Lightweight construction cuts carbon emissions
SAG optimizes manufacturing with Fronius technology
The Salzburger Aluminium Group (SAG) brings innovative lightweight construction methods to vehicle construction, thereby helping to cut carbon emissions. These advanced lightweight components are welded using CMT and WireSense technology.
What’s your welding challenge?
Salzburger Aluminium Group (SAG)
Sites:
9
Employees:
±1100
Manufacture of:
Lightweight components for vehicle construction: aluminum tanks, chassis components, air reservoirs, air pressure tanks, and much more.
Fronius products used:
TPS/i Robotics PushPull welding machine with CMT technology
WireSense assistance system for seam tracking
Process application:
CMT arc (Cold Metal Transfer) with WireSense seam tracking
We are the only company in the world able to mass produce air pressure tanks partly consisting of rheocasting components which are helium-tight. To meet our quality standards, we use CMT and WireSense technology from Fronius.
The challenge
Component deviations such as varying clamping tolerances can cause major welding problems. In the worst case scenario, these deviations result in the ideal welding position being lost and cause a lack of fusion in the weld. SAG tested a number of assistance systems with the aim of compensating for manufacturing inaccuracies and opted in favor of the WireSense technology from Fronius.
The solution
WireSense does not require any extra hardware components. Instead, the wire electrode is used as a sensor that scans the component with a high-frequency reversing wire movement every millisecond. By evaluating the individual pieces of height information, the robot not only determines the edge misalignment and the position of the individual sheets in relation to each other, but also the actual edge height.
In the case of lap joints such as those used in SAG’s air pressure tanks, WireSense detects the weld seam path, reacts to any deviations, and corrects the originally created sequence program.
Products used
