Control system design of arc welding by hand machine based on Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and CC-link master module

Abstract

This paper presents research conducted at an automotive manufacturing company that manufactures automotive components, including the rear axle. The housing assembly is one part of the rear axle assembly process that serves as a place to put other rear axle components, namely: axle shaft, differential, inner retainer bearings, brakes, drum brakes, and others. A new machine will be designed on the housing assembly production line with a larger capacity, which is 3000 pcs per month. The arc welding by hand machine was designed by adding a motor and an inverter, a pneumatic cylinder as a gripping, a reed switches as a controlling cylinder. The main function of this machine is to connect the upper-lower assembly parts with the housing tube and housing end and to keep the three parts fixed on one axis. If the three connected parts are not on the same axis, it can cause defects in the product. In this paper, we discuss the control system design of the housing assembly arc welding by hand machine using the PLC as its control, and the CC-Link master module which functions as the expand input-output of this machine. With a new machine control design, production targets can be achieved, and product defects have decreased from 0.96% to 0.06%.