Robotic Laser Welding Cable Protection

Laser welding robot safe cable guidance at maximum process speed

In order to be able to produce successfully and cost-effectively, sensitive production technology of this kind requires reliable components in order to reduce errors to a minimum. The company Flexweld Robotic Welding in the Netherlands was looking for a complete system for safe guidance of all energy cables (sensors, CCD camera, shock sensors, line pilot laser), cooling tubes (water cooling) and air hoses (cross jet/protective gas) in one energy supply system.

Laser welding robot from Flexweld with triflex R

Laser welding robot requirements:

Low weight, high flexibility, reliable service life, protection of the cables from sharp edges (robot contours),
Protection from strong impacts,
Standard fastening options for a Motoman UP 20 robot and availability of spare parts at short notice.

In addition, a guide for the fiber optics had to be found. The fiber optics for transporting the laser beam is a very expensive and most sensitive part of the system. The minimum bend radius of the fiber is 200mm. Since the energy cables, hoses and tubes in the energy chain have a bend radius of less than 200mm, the fibers cannot be laid together in the same energy chain. However, all cables should be brought together at the same point near the welding head.

Robotic laser welding solution:

An undefined for the optical cables and an undefined for the other cables. With the new components, the production laser works reliably at maximum process speed.

Learn more about triflex® R