International Journal of Mechanical and Production

Engineering Research and Development (IJMPERD)

ISSN(P): 2249-6890; ISSN(E): 2249-8001
Vol. 6, Issue 4, Aug 2016, 9-24
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd

DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF WIRELESS WELDING ARM

VIPUL M VASAVA1 & PARTH B PRAJAPATI2
1

Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ipcowala Institute of Engineering & Technology,
Dharmaj, Gujarat, India
2

Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ipcowala Institute of Engineering & Technology,
Dharmaj, Gujarat, India

ABSTRACT
Now a day in this fast growing industrial age every company needs speed in manufacturing to cope up with
the customers requirements. Every industrialist cannot afford to transform his unit from manual to semi automatic or
fully automatic as automation is not that cheap in India. The basic objective of this project is to design low cost Wireless
welding arm which can be utilized in any industry for welding purpose. This Wireless welding arm is requiring 3 axial
programming and controller. Wireless welding arm can be used in welding process by controller and the structure is
designed in such a way that it is Wireless for welding process. Flexile welding arm would be used mainly where May
human is not able to work. Example,Under water and underground welding. Robots play a vital role in all the activities

proceedings. Human operations are needed to perform a variety of tasks in a robotic system such as set-up,
programming, trouble shooting, maintenance and error handling activities
KEYWORDS: History of Welding, Recent Problems in Welding, Problem Specifiacation, Design Calculations, Robot
Dynamics Creo Model, Analysis

Original Article

in human life including industrial needs. In modern industrial manufacturing process consists of precise and fastest

Received: Jun 19, 2016; Accepted: Jul 01, 2016; Published: Jul 13, 2016; Paper Id.: IJMPERDAUG20162

INTRODUCTION
The history of industrial automation is characterized by periods of rapid change inpopular methods.
Either as a cause or, perhaps, an effect, such periods of change in automation techniques seem closely tied to
world economics. Use of the industrial robot, which became identifiable as a unique device in the 1960s, along
with computer-aided design (CAD) systems and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)systems, characterizes the
latest trends in the automation of the manufacturing process. These technologies are leading industrial automation
through another transition, the scope of which is still unknown. A major reason for the growth in the use of
industrial robots is their declining cost robot prices dropped while human labour costs increased. Also, robots are
not just getting cheaper, they are becoming more effectivefaster, more accurate, more Wireless. If we factor
these quality adjustments into the numbers, the cost of using robots is dropping even faster than their price tag is.
As robot become more cost effective at their jobs, and as human labour continues to become more expensive,
more and more industrial jobs become candidates for robotic automation.Modern industrial robot controls are
build as multi-processor controls due to the multitude of parallel calculations and control functions. Figure shows
the internal structure of such a control. Individual assemblies which are designed for special jobs and equipped
with an own micro-processor are linked with the host computer via the system bus. The host controls and
coordinates the actions of the components based on the operating system and the robot program. Examples of such
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Vipul M Vasava & Parth B Prajapati

assemblies, which are mostly installed on individual printed boards, are e.g. the axes computers. They are responsible for
calculation of movement and for control of power unitsper axisare available which control speed and position of each axis.

Figure 1: Industrial Robot Control

A Robot welding is a specific new application of robotics, although robots were first introduced into US industry
during the 1960s.The use of robots in welding did not take off until the 1980s, when the automobile industry began to use
robots for spot welding. Since then, both the number of robots used in industry and the number of their applications has
grown greatly. Till 2005, more than 120,000semi or fully automated robots were in use in North American industry, about
half of them for welding. Growth is initially limited by high equipment costs, and the resulting restriction to highproduction applications. In 2014, FANUC America Corp. introduced a low cost arc welding robot which proved beneficial
for small manufacturers with a cost-effective robotic arc welding solution. Robot arc welding has started growing quickly
just recently, and already it holds about 20% of industrial robot applications. The major components that constitute the arc
welding robots are the manipulator or the mechanical unit and the controller, which acts as the robot's Brain.
Manipulator used to move the robot, and the design of these robots can be categorized into few common types, as SCARA
and Cartesian coordinate robot, which uses different coordinate systems to direct the arms of the machine.
The robot is able to weld a pre-programmed position, guided by machine vision, or by a combination of the two
methods. Vast benefits of robotic welding makes it importance such that industries accept it to make it a technology that
helps many original equipment manufacturers increase accuracy, repeat-ability, and throughput The technology of
signature image processing has been developed since the late 1990s for analyzing Electrical data in real time collected
from automated, robotic welding, thus enabling the optimization of welds.
The robot parts as shown in the figure below.

