Design of a high precision mechanical linear system for the study of the variables involved in the gas metal arc welding process

Abstract

The gas metal arc welding process is studied because of its high productivity and low cost. One of the drawbacks of this process is achieving repeatability of the welding seams. This article shows the design of a linear mechanical system that provided a high precision in the trajectory of the base platform. Three important factors were investigated such as platform speed, the main stresses present and the manufacturing material. A descriptive type methodology was used which consisted of conducting the study as a discrete particle system. The optimum conditions for the efficiency of its operation were a linear velocity of 1.44 mm/s, maximum shear stress in the power screw of 283.57 kPa, which was calculated by means of static analysis to determine as the material of medium carbon steel of type AISI 1040, which due to its ductility, facilitated the machining of the power screw. This provided a mechanical efficiency of 30.9%. The kinematic calculations of the system were made with standardized elements found on the market.