JPS6340682A - Automatic exchanging method for welding electrode and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remarkably decrease the cost of equipment and to reduce a space and to increase the working efficiency by installing welding electrode automatic changing devices on a carriage and allowing it to attain a position of a welding robot to change a welding electrode installed on the robot. CONSTITUTION:After a few carriages 11 on which objects to be welded are mounted are sent continuously, the carriage 17 on which the automatic electrode changing devices 16 are installed is mixed in these carriages. The carriage 17 on which the electrode changing devices 16 are mounted is allowed to attain the position of the robot 13 for welding and a series of electrode changing works are performed. After the change work of the electrode 15 is finished, the similar welding work is again performed continuously from the next carriage 11. In this way, the working efficiency can be increased.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is a robot welding line that uses a trolley to transport objects to be welded, and uses a trolley on which a welding electrode exchanger is mounted to efficiently exchange electrodes. , relates to an automatic welding electrode exchange method and device.

(Conventional technology) In the spot welding process using conventional robots, if an electrode becomes worn or deformed, a worker in charge of process maintenance goes around the robots in each process and replaces it with a new electrode or reshapes it. The electrode was replaced with a new one. However, recently, automatic machines for electrode replacement have also been developed and are now in use (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 130485/1983, Japanese Utility Model No. 61-4).
1482, Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-41483).

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the electrode exchanger 1 holds the welding electrode 2 with an electrode clamp 6, inserts the electrode extraction tool 4 between the welding electrode 2 and the holder 2a,
Remove the stain electrode from the two-metal gold holder 2a by wedge action,
It is dropped into hopper 5 and discharged. A new electrode 6 is fed from the feeder 7 and placed on the electrode installation tool 8. The electrode mounting tool 8 is configured so that a new electrode 6 can be mounted on the electrode holder 2aK by means of tool cylinders 9, 9a.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, manually attaching and detaching the electrodes requires a lot of man-hours and is dangerous because it requires a person to enter and exit the operating section of the robot. Furthermore, if an automatic machine for electrode exchange is used, one exchanger is required for each robot, which increases equipment costs. Furthermore, since welding electrodes must not only be replaced but also automatically shaped, there is a problem with the installation location of the automatic electrode shaping machine, and there is not enough space for installation.

The present invention does not require installation space for an automatic electrode exchanger,
Moreover, the present invention provides a device R that can completely replace the electrodes automatically (a final means to solve the problem). In the welding line, an automatic welding electrode exchange device is installed on the trolley on which the object to be welded is placed instead of the object to be welded, so that when the trolley reaches the position of the robot, the electrode is replaced. This is what I did.

The automatic welding electrode exchange device of the second invention is a robot welding line in which the workpieces to be welded are transported by a trolley, in which the trolley on which the workpiece is placed is connected to the welding electrode equipped with the automatic welding electrode exchanger. It is designed to be replaced with a replacement trolley.

(Function) With such a configuration, on the welding line, the electrode exchange trolley is mixed between the trolleys on which the workpieces to be welded are placed.
It flows towards the welding robot. When the electrode replacement trolley arrives, the welding robot is programmed in advance to perform the electrode replacement operation, so the robot does not perform any welding work there, but instead moves the welding gun completely.
Set the electrode into the electrode changer. A control device in the electrode exchange trolley controls an automatic electrode exchange machine to automatically exchange electrodes.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 6 show the part where welding is performed on the assembly conveyance line 10.
move above. An object to be welded, such as an automobile body, is usually placed on the trolley 11, and welding work is performed by a welding robot 13 installed next to the transport line 10. However, one out of several trolleys 11
Instead of placing an automobile body on it, an electrode exchange trolley 17 is equipped with an electrode exchanger 16 similar to the automatic electrode exchanger 1 shown in FIG. 4. With this electrode exchange cart 17,
The electrode is2 attached to the welding gun 14 of the welding robot 13 is replaced.

The car bodies on the stand $11 of the assembly conveyance line 10 are welded by the welding gun 14 of the robot 13, but the electrode 15 at the tip of the welding gun 14 For example, the electrodes will wear out and become deformed, so the electrodes must be replaced. Then, after some carts 11 are loaded with automobile bodies, an electrode exchange cart 17 on which an electrode exchanger 16 is disposed is mixed in, and the carts 11 reach the welding robot 13. The welding robot 13 is then preprogrammed not to perform normal welding operations, but instead to move the electrode 15 to the electrode changer 16 and stop in order to replace the electrode. In addition, the electrode exchange trolley 17 is a welding robot 1.5
When the electrode replacement cart 17 is reached, a power source and an air source supply device (not shown) are automatically connected to the electrode exchange trolley 17. Then, the control device 18 in the electrode exchange trolley 17 is operated 1b.
iStart. The electrode exchanger 16 has the same sound structure as the automatic electrode exchanger 1 shown in FIG. For attachment, the control device 18 performs the same operations as the operation and assistance of supplying the tool 8 and attaching it to the electrode holder using the cylinder 9;
The electrode 15 is replaced.纺I4i
After the +5 is replaced with a new one, the next truck 11 is loaded with a car body, and the same welding work as before is continued.

In this embodiment, the electrode exchanger 16 has been described as having an electrode exchanger similar to the automatic electrode exchanger 1 shown in FIG. 4, but any other electrode exchanger may be used as long as it is a device that can fully automatically exchange welding electrodes. You can also do that.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration and operation, the one that required one electrode exchanger for one younger robot has now been reduced to two electrode exchangers for 100 robots.
- Only 8 units are required, greatly reducing equipment costs. In addition, this not only saves space for installing the electrode exchanger, but also eliminates the problem of the robot not being able to reach the electrode exchanger because the installation space is outside the operating range of the robot.

In addition, by circulating the electrode exchange trolley at an appropriate frequency,
Electrodes can be replaced at an appropriate frequency and welding quality can be stabilized.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view of a welding line according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of the electrode exchange cart, and Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof.
FIG. 4 is a side view of a conventional automatic electrode exchanger. 10... Assembly transport line 11... Cart 12... Cart moving device 13... Welding robot 14... Welding gun 15... Welding electrode 16... Automatic electrode exchange device 17...・Patent for electrode replacement trolley Applicant: Toyota Motor Corporation (and 2 others) Fang 1 Illustrated spear 3 Illustrated Fang 4 Illustrated

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a robot welding line in which the workpiece is transported by a trolley, an automatic welding electrode exchange device is installed on the trolley on which the workpiece is placed in place of the workpiece, and the trolley is positioned at the position of the robot. An automatic welding electrode replacement method characterized in that the electrode is replaced when the welding electrode reaches . (2) In a robot welding line in which the objects to be welded are transported by a trolley, the trolley on which the objects to be welded are placed is replaced with an electrode exchange trolley equipped with an automatic welding electrode exchange device. , automatic replacement device for welding electrodes.