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.7294

NAAS Rating: 2.45

Design and Analysis of Wireless Welding Arm

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Figure 2: Robot Parts

Recent Problems in Welding
Modern manufacturing era faces two main challenges: improved quality at lower price and the need to improve
productivity. These are the vital requirements to keep manufacturing plants in developed countries. Other very important
characteristics of the manufacturing systems to survive the market are flexibility and agility of the manufacturing process,
since companies are required to deal with a very fast growing market involving products having very short life-cycles due
to worldwide competition. Consequently, manufacturing companies are needed to respond to market requirements
efficiently, keeping their products competitive. This requires a very efficient and controlled manufacturing process, where
option is automation, computers and software. a huge number of products require welding operations in their assembly
processes. The welding process is Complex, difficult to parameterize and to monitor and control effectively. We have
visiting a workshop of an industry and observe that it is difficult task for welder to welding a job or two metals. It should
more take care during welding. It is also dangerous to welding while it affects eyes and also breathing problems in that
environment. Sometimes due to shake hands of worker during welding it can't weld perfectly and it may occur
imperfections in welding and it results into failure.
In those cases it is very useful to done welding by a robot. This is the reasons why we are using a welding robot
which is as follows:

Manganese in Welding Fumes

Biggest onthejob risk is open contact to the manganese contained in fumes that are produced during welding.

Manganese is able to cause very serious damage to the brain and nervous system. Many workers who are in direct contact
with welding fumes suffer from Parkinsons disease, a major problem affecting movement and balance. They tend to
develop Manganese, a disease closely related to Parkinsons that also makes it difficult to walk and move properly. Both
manganese and Parkinsons disease cause tremors, shaking, and loss of muscle control. These conditions can become more
severe as time passes.

Other Harmful Metals in Welding Fumes

When the welding rod used is either base metal iron or mild steel, iron oxide may be produced in the welding

fumes in addition to manganese. Breathing in iron oxide can damage nasal passages, throat, and lungs. Working with
stainless steel produces fumes having nickel and chromium and caused to face problems like asthma. Nickel can make
illness worse.
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Vipul M Vasava & Parth B Prajapati

Hazardous Coatings
Welding on some plated or painted metals may be especially hazardous. If cutting a metal that has been coated

with paint which contains lead, it may produce welding fumes having lead oxide. Inhaling these welding fumes can cause
lead poisoning, a condition in which worker becomes weak and develop anemia (a low red blood cell count). Lead also
harms your nervous system, kidneys, and reproductive system

Heat, Light, and Mechanical Injuries

Arc welding uses ultraviolet light. If welding is carried out near solvents containing chlorinated hydrocarbons, the

ultraviolet light can react with the solvents to form phosgene gas, which is deadly in even small amounts.
Spcifications
Weld penetration is the distance that the fusion line fills the weld metal below the surface of the material being
welded. Incomplete root fusion is defined as the weld material fails to fuse one side of the joint in the gap. Incomplete root
penetration arises when both sides root region of the joints are prepared with typical imperfection.

An Excessively Thick Root Face in a Butt Weld

Misplaced Weld

Too Small A Root Gap

Power Supply Too Low

Arc Input too Low

Figure 3: Specification
Material/Tool Required
There is number of choices are available for to selecting the building materials for Wireless ram. But not every
material is a good choice. There are some materials or tools which are as follows:

CAD Software

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.7294

NAAS Rating: 2.45

Design and Analysis of Wireless Welding Arm

Thin sheet metal

Cardboard

Sheet metal

Steel

13

Robot Dynamics
This will gives a brief idea about Design of Wireless arm including parameters used in design. Also it gives an
idea about methods used for calculating parameters and analysis.Machine manufacturers have to manufacture machine
which posses convenient design for The customers requirements due to increasing competition between the
manufacturers inrecent years. It is not an effective solution to respond to this demand by producing several Machine
models. It is important that the design of the machine is carried out so as to satisfy the customers specific requirements to
decrease the manufacturing cost and increase thequality of the product. The design process must be completed rapidly in
order to proceed withthe manufacturing of the machines which fulfils the customers requirements. Necessity forquick
design has created the Wireless design concept. Wireless design can be defined asaccomplishing the whole design which
fulfils all the requirements in a quick and reliable Manner.
A Robotic arm or say Wireless arm can be designated using two main parameters.

