of several short circuits one after the other, slag-removal is ended.

A weld overlay machine assembly includes a carriage to support a hinged index bar and a wire feed assembly. The index bar has an auto height control unit and an index assembly to locate the position of a weld torch relative to the index bar. The assembly is configured to adjust the index bar to interior contours of the vessel while applying a layer of overlay material to a surface therein. The assembly runs along a track in the interior of the vessel. The assembly is configured to transition from sides of the vessel to that of the top or bottom domes wherein the curve of the domes are perpendicular to that of the radial sides. This transition is done without the need to add or remove components to the assembly. This is accomplished by providing the pivoting of the index bar relative to the track.

An example system includes: a hand-held welding tool that is manually placed in a welding position, wherein the hand-held welding tool is configured to be activated to cause a contact tip or a welding heat source to automatically move from a first position and to second position during a welding operation, and wherein a welding arc is automatically and repeatedly turned off and on while the contact tip or the welding heat source moves from the first position to the second position to make a plurality of welds between the first position and the second position, wherein, as a travel speed decreases, a time period between each arc on time increases to make equally spaced welds.

In a method for scanning the surface of metallic workpieces, during scanning, a welding torch with a consumable welding wire is moved over and towards the workpiece surface, until contact of the welding wire with the workpiece is detected, and the welding wire is subsequently moved away from the workpiece. Before scanning, slag-removal is carried out to remove slag at the welding wire end, wherein the welding current is lowered to a minimum, and the welding wire is moved cyclically with a rapid recurrent forward/backward movement over a specified path length toward the workpiece, and by a smaller distance away from the workpiece, until a short circuit between the welding wire and the workpiece is detected, whereupon slag-removal is ended, and upon the detection of no short circuit, slag-removal is repeated, and upon the detection of several short circuits one after the other, slag-removal is ended.

The invention relates to a monitoring module (1 . . . 1″) for monitoring an electric arc machining process, the module comprising a camera (2), a photo flash lamp (3) and a control system (4) that controls the photo flash lamp (3) and a control system (4) that controls the photo flash lamp (3) in such a way that it illuminates when the camera (2) records the image. According to the invention, the components (2, 3, 4) are arranged in a common housing (5).

Apparatuses, systems, and/or methods for welding systems that provide independent control of a contact tip of a welding torch are disclosed. The welding system can include, for example, a welding torch that includes, for example, a contact tip and a pivot in which the contact tip is coupled to the pivot and is configured to provide wire that is fed through the welding torch during a welding operation. The contact tip and the pivot are configured to independently move the contact tip of the welding torch around the pivot during the welding operation.

Method for scanning the surface (O) of metallic workpieces (W), wherein, during a scanning process before a welding process is carried out, a welding torch (1) with a meltable welding wire (2) is moved over the surface (O) of the workpieces (W), and at predefined times (t.sub.i) the welding wire (2) is moved towards the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) until a contact of the welding wire (2) with one of the workpieces (W) is detected, and the position (P.sub.i) of the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) at each time (t.sub.i) is determined and stored in the welding power source (4), wherein an edge (K) is determined if the current position (P.sub.i) of the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) exceeds at least one of the stored previous positions (P.sub.i-n) of the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) by a predefined threshold value (S). To reduce the computing effort and to increase processing speed, the end of the edge (K) is determined if the current position (P.sub.i) of the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) remains the same with respect to at least one of the stored previous positions (P.sub.i-n), and if an edge (K) is determined, an edge detection parameter (KP) is set and output together with the current position value (P.sub.i) and transferred to the manipulator (3).

Method for scanning the surface (O) of metallic workpieces (W), wherein, during a scanning process before a welding process is carried out, a welding torch (1) with a meltable welding wire (2) is moved over the surface (O) of the workpieces (W), and at predefined times (t.sub.i) the welding wire (2) is moved towards the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) until a contact of the welding wire (2) with one of the workpieces (W) is detected, and the position (P.sub.i) of the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) at each time (t.sub.i) is determined and stored in the welding power source (4), wherein an edge (K) is determined if the current position (P.sub.i) of the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) exceeds at least one of the stored previous positions (P.sub.i-n) of the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) by a predefined threshold value (S). To reduce the computing effort and to increase processing speed, the end of the edge (K) is determined if the current position (P.sub.i) of the surface (O) of the workpieces (W) remains the same with respect to at least one of the stored previous positions (P.sub.i-n), and if an edge (K) is determined, an edge detection parameter (KP) is set and output together with the current position value (P.sub.i) and transferred to the manipulator (3).

In this welding control method for a portable welding robot that moves along a guide rail, for using the portable welding robot to weld a workpiece including a groove: a groove shape detection position is established in at least one location in a welding sector extending from a welding starting point to a welding end point; the groove shape at a groove shape detection position P.sub.n is sensed by means of a detecting means of the portable welding robot, which is moving along the guide rail; groove shape information is calculated from detection data obtained by the sensing; and a welding condition is acquired on the basis of the groove shape information.

A self-propelled welding carriage has a body supported by a wheeled suspension having a plurality of wheels including a carriage guide wheel having a tapered rim sized and shaped to roll in conforming contact with a carriage guiding seam of a workpiece, restricting lateral movement of the welding carriage for alignment with the carriage guiding seam. Welding equipment is mounted to the body, and has a welding torch for welding an unwelded seam of the workpiece. The welding torch is mounted to the body relative to the carriage guide wheel for disposition of a welding torch tip of the welding torch in alignment with the unwelded seam of the workpiece to weld the unwelded seam when the welding carriage moves with the carriage guide wheel rolling in the carriage guiding seam. The welding carriage has a motor coupled to drive the carriage guide wheel to propel the welding carriage.