The new Rotary weld type will allow the system to interact with a manual weld positioner such as units offered by Baileigh, MK Products, Vevor, Red-D-Arc, etc. The Rotary weld will work similarly to a tack weld option in that it is a single-point weld. Once the point is taught the system will automatically apply the proper approach and depart steps to the motion unless the user specifies a different approach or depart by placing an air move within 2" (50mm) of the weld point. This is not to be confused with coordinated motion between the robot and the rotary positioner. This feature is useful if you are using a manual positioner today to weld round parts manually, the robot can now hold the torch in one spot and spin the part while welding.

To control the manual rotary positioner the software will require that an output from the robot is used to send the correct signal to the rotary positioner to start and stop the motion. Hirebotics will be offering 2 basic types of adapters depending on the rotary positioner and how the foot pedal controls the system. All of the adapters will have a single wire connection back to the robot as well as an M8, 3-wire input connection for connecting sensing devices for determining when the unit has rotated 360 degrees. The adapters will have different configurations for connecting and controlling the rotary motion but you can also wire your own adapter from the output to the robot using cables and relays that can be purchased from most automation component suppliers.

Hirebotics has worked directly with MK Products and developed an adapter that is plug-and-play with the MK Products CobraTurn T-260 or CobraTurn T-30 positioners. This adapter is for sale directly from Hirebotics, please reach out to your Hirebotics rep for more information on this adapter, part number KIT-1108.

Hirebotics has developed a version of the rotary adapter that provides a single dry contact for connecting to the rotary. This can be used to drive a couple of different variants of positioners. These include positioners that use the foot pedal as an interrupt circuit where the 110VAC power cord from the rotary plugs into the foot pedal and then the foot pedal is plugged into the 110VAC source as well as positioners where the foot pedal is connected to the control logic of the motor controller for the positioner. You can find more information on how to connect the adapter here.

When installing the rotary positioner for use with the robot it is important to understand the orientation of the positioner relative to the base of the robot. To simplify settings we have developed the system to have a specific alignment with the coordinate system of the robot to enable weave functionality to work correctly.

If you plan to use the rotary positioner in the horizontal configuration, where the axis of rotation is parallel to the ground the axis of rotation should also be aligned with the black power cable coming from the base of the robot. This alignment will allow the weave operations to be performed correctly with the Triangular weave working across the path of the weld joint and the Whip Stitch working along the path of the weld joint.

The positioner should be secured to the table to prevent the system from moving to provide the most repeatable weld possible. This can either be attached to the tabletop directly or set on a separate cart or on the floor for larger positioners and then the table secured to the cart or directly to the positioner.

Once the robot is connected to the rotary positioner and the positioner is mounted and secured to the table, it is time to learn to use the positioner. This exercise will guide you through using the new Rotary weld step