Development of a Portable Internal Welding Robot for Pipeline Applications

目前的工业焊接机器人是巨大的、固定的串行机械手，工件必须转移到机器人的工作站。由于管道内部空间有限，传统机器人对操作空间要求高，这是管道缝焊不可能完成的任务。因此，即使由专业焊工手动完成，管道中的内部缝焊也很难正确执行。本课题的目标是研制新一代专用于管道内缝焊接的便携式焊接机器人。合作伙伴Jewel Welding， Pipe-Fab & Coatings LTD是加拿大领先的管道焊接，线轴和特种涂料公司。根据合作伙伴的经验和研究，一种新的机器人设备可以用于不同的管道尺寸，体积小，经济，市场是广阔的。该项目的目的是开发一种新型的机器人机构，其具有新颖的保持和引导系统，使机器人能够安全地安装在管道内，并能够在焊缝上平稳准确地移动焊枪。所提出的焊接机器人将以最小的操作员干扰来提高焊接质量，这将有助于通过减少安装时间和人工时间来降低运营成本，同时保持高质量的焊接。所提出的焊接机器人还能以最小的操作干扰提供均匀的焊缝。该项目将通过扩展与移动机器人管道焊接相关的工业和学术领域的知识边界，为培养机器人和自动化多学科领域的HQP提供良好的环境。公司和SFU团队拥有专业知识和资源，可以在开发新型机器人焊接系统方面取得成功，该系统可以在拟议的研发活动进行后由公司商业化。为此，公司将积极参与拟议的研发活动，提供现金和实物捐助。

Current industrial welding robots are huge and stationary serial manipulators in which workpieces have to be transferred to the robot's workstation. This is an impossible task for pipeline seam welding due to the limited space inside the pipe and high operational space required by conventional robots. As a result, internal seam welding in a pipe can be extremely difficult to perform correctly, even when done manually by a professional welder. The objective of this proposal is to develop a new generation of portable welding robots dedicated for pipeline internal seam welding. The partner organization, Jewel Welding, Pipe-Fab & Coatings LTD, is a leading Canadian company in pipeline welding, spooling, and specialty-coatings. Based on the experience and studies conducted by the partner, the market is wide open for a new robotic device that can be used for different pipe sizes, is not bulky, and is economical. The aim of this project is to develop a novel robotic mechanism with a novel holding and guiding system that would allow the robot to be mounted safely inside pipelines and be able to move the welding torch smoothly and accurately on the seam. The proposed welding robot will improve weld quality with minimum operator interference, which will help in lowering operational costs by decreasing the setup time and labor hours while maintaining a high-quality weld. The proposed welding robot can further provide a uniform weld bead with minimum operator interference. The project will provide an excellent environment for training HQP in the multidisciplinary area of robotics and automation by expanding the boundaries of knowledge both in the industrial and academic fields related to mobile robotics pipeline welding. The company and SFU team have the expertise and resources to make this collaboration a success in terms of developing a novel robotic welding system that can be commercialized by the company after the proposed R&D activity has been conducted. To this end, the company will actively participate in the proposed R&D activity by providing cash and in-kind contributions.