Optimization of sheet metal resistance spot welding process fixture design

Abstract

Resistance spot welding is a method which is commonly used for sheet metal joining purposes in industry due to minimum in thickness it has variation at the time of assembly. Fixturing plays a key role in improving sheet assembly system weld efficiency. As per the survey by American automotive weld quality of the sheet metal assembly process, around 73 percent of the variance problems from pre-production to production were due to fixture based problems. This exertion introduces a new technique of fixture design for the process of sheet metal spot welding. It engrossed on the effect of the fixture location on the dimensional quality of sheet metal parts by considering welding force, clamping force and position of locator. A hybrid optimization technique is used for determining the optimal position and clamping points with finite element analysis and achieved minimum deformation.