Reach
The robot workspace (reachable space) indicates the places that the end gripper can reach. The workspace varies

with change in Degree Of freedom angle/translation limitations, the arm link lengths, the angle of work piece to be picked
up, etc. The workspace is depends highly on the robot configuration. To identify the workspace, we have to calculate all
locations that the gripper can reach.

Figure 4: Free Body Diagram

The above figure shows the free body diagram of Wireless welding arm.

Where,

Motor used to provide translational motion

Motor Used For rotational motion.

If we change the link lengths we workspaces can obtain the different work space. Any location outside of this space is
a location that arm cant reach. So from this point of view the Reach is said to be major parameter for designing the Arm.
The reach can be calculated through stretching the links to its maximum condition.
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Payload
Payload can be defined as the maximum weight that can be lifted or moved by the end gripper of the Wireless
arm. A payload is usually termed as a weight unit kg or Lbs. This parameter is the sum of mass of the end gripper and mass
of welding torch moved by the robotic arm. For example, an arc welding torch is lighter in weight compared to a spot
welding gun, which differs in a different payload total. So, the robot selection could be different for these two applications.
The weight of arc welding torch is hardly 0.8 to 0.9 kg. So using these two parameters we can say that Reach of robot is far
more important than the payload criteria.Wireless arm is made from mechanical links as well as the electronics
components. The parts being used to make this Wireless arm as listed as follow.
Table 1
Mechanical Parts
Base plate
Rigid Links
End effecter
Shaft
Spacer

Electronic Parts
D.C motor
Stepper motor
Sensors
Ardiuno processer
Mega at 8085 circuit

Electronics Parts
This Wireless welding arm is designed by relating it to a specific product. Thus this equipment is product oriented
designed. In pressure vessel steel sheet is bent and joined by weld which is known as long seam. So, to weld these shells
with the hollow cylinder arc welding is used. This is the main application of Wireless welding arm. The arm is designed
such that it can weld in long seam.
Mechanical Parts
Base Plate
Base plate is made from Cold Rolled steel.Base plate is designed such that it can with stand the stresses generated
during working conditions as well as to withstand the weight during stationary conditions. The base plate assembly is
having two parts which are connected with each other by nut. The part one base plate dimensions are of 400mm long and
200mm wide made of 5 mm thick plate.The part two of base plate are connected using 4 circular pipes on which 1st link
relies.

Figure 5: Base Assembly

Link 1 Assembly
Link 1 compromises two CRC material strips which are connected by using spacers. It also compromises a c cup

in which stepper motor is mounted. Motor is connected to the link through simple shaft mechanism.
Impact Factor (JCC): 5.7294

NAAS Rating: 2.45

Design and Analysis of Wireless Welding Arm

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Figure 6: Link 1 Assembly

Figure 7: Base Clamp

Figure 8: 2-D Drawing of Arm

Rigid Links
In this particular Wireless arm 2 links are used which are made of CRC so the desirable durability is achieved as

well as Stainless Steel is Economical.Link 1 is designed in such a way that it can lift the weight of link 2 and gripper
holding the welding torch. The dimension of the link 1 is as follows.0.15m length CRC strips seam welded at distance of
0.10m to 0.25 m so it do not bend during its angular motion. The angular movement of link 2 is 180 degrees in north-east
direction. The rigid links are powered by High Torque and less RPM stepper Motor.In link 2 all parts are to be joined using
spacer.
End Effecter
End effecter is used to hold the weld torch during the process. It is essential that the torch should not be move
during the process so it is designed in such a way that it fits completely the weld torch. The weight of weld torch is low as
0.8 kg to 0.9 kg so there are less chances that effecter bends in downward movement due to result of weight. If we use
gripper type end effecter than Wireless arm can be also used as pick and place robot.

Spacers
Spacers are used in link 2 at regular interval to make sure that link is connected in linear position and do not bend

at any ends due to torque.

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Vipul M Vasava & Parth B Prajapati

Figure 9: Spacer (Diameter 4mm Hollow Steel Pipe)

Figure 10: D.C Motormotor Mounting

Motor
Electric motors are used to actuate something in your robot: its wheels, legs, tracks, arms, fingers, sensor
turrets.
Stepper Motor
In between those 1.8 In Stepper motor the standard angle for 1 step is 1.8 degree.so it means that we cannot stop
the operation degree. If we want to weld 8 degrees on any circle periphery the motor will use 5 steps
1.8*5 = 9 degrees.
This means that the arm will weld 1 more degree on that periphery. So in case of stepper motor inaccuracy problem may
arise.
Servo Motor:
A special part of continuous motors is the servo motor, which in typical cases combines a continuous DC motor
with a feedback loop to ensure accurate positioning. There are various types of servo motors; a communally found in
radio-controlled cars and planes.
D.C motor:
In a continuous DC motor, application of power causes the shaft to rotate continually. The shaft stops only when
the power is removed, of if the motor is stalled because it can no longer drive the load attached to it. D.C motor can be
used to move heavy load by using low RPM high torque motors.From Evaluation of all available motors we have selected
the D.C motor and servo motor selected.

