Product category:
Form/co-ordinate, optical and vision instrumentation
News Release from: Meta Vision Systems | Subject: MetaView
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 06 October 2000
Laser video improves manual welding
A new technique, called MetaView, to improve the speed and accuracy of welding systems which are manually controlled, has been introduced by Meta Vision Systems
A new technique to improve the speed and accuracy of welding systems which are manually controlled has been introduced by Meta Vision Systems, Eynsham Instead of looking directly at the working area through darkened glass, the operator views the seam position on a video monitor from a remote location
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 14 Jul 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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The image is created by displaying laser light which has been shone at the surface, reflected and detected by a sensor mounted in front of the welding torch.
Called MetaView, the high definition equipment is less costly than conventional video camera-based systems on the market, which often afford a poor view of the seam due to the intensity of the arc.
Other ideal applications are to be found where access to the weld seam is difficult.
Compared with monitoring naturally reflected light, the other major benefit of laser detection is that information from the welding area also shows if the fit-up is poor and how much out of alignment the two sides of the joint are.
It is consequently possible to upgrade the system to allow this data to be fed back to correct the settings of a production machine - for example the pressure of rollers in tube manufacture.
Meta Vision, better known for supplying automatic weld seam tracking equipment for OEM and retrofit applications worldwide, has used the same laser sensor in the manufacture of MetaView.
It is therefore a good introduction to automated welding and avoids equipment redundancy if a user decides to move up to a higher level system.
Higher productivity and weld quality together with reduced rework and scrap result from the operator's improved ability to get the weld right first time.
Moreover, controlling the operation from a remote, more comfortable location leads to a fume-and spatter-free working environment, and reduced fatigue.
The robust sensor head, which needs a supply of clean filtered air, is available with a choice of 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 or 60 mm field of view.
Gaps down to 0.1 mm can be detected.
Included also in the MetaView system are a mount (water-cooled if required), a camera cable to a maximum of 50 metres, a control box and a video monitor.
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