A PROTOTYPE FUZZY RESISTANCE SPOT-WELDING SYSTEM

In assembly automation, the need to perform on-line quality monitoring and to provide near real-time inspection of resistance spot welds, has attained unsurpassed importance in industries. This paper describes the development of a prototype fuzzy control system for a two-stage resistance spot welding machine with potential of being incorporated into an automation line. It encompasses a new approach aimed at providing simultaneous control of more than two major welding parameters for achieving consistent quality spot welds by assessing the condition of the heat affected zone created. The prototype system, developed in C language, comes with a decision making mechanism and a quick search mechanism. Its rule-base contains a total of 125 heuristic control rules derived from literature reviews and interviews with experts and through experiments. The various factors affecting the quality of spot welds are outlined in the paper. The correlation between spot weld quality and welding parameters were examined using the Taguchi technique. Details of the prototype system are described and the results of the experiments conducted on the system are discussed.