HERE COME THE ROBOTS!

Abstract

While the recession - and resistance from labor - have slowed its growth somewhat, the robot population is expanding in railroad shops, and even more so in the shops of railroad suppliers. Computer programs combine with the cameras to guide the robot in aiming its welding gun accurately for each wear plate. There are separate programs for each of three different models of sideframes. The robot stands between two large ring fixtures that present sideframes with two wear plates clamped to them. The robot system locates one plate and welds it; the ring rotates 180 degrees; the robot welds the other plate. Meanwhile, a worker loads the other ring. A sensing device first finds the seam and then tracks it as the robot welds. It does so through the arc by measuring current fluctuations. As current fluctuates from either side of the weld joint, the microprocessor-based robot automatically steers the welding torch over the true path of the seam.