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Blog 7: Welding jigs

Welding jigs: solid foundation for continuity in quality

Accuracy and precision represents the basis of a successful welding job. The robots in our new welding line are therefore built to weld to a hundredth of a millimetre. To make sure this is constantly the case with each product, we work with welding jigs. They are indispensable when we deal with accurate and precise welding. Project coordinator Thijs Veldhuis knows all about it.

A huge project like the realisation of a new welding line requires specific knowledge. Altrex found this with Thijs Veldhuis. As a project coordinator, he also contributed to the operationalization of the new welding line. In doing so, he focuses especially on an essential part: the welding jigs.

Indispensable in the welding process

“The smallest error already has a major impact on the quality of the final product”, explains Thijs. “A perfect welding jig with exact dimensions is therefore crucial and indispensable for a flawless welding process. You could compare a welding jig with a cake tin to which you add the necessary ingredients. Like the pipes that combine to make up the frame of a scaffold. The jig keeps the parts firmly in the right place with screws and clamps. This allows the robot to weld on the fixed coordinates in that jig. Obviously steered by the computer program that is adjusted to that specific product.”

Less errors, more quality

Once the operator has combined the various components in the jig, the robot chooses the correct clamping program. Based on the planning, he knows what program he should send to the jig and which welding program to the robot. With the push of a button, the clamping of parts takes place fully automatically. Previously, the operator had to hold multiple buttons down at the same time or one after the other. The adjustment to the jig is also automated. The new method saves a lot of time and prevents errors in the conversion.

“The new jigs are full of innovations. For example, sensors read if parts are placed correctly in error-prone places. Faulty fitting is a thing of the past. The probability of a human error is kept to the absolute minimum. That is also one of our goals with the new welding line: error-free and continuous production. Thus we realize less rejections and an even higher quality.”

Progress at every level

What makes the new process so special is the collaboration between welding robot, jig and our operators. “They are perfectly tuned to each other. We also see this in the way of working. The application of the new welding jigs makes the process less labour-intensive. That is beneficial to the production speed and certainly also for the people who work with them every day. And with that, you score big time.”