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.7294

NAAS Rating: 2.45

Design and Analysis of Wireless Welding Arm

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Processor
There are two processors available in the market for mainly for robotics programming

Ardiuno Processor
An Arduino is a micro-controller board built with the 8-bit AmtelAVR micro-controller. These has between 32K
and 512K of on-board flash able memory, run at clock speeds of 8-84MHz and run off voltages of 2.7-12V. They have
about 2K of RAM. An Arduino takes about 7 seconds to boot. It is programmed using a special part of C and has no
operating system. These are programmed by writing the programs on a computer and uploading the written code over a
USB cable. Depending on the model, they are available with 9 and 54 digital I/O pins and 6-12 analog input. Power
consumption of ardiuno is < 0.5W.Among these two boards the ardiuno is selected as per the guidance of the electronics
professor.
ARDIUNO PROCESSOR
Raspberry Pi
An Arduino is a micro-controller board built with the 8-bit AmtelAVR micro-controller. These has between 32K
and 512K of on-board flash able memory, run at clock speeds of 8-84MHz and run off voltages of 2.7-12V. They have
about 2K of RAM. An Arduino takes about 7 seconds to boot. It is programmed using a special part of C and has no
operating system. These are programmed by writing the programs on a computer and uploading the written code over a
USB cable. Depending on the model, they are available with 9 and 54 digital I/O pins and 6-12 analog input. Power
consumption of ardiuno is < 0.5W.Among these two boards the ardiuno is selected as per the guidance of the electronics
professor.
Speed
Speed is the amount of distance per unit time at which the robot can move, usually specified in inches per second
or meters per second. The speed is usually specified at a specific load or assuming that the robot is carrying a fixed weight.
Actual speed may vary depending upon the weight carried by the robot.
Load Bearing Capacity
Load bearing capacity is the maximum weight-carrying capacity of the robot. Robots that carry large weights, but
must still be precise are expensive
Accuracy
Accuracy is the ability of a robot to go to the specified position without making a mistake. It is impossible to
position a machine exactly. Accuracy is therefore defined as the ability of the robot to position itself to the desired location
with the minimal error (usually 0.001 inch).
Repeatability
Repeatability is the ability of a robot to repeatedly position itself when asked to perform a task multiple times.
Accuracy is an absolute concept, repeatability is relative. Note that a robot that is repeatable may not be very accurate.
Likewise, an accurate robot may not be repeatable.

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Vipul M Vasava & Parth B Prajapati

Work Envelope
Work envelope is the maximum robot reach, or volume within which a robot can operate. This is usually specified as a
combination of the limits of each of the robot's parts. The figure below shows how a work-envelope of a robot is
documented

Figure 11: Circuit Work Flow

Arduino connected to esp8266 module & module connected cloud based website.

Arduino connected to motor driver which drives various motors & controls them.also connected to ultrasonic
sensor.

Ultrasonic sensor measures the distance of gun from workpiece.its data is send to be plotted on cloud based
website

Cloud based website offers various control for controlling th machine & its links

Arduino works as control of circuit while esp8266 & cloud based website is used to monitor & gather data &
helps user give command to arduino

Calculations of Arm Joints

The requirement of these force calculations is for motor selection. We must make sure that the motor we choose
do not only support the weight of the robot arm, but also what the robot arm will carry. The first step for calculation is
labeling FBD which is drawn with the robot arm stretched out to its maximum length. Next step is moment arm
calculation, multiplying downward force times the linkage lengths. This calculation must be done for each motor.

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.7294

NAAS Rating: 2.45

Design and Analysis of Wireless Welding Arm

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Figure 12: F.B.D of Arm Indicating Loads Applied on It

From The figure the torque at different joints is calculated. To Calculate torque following parameters are used,
Weight of each linkage
Weight of each joint
Weight of object to lift

Length of each linkage

Torque Calculation
Torque about Joint 1
Joint 1 is welded.

