Welding aluminum with industrial robots: How can you optimize your automation in manufacturing?

As a material, aluminum has many advantages in processing, but demands special knowledge and skills. At KUKA, we are the perfect partner for implementing complex welding procedures such as aluminum welding. We accompany you throughout the entire process and equip you with robots, welding cells and appropriate software.

Robot-based welding of aluminum components?

Aluminum is a lightweight material that is indispensable in modern manufacturing.?In comparison to other metals, aluminum has a lower density and thus a lower weight, but also a very low melting point. Compared to steel, the material has four times the thermal conductivity and twice the thermal expansion. The oxide layer that aluminum forms on the surface in combination with oxygen (air) can be problematic for welding.

This is exactly where KUKA comes in as your automation partner, as we have many years of experience in the field of welding. We equip you with the necessary robotics solution?and offer you comprehensive welding services.?From MIG and TIG welding to spot welding and on to laser welding and brazing, our broad portfolio covers virtually every process.

Welding aluminum: quicker, easier, further

Aluminum offers high strength in relation to its density, which makes it a popular material for lightweight construction.?This property makes aluminum interesting for practically every industry:

Automotive industry
- Body
- Hoods
- Chassis
- Tailgates
- Doors
Transportation and traffic industry
- Aircraft
- Rail vehicle construction and streetcars
- Bicycle and motorcycle frames
- Commercial vehicles (body structures such as platform gates)
Electromobility
- Heat exchangers
- Battery compartments
- Chassis

Make us your port of call for your welding production

From robots for arc and laser welding to robots for friction stir welding and on to complete production cells: we offer all you need for welding aluminum.

KR AGILUS?(payload 6?-?10 kg, reach 706.7?-?1101?mm)

Thanks to its compact size, the 6-axis robot can be used for small assemblies and in confined workspaces. Combined with the KR?C5?micro robot controller for small robots, even the smallest robot cells

KR CYBERTECH nano (payload 6?-?10 kg, reach 1420?-?1840 mm)

The industrial robot is equipped with a streamlined in-line wrist, enabling a welding torch to be mounted. It is thus also possible, for example, to install triangulation sensors for seam tracking.

KR CYBERTECH nano ARC (payload 6?-?10 kg, reach 1420?-?1840 mm)

The arc welding specialist is synonymous with precise path accuracy. Three machine variants with different reaches in conjunction with the hollow wrist enable optimal accessibility.

KR IONTEC?(payload 20?-?70 kg, reach 2100?-?3100 mm)

Thanks to Motion Modes, the industrial robot is highly flexible. It is suitable for welding applications with very heavy welding equipment or, as the KR 20 R3100, for very large components.

KR CYBERTECH ARC (payload 8?kg, reach 2101?mm)

The hollow-wrist robot – with a slim design and a reach of 2100 mm – is ideal for welding large components and is available for both the KR?C4 and KR?C5 controller generation.

KR CYBERTECH (payload 8?-?22 kg, reach 1612?-?2013?mm)

With its slim in-line wrist and its payload capacity, the multifunction machine is ideal where heavy welding equipment or supplementary loads such as sensors and a long reach are required.

KR QUANTEC (payload 120?-?300 kg, reach 2671?-?3904 mm)

The all-round machines of this series with the largest payload and reach portfolio – for diverse welding applications such as laser welding and spot welding.

KR FORTEC (payload up to 600 kg, reach 2826?-?3326 mm)

High process forces are required for friction stir welding. The heavy-duty robot is perfect for this on account of its high payload capacity and stiffness.

cell4_FSW

Production cell?for cost-effective friction stir welding of aluminum joints with highly accurate welds and up to 95% process utilization.

Would you like to automate your production with aluminum components?

We are happy to advise you.

Expert knowledge in all aluminum welding processes

Various methods are used for processing aluminum. These differ in terms of the gases and welding wire used. From MIG welding to special welding methods, we support our customers and integrators with our expertise in automation solutions as well as our process knowledge.

Aluminum spot welding

In spot or resistance welding, high mechanical pressure is exerted on a relatively small area through electrodes and a large amount of energy is supplied in the form of electric current. Local melting of the sheets between the electrodes leads to a strong joint between the components.

The KUKA.Robospin application software optimizes the spot welding of aluminum joints. The special feature here is that the robot performs a rotational motion about the weld spot during welding, thus decreasing the contact resistance and significantly reducing alloying of the electrode tips.

Advantages

Improved weld quality
Longer electrode tips
Time savings due to less frequent tip dressing or changing of electrode tips

Watch the YouTube video to see how easy it is to weld aluminum with RoboSpin. Sheet metal joints that are difficult to weld and coated panels can be processed with ease.

