The TPU School of Non-Destructive Testing has received a new welding robot. It will be used for laboratory and practical classes from the next study year. Students will learn how to program robots for welding at hands-off productions.
The robot is produced by KUKA, its cost is over 10 million rubles. It is currently being commissioned at the TPU Center for Industrial Tomography (academic building No. 18, 7, Savinykh Street).
“There is welding at any up-to-date production and welding specialists are in high demand. TPU trains undergraduate and graduate welding engineers. These are specialists who can create new equipment for welding, renew the existing one and automate welding processes. Although digitalization and robotic automation of the industry form new requirements for such engineers: competencies in programming robots are required,” Pavel Baranov, Head of the Division for Electronic Engineering of the TPU School of Non-Destructive Testing, says.
The robot is a manipulator to which any up-to-date welding power supply can be connected. It is capable to both weld and simulate different melding conditions.
“Robot welding makes the top of future professions. Robots improve welding speed, quality, repeatability of a result that is why it will be difficult to imagine hands-off productions of Industry 4.0 without them. Nowadays, there is no training in robot welding anywhere. The new robot allowed us to introduce new majors for our undergraduate and graduate students. The students will write their software in computer classes so that the robot will be capable to find a welding position and weld. After they test their codes using the real robot in the laboratory,” Pavel Baranov explains.
TPU has recently received a welding simulator. It fully simulates the welder’s work, helps to master main welding conditions, records mistakes and evaluates the quality of a welding joint. The welding simulator will also be applied to the educational process in the next study year. The students will begin to study the kinds and technology of welding using the welding simulator and then continue their training using the real equipment.