Torque about Joint 2

M2 = L2/2 * W2 + L3 * W3
= 15*1.12
= 16.8 kg.cm
The length and working space of the arm is derived from the top shell part dimensions of the pressure vessel.

The Following figure shows the figure of top head of the Pressure vessel.

Figure 13: Top Head

DIMENSIONS

Nominal thickness, t = 20mm

Height of ellipsoidal head, h = D/4= 250mm

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Vipul M Vasava & Parth B Prajapati

Design of Parts Used in Wireless Arm

Reach

Figure 14
From figure
=45*cos 40 + 30*cos -40
=57.45 cm
So the reach of the arm is Limited to 57.45 cm ~57cm
Forward Kinematics

Figure 15: Forward Kinematics

Assume that the base is located at x=0 and y=0. The first step would be to locate x and y of each joint.

Joint 0 (With X And Y At Base Equaling 0)

x0=0

y0 = L0

Joint 1
x1= 45*COS (40) = 34.47

J1 (28.92, 34.47)

y1= 30*SIN (40) = 28.92

Joint 2
x2= 30*COS (-40) =22.98

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.7294

NAAS Rating: 2.45

Design and Analysis of Wireless Welding Arm

y2= 30*SIN (-40) = -19.28

21

J2 (-19.28, 22,98)

Joint Locations
J0 (0,0)
J1 (28.92, 34.47)
J2 (-19.28, 22,98)

Final Designassembly of Wireless Welding Arm

Figure 16: Final Assembly

Analysis Results
Analysis is carried out in ANSYS 16.1.In Deformation and stress analysis the Assemblyis sufficiently safe.
The analysis results are as given below.The ANSYS program has many finite element analysis capabilities, ranging from a
simple, linear, static analysis to a complex, nonlinear, transient dynamic analysis. The analysis guide manuals in the
ANSYS documentation set describe specific procedures for performing analyses for different engineering disciplines.
The Load of 20 N ( Ramped) is applied on the top face of secondary link. Factor of Safety achieved for the
structure is 15. At 20 N Load the structure deforms by 0.02 mm. Structure Will Break at the Load of 250 N. Mashing used
for analysis: For First Link Hex Meshing,For Second Link Triangular mashing.

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Vipul M Vasava & Parth B Prajapati

Figure 17
Deformation Analysis
Deformation analysis is carried out with predefined design and load data. At the end of the link 2 loads is applied
in downward direction. Result is as shown in Figure.

Figure 18: Deformation Analysis

Figure 19: Stress Analysis

Final Assembly After Analysis

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.7294

NAAS Rating: 2.45

Design and Analysis of Wireless Welding Arm

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Figure 20

CONCLUSIONS
The purpose of Wireless arm is for limited mobility. A schematic design of the each component is given in Design
Chapter. A brief description is given for function and construction of each component. Research papers, related patents and
devices which have working principle similar to this Wireless welding arm was conducted and is presented in this
report.The Wireless arm would be able to confront routine challenges occurred in weldingevery day. This Wireless arm is
designed to fulfill the tasks with less difficulty and reduce defect cause by worker. The Wireless welding arm reduces the
effort required. Same products are available in the market but with bit high cost. Wireless welding arm is designed to
perform special purpose task.Wireless welding arm is designed in terms ofproduct data and shape.According to research,
Wireless Arms are designed to overcome individual challengeswhich have proven to be valuable. No matter what type of
impairment is being faced by the consumer, anyone who has the capability to use a keypad and controller can control the
device.The device will prove beneficial to the production line manager and workers since it has the ability of ease
understanding of the device quickly along with an operation.Wireless arm increases productivity significantlyand safety
advantages, even for small operations. It is possible to get fastest return in the industry by implementing automation
investment.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Authors are greatful to GMM pfaduler Limited,v.v.nagar for providing useful knowledge about the whole project.

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Vipul M Vasava & Parth B Prajapati

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GMM pfaudler pvt ltd.v.u.nagar,anand.

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Autonomy.

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pi-cheng tung, ming-chang wu, yean-ren hwang.(2004) an image-guided mobile robotic welding system for smawvrepair
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norberto

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A. ollero, s. boverie, r. goodall, j. sasiadek, h. erbe, d. zuehlke mechatronics,(2005) robotics and components for automation
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Anurag Verma and M. M. Gor (2008). Computer Aided Dynamic Modeling of a Manipulator, Proceeding of the National
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Anuragverma (2010) actuator design arc welding robot.

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.7294

NAAS Rating: 2.45