Arc welding

Gas metal-arc welding is an arc welding process in which an electric arc is ignited between an electrode and the component, fusing the workpiece and, if applicable, a filler metal. In aluminum arc welding, an inert gas flows around the electrode and the weld pool to prevent an undesirable chemical reaction of the molten material. Influencing the arc through appropriate selection of the electrical parameters and shielding gas can have a targeted effect on the seam formation, weld pool temperature and welding speed.

MIG welding (metal inert gas welding): In MIG welding, a melting aluminum welding wire is used as an electrode. This filler metal serves to bridge gaps, if necessary, or increase the strength of the joint. The choice of aluminum alloy for the filler wire can also influence the properties of the joint in the MIG welding process.

TIG welding (tungsten inert gas welding): In TIG welding, a burning arc is placed between the component and a non-melting tungsten electrode.

Plasma welding: Plasma welding is a variant of TIG welding in which the arc is constricted by a water-cooled nozzle and an additional plasma gas is supplied. This creates a focused arc with higher energy density.

Advantages of the process

High welding speed
First-class weld seam
High deposition efficiency and welding depth
Simple handling

Application

Wide range of materials and material thicknesses

Laser welding

In laser welding, a laser heats the material to melting temperature. The radiation is focused with the aid of optics. The low melt amount and high thermal conductivity of aluminum result in a high cooling rate, which often leads to hot cracks. This is why appropriately alloyed filler wire is often used in the case of sensitive aluminum alloys.

Advantages of the process

High welding speed
Large welding depth
Low energy per unit length and thus low thermal distortion
Material combinations with copper, for example, also possible

Application

Thin sheets
Demanding components that require a low heat input

Laser hybrid welding

In laser hybrid welding, the laser welding process is combined with a gas metal-arc welding process, usually MIG. Since a filler wire is normally used in laser welding due to the risk of hot cracking described above, it makes sense to feed filler wire which is already in liquid form through a welding arc.

Advantages

High welding speed
Large welding depth
Low energy per unit length and thus low thermal distortion
Material combinations with copper, for example, also possible

Application

Alloys sensitive to hot cracking
Components subject to tolerances
Thick sheets

Friction welding

Friction welding is a joining process that produces full-surface contact joints. Friction is created by rotating one workpiece under pressure against another workpiece. This creates heat between the two surfaces and plasticizes the material. No filler materials, additional flux or shielding gases are required for processing.

Advantages of the process

Very good joint quality
Fully homogeneous joint over the entire joint area
Joining of different metals
Materials do not melt
Increased speed and joint integrity

Application

Material with low melting temperature
Rotationally symmetric components

Friction stir welding

Friction stir welding is a process in which a rotating pin is traversed along the contact surfaces between the workpieces. The frictional heat plasticizes the material, which is welded together.

Advantages of the process

First-class weld quality
No welding defects such as pores or cracks
Joining of different metals and alloys possible
Comparatively low heat input
High seam strength with minimal welding distortion

Application?

Welding of non-ferrous metals with low melting temperature
Welding of mixed-material combinations

White Paper: Welding aluminum? No problem! Score high now in production for electromobility.

Due to its ideal combination of strength and light weight, aluminum – unlike steel – plays an important role in electromobility. KUKA makes you fit for the technological transformation towards electromobility. The battery compartment example shows how industrial robots enable the production of aluminum components to the highest quality standards.

Read about what is important for aluminum welding.

Download here

Outsource the production of aluminum components

Contract manufacturing of individual workpieces in any size for friction welding

Welding aluminum with industrial robots: How can you optimize your automation in manufacturing?

Robot-based welding of aluminum components?

Welding aluminum: quicker, easier, further

Automotive industry

Transportation and traffic industry

Electromobility

Make us your port of call for your welding production

From robots for arc and laser welding to robots for friction stir welding and on to complete production cells: we offer all you need for welding aluminum.

KR AGILUS?(payload 6?-?10 kg, reach 706.7?-?1101?mm)

KR CYBERTECH nano (payload 6?-?10 kg, reach 1420?-?1840 mm)

KR CYBERTECH nano ARC (payload 6?-?10 kg, reach 1420?-?1840 mm)

KR IONTEC?(payload 20?-?70 kg, reach 2100?-?3100 mm)

KR CYBERTECH ARC (payload 8?kg, reach 2101?mm)

KR CYBERTECH (payload 8?-?22 kg, reach 1612?-?2013?mm)

KR QUANTEC (payload 120?-?300 kg, reach 2671?-?3904 mm)