Spot Welding with FANUC Robots
Spot welding is one of the most common robotic welding applications. Spot welding robots are heavily utilized in the automotive industry, where they are used to weld together car frames. Spot welding is a form of resistance welding in which heat is created to melt and join metals together through resistance to an electrical current. As the name implies, spot welding creates welds that are concentrated to a specific point on a workpiece.
Spot welding with FANUC robots optimizes the application resulting in increased weld quality, productivity, and accuracy. FANUC is the top robotic manufacturer in the world with over 500,000 robots installed worldwide. Many of these robots are used for performing spot welding applications for automotive manufacturing. Many of FANUC’s 6-axis multipurpose robots are capable of automating spot welding processes. FANUC is known for building the strongest 6-axis robots which makes them ideal for operating heavy spot welding guns. Typical spot welding robots have higher payloads since the end-effectors for spot welding can be heavy. FANUC robots capable of spot welding vary in payload capacities from 70 kg to over 200 kg, which is ideal for accurately operating heavy spot welding guns.
Automating spot welding applications with FANUC robots has a number of advantages. FANUC spot welding robots will improve weld quality. FANUC robots have high repeatability, allowing them to replicate processes over and over with great precision. As they are programmed to follow exact application parameters with controlled movements, welds will be incredibly accurate, significantly improving quality. Their high repeatability not only results in better quality, but also welding consistency. Since FANUC robots can replicate the same process repeatedly, all welds will be consistent and uniform. When automating with robots, welds will not deviate from one to the next which also helps improve quality.
Another advantage of automating spot welding with FANUC articulated robots is their longer reach allows access to difficult welds. With spot welding, weld seams need to be precise, but for some parts weld joints may be in narrow or hard to reach spaces. The slender design and long reach of FANUC robots makes it possible to accurately spot weld regardless of the circumstances. Robot manipulator arms are flexible to be able to maneuver into tight spaces without sacrificing weld accuracy. They can reach weld locations on large parts with their expanded work envelope.
FANUC Robots for Spot Welding
FANUC has one of the most extensive lines of industrial robots. They have several multipurpose robots that can be deployed for spot welding. From FANUC’s R-Series, the R2000ib/210F and the R2000ib/125L are both ideal for spot welding automation. The R-Series features some of FANUC’s most popular models and is their most successful robot line. These robots feature high speeds and long reaches along with the option for IP67 protection, making them incredibly durable for the harsh conditions of welding automation.FANUC’s M-Series and S-Series also have robot models capable of robotic spot welding. From the M-Series, the FANUC M900ia/350 is a good option for spot welding. While from their S-Series, the FANUC S430if features a high payload and long reach.
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