Inrotech A/S produces fully automated welding robots developed with precision, efficiency and high-tech solutions in mind. Several types of composite play a decisive role in the construction of the robots.
The welding robots are primarily produced for use in the shipbuilding industry. As quality and durability are particularly important in this industry, the requirements placed on these welding robots are exceptional. Not only do they need to contain advanced technology to handle precision welding, they must also be able to withstand the welding environment, including extremely high temperatures and UV radiation. So it is important that the robots are built from materials that remain dimensionally stable in such conditions. This way, the combination of the technology and materials ensures that the robots are capable of delivering the high precision and efficiency they are intended to.
Christian Ryrberg Schmidt, Mechanical Engineer, Inrotech, explains that highly resistant materials are necessary in several different parts of the welding robots:
For example, this is the case with the components that protect the distance measuring instrument in the robots, which Christian Ryrberg Schmidt highlights as one of the key parts of the robots:
"The foundation of our welding robots is first of all the distance-measuring instrument, which scans each material using advanced methods before commencing the welding. At this stage, the robot determines how to carry out the welding process while simultaneously creating a welding programme and preparing for welding. This is a very important part of the process, as it is fundamental in order to achieve a proper welding, so the measuring instrument must always function 100%. To protect the distance measuring instrument during welding, we have chosen to install protection shields made from G-Etronax EP 11. Temperatures and UV radiation can reach very high levels, in particular around the welding flame, and there may be splashes from the liquid material used for welding. We chose G-Etronax EP 11 because it can easily withstand all of this."
However, the distance measuring instrument alone is not enough to obtain a good result. All parts of the robot contribute to obtaining a perfect result. The welding gun holder is a good example of this:
"The welding gun readies the welding rod based on the welding programme created by the distance measuring instrument. This is precision work, as the welding rod must be held with a precision of close to two tenths of a millimetre. It is crucial that the welding-gun holder is capable of doing this, which is why it needs to be made from a thermally stable, UV-resistant and shape-retentive material. We use Etronax MF, which, in addition to meeting all of these requirements, is a light, highly wear-resistant and really good material in terms of its construction properties."
Inrotech delivered their first robots in 2010, and their components still function optimally today. Because of the high-quality requirements in the shipbuilding industry, all welding is analysed with ultrasound scanning. Inrotech estimates that a skilled welder delivers around 40% useful welding in the same time the robot delivers 95%. The actual welding process takes the same time regardless of whether it is carried out manually or via a robot. The reason for this significant difference is that the robot can continue the welding without breaks and also delivers a very precise high-quality result. The exact right choice of materials also contributes to this result.
Inrotech was founded in 2010 and has since then delivered high-tech welding robot solutions to the heavy industries with a particular focus on the shipbuilding industry.
