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These pinzas work with control robotizado

Weldings of high precision

Technological centre CITCEA Mecatrónica - Enertrónica, UPC26/06/2013

The collaboration of CITCEA with the company Serra Welding in the innovative design of a pinza of welding for resistance has improved the quality of the weldings of this company. The patent and other innovative projects have contributed to increase the capacity to compete internationally of Serra Welding.

The Centre of Technological Innovation in Static Converters and Accionamientos (CITCEA) of the UPC has designed a double accionamiento for a pinza of welding by resistance, by commission of the company Serra Welding, manufacturer of pinzas of welding by points.

These pinzas, that work with control robotizado, stand out by an innovative design that substituye the accionamientos pneumatics by one electrical formed by two motors without brushes. One of these motors controls the movement of the electrodes of the system and another compensates the weight of the pinza, whereas a team of control does all the operations with an only microprocessor.

Pinza Of welding for resistance designed by CITCEA. Photo: UPC.

“The aim of the project –explains Joan Gabriel Bergas, director of research and innovation of CITCEA- consisted in substituir the accionamientos pneumatics that served to close the arms of the pinzas by one electrical”. This “has given more flexibility to the system and has allowed can open and close the pinza with the speed and the efforts that interest”, aims the researcher.

Of this way, achieves improve the quality of the welding and avoids the deformation of the sheet in the moment to close the pinza to solder, that is the main problem that presents the accionamiento pneumatics. “The speed and the strength are equivalent to the ones of the pneumatics actuators, but thanks to his high versatibilidad and precision in the movements diminishes the time of cycle of the welding”, affirms Bergas.

The result of the work has been the creation of a quipo very integrated that has of an accionamiento main and of a compensator. This last element, of the cual has obtained a patent, compensates the weight of the pinza and facilitates a lot the movement through the robotic arm with which works. “The new pinza allows to do weldings in positions up to now unthinkable, as in the interior of a vehicle”, ensures the researcher.

Another advantage is that it makes possible “to increase a lot the number of weldings by minute with regard to the that did with the pinzas of traditional welding”, a factor that “has repercutido in a decrease of the cost of the operation of the system”, aims Bergas.

Innovation to compete in the global market

This project of mecatrónica has developed with the collaboration of the Centre of Design of Industrial Equipment (CDEI) of the University, integrated in the centre of Technological Innovation (CIT UPC), like the CITCEA, and that also forms part of the network Tecnio of the Government of Catalonia. To technological innovation that has contributed the UPC to the company Serra Welding confirms once again the efficiency in the collaboration university-company. “We knew a lot of welding but no of electrical motors and by this ask the collaboration of CITCEA”, aims Antoni M. Gendrau, technical director of the project of the company, that already has supplied the new model of the pinza to companies like Audi. Serra Welding provides integral services in automation of industrial processes and operates in the international market.