VITRONIC's Weldloop software integrates weld inspection data with process data
from the welding line. This makes it easier to identify causes of defective welds and
optimize welding processes. The latest version of the solution has been enhanced
with additional evaluations, visualizations and tools. They make it easier to analyze
data and eliminate the sources of defects - and save valuable time in production.
Optimizing welding processes to avoid scrap
In the production of body parts or axles for vehicles, every single weld seam must be
inspected: there can be no compromises when it comes to safety. Automated inspection
systems use image processing to reliably find all defects and document the inspection
results. The non-OK parts are rejected and reworked.
Every welding defect costs unnecessary time and money. Vehicle manufacturers have to
work efficiently. Detecting defective parts before delivery is not enough. The aim must be to
avoid defects and rejects from the outset if possible - by quickly finding and eliminating
sources of error. In this way, welding processes can be made progressively more stable and
reliable.
Linking inspection data and process data
Without context, however, the data from the visual inspection do not allow direct conclusions
to be drawn about the causes of defects. Such analyses still depend largely on the
experience of welding engineers: they set out to find the fault, change the welding
parameters and thus try to eliminate it. This can take time. Meanwhile, the welding line is
often at a standstill. In addition, this method prevents continuous automation of the line.
That is why VITRONIC, the Wiesbaden-based specialist for industrial image processing,
launched the Weldloop software at the beginning of 2022. Weldloop integrates data from two
sources: 3D data from automated weld inspection with VITRONIC VIRO WSI and process
data from the welding line in WeldCube Premium, the documentation solution from Austrian
manufacturer Fronius. The software visually compares both data sets: this makes it easier to
identify correlations between defective seams and deviations in the welding process.
Eliminate defects quickly with visual evaluations and integrated solutions
The latest Weldloop version provides a number of new evaluations, visualizations and tools.
This makes it faster and easier for welding engineers to analyze errors and eliminate the
causes. With visualizations such as scatter plots, large amounts of data can be displayed at
once, for example different measured values from several welds in one overview.
Using trend displays, the quality of a component and individual seams can be tracked over
time on an hourly, daily and weekly basis. One click takes you directly to the detailed view
with the measured values of individual seams. Causes of errors can be traced back to
individual welding stations and exact times.
A few more clicks are all it takes to eliminate the cause: Workers can switch to Weldcube in
Weldloop and change welding station parameters there. Manual analysis becomes
unnecessary, as do constant switches between different stations and solutions. Weldloop
also allows workers to import manual defect evaluations; the data can be used to minimize
pseudo defects and optimize inspection methods.
For documentation, optimization and audits, the software comes with a set of standard
interactive reports. All data can be transferred to external databases for
long-term archiving.