15.1 Introduction

An industrial robot is officially defined by ISO (Standard 8373:1994, Manipulating Industrial Robots - Vocabulary) as an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes.

The robot is the main part of the production cells for MIG welding. It has replaced the automated equipment aimed for larger series by its high flexibility in mobility patterns and reprogramming possibilities. It is a very effective and flexible device with which to move the welding gun along the weld seam.

Robotic welding is today recognised as a mature production method and has for many years been used by a large number of companies in MIG welding. However, at the same time both MIG welding and other arc welding methods are still performed manually. A rough estimation is that less than 10% of all arc welding operations, measured as deposited weld metal, all over the world, are using robots.

This means that the overall potential for introducing robotic MIG welding is substantial even if welding is partly replaced by other methods and new materials not requiring welding. The challenge for industries producing welded products is to produce in a more cost efficient way than before. One possibility is to utilise the latest arc welding automation technologies and equipment on the market. Robotic arc welding, in particular, is here playing an important role.

Some characteristics of the robot itself with special regard to MIG welding are:

• A...