As part of TALENTED, the project partners are developing a collaborative solution for what was previously an entirely manual welding process. The aim is to make the production steps, which are often performed manually in special machine construction, more efficient through intelligent automation measures. To accomplish this, sensor solutions are integrated into the tool head of a welding robot for MIT Moderne IndustrieTechnik. With the use of intelligent information processing, the image data is automatically evaluated and used to track the tool during the welding process. Using an control panel, employees only have to select the surfaces or edges to be processed on the 3D model of the workpiece and configure the welding process.
This does away with the time needed for programming each workpiece individually. The sensors record the contours of the workpiece, the system recognizes deviations from the design model and on its own compensates for them during processing.The process is partially automated, with humans and robots working together as a team. The collaborative robot arm is set up flexibly by the employee with no programming skills required. It frees him from having to do heavy physical work, but always leaves the employee in control of the welding process. This allows for a significant increase in the efficiency of the operation and a reduction in the susceptibility to errors and physically demanding work.
Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design 
