FOCUS ON WELDING
A massive hall for retail , trade and commerce built by Shwevers . the company ’ s decision to simplify everyday operations with an automated production solution .
In November 2020 , the CLOOS robot system was installed to create programs for automated welding , using QIROX RoboScan , in the shortest possible time . It has been in continuous operation since January 2021 .
As the first robot system purchased by Schwevers , it was doubly important that the fully automatic system met the highest safety requirements . It was also important to the company that its system operators did not need detailed knowledge or experience of the QIROX RoboScan robot to be able to work with it .
“ With this investment , the hall builder was reacting to digitilisation trends in the industry and wanted to use new technological opportunities , at an early stage , to gain experience in automation ,” explained German welding automation specialist , CLOOS .
Robot welding in focus
The new robot system expands the inventory of the existing 16 CLOOS welding power sources at Schwevers , such as the QINEO Pulse .
“ We have been welding and relying on CLOOS technology for decades ,” explained Heinz Schwevers , managing director of
Heinz Schwevers . the company . “ CLOOS welding machines were at the company long before I was ,” he smiled .
The company ’ s decision to automate was made at the beginning of 2020 . Because programming time for the automated welding of small batch sizes is often
A Schwevers ’ project : a warehouse and logistics hall .
disproportionately high , especially in steel and metal construction , the QIROX RoboScan was chosen . One of Schwevers ’ selection criteria was ease of use of the system . Every welder should be able to work with it . Because the company ’ s employees were involved in the project from the beginning , the introduction was smooth . Even initially sceptical employees were quickly convinced by the new technology .
“ We wanted to support our manual welders with the possibilities offered by automation . In this way , they can acquire new skills in everyday life , learning by doing …” continued
Heinz Schwevers .
Today , the company has eight manual welders and the QIROX RoboScan .
“ Programming is much easier with QIROX RoboScan ,” confirmed Marcel Bergkämper , an equipment operator who has worked with
The robot is mounted overhead on a ground track . many CLOOS robots . “ What I previously had to program in detail is now automatically done by the system . That ’ s a great relief for me .”
QIROX in action
The hall builder offers its customers everything from a single source , from steel construction to turnkey halls . A car hall , manufactured for a single owner , has different requirements and challenges than an order from a large construction company . The robot system therefore had to offer a lot of flexibility .
Large steel beams with head and foot plates , for example , are processed in onestation operation . To do this , the operator first positions the workpiece on the system ’ s workstation and the scanner , mounted on a longitudinal chassis , scans the work surface of the component and saves the result . The system detects welds such as throat and corner seams , as well as butt and flap seams , and converts the scanner ’ s stored data into a 3D model , which appears on a screen .
“ By comparing the 3D model with the component geometry stored in QIROX RoboScan , the welding program can be automatically generated . The operator can check the result and , for example , make corrections to the weld seam length or change weld direction . QIROX RoboScan then transmits the fully generated program , including all welding data , to the robot controller and the welding process can be started via a button on the monitor ,” CLOOS told ISMR .
“ The six-axis QIROX QRC-350 articulated robot , the heart of the system , can then be used . It is mounted on a C-shaped stand ,
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