Pioneering welding technology: ABICOR BINZEL inspires the next generation

Working in a company while studying is a great thing. Being able to spend a day in another company that has a different focus or operates in a completely different sector or industry is ideal for individual development. At the end of the year, about 40 students from the "Staatliche Fachschule für Maschinenbautechnik" (state technical school for mechanical engineering) FS MB and the "Städtische Fachschule für Elektrotechnik" (city technical school for electrical engineering) FS ET in Aschaffenburg gained an insight into the world of welding – and were impressed by the ABICOR BINZEL Innovation and Technology Center ITC and the products that the company offers.

Stations to explore and participate

The electrical and mechanical engineering students brought a wide range of welding skills. Everything from "I've never welded before" to "I've been welding for 5 years" was present. Visibly fascinated, the participants were divided into groups and followed the explanations of the ABICOR BINZEL product experts at individual stations on various product and system solutions from welding practice.

Welding fume extraction: Definitely an important matter

The station with the xFUME^® extraction technology was a real highlight for everyone involved. Most people were only familiar with welding fume extraction as hood extraction systems. The fact that there are welding torches with spot extraction that fit in the hand like a standard welding torch and extract the harmful welding fumes directly at the point of origin, thus protecting the welder and others in the production hall, was completely new to everyone.

Comments such as, "As soon as we start welding, five minutes later the whole workshop is filled with fumes," or, "If I had the choice, I'd only work for a company that offers this kind of extraction system," clearly show that there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to fume extraction. In addition, participants at this station were given an explanation of the differences between push, pull, and neutral welding techniques, an introduction to the ideal posture for manual welding, and a basic overview of how a welding power source works.

Welding cobot: so easy to use

In the application room, the focus was on welding with a cobot. Two iBOTone^® welding cobots – one with a standard robotic torch and the other with the xFUME^® series robotic extraction torch – demonstrated how fast and easy it is to program a weld path for a component. The participants were also invited to give it a try at teaching the cobot. What stood out for everyone was how quickly the cobot could be operated and how intuitive the entire process felt.

Weld seam tracking and inspection: breaking new ground

Things got a bit more complex at the station with the iST ARC optical seam tracking sensor, which is used exclusively in robotic or automated welding. This was new territory for the students, but no less fascinating. This sensor significantly reduces rework caused by part tolerances and seam distortion by dynamically adjusting the welding path of the robot torch during the process, thereby minimizing scrap. These capabilities offset the investment cost of such a system.

A similar level of complexity was found at the sensor station, where optical weld inspection systems and their applications were presented. While destructive weld testing is widely known, it can be supplemented by optical inspection systems using different types of sensors, such as the ECCO and MICO sensors. The main advantage of these systems is that they provide non-destructive in-line inspection, allowing 100% inspection of weld seams. These weld inspection sensors are offered in collaboration with our partner SmartRay. Their diverse applications were demonstrated on an automotive gas tank and an automotive axle carrier.

Welding technology: A versatile and fascinating field

The students of the technical school in Aschaffenburg were very impressed by ABICOR BINZEL's portfolio for welding technology and experienced an informative and practical day full of new insights. "We are always pleased to welcome young enthusiasts and introduce them to the world of welding technology," emphasized Daniel Fleckenstein, team leader for application & robotics service, who organized the visit.

The Innovation and Technology Center ITC at the Buseck headquarters in Germany offers visitors a comprehensive insight into the world of welding technology. It also serves as a resource for users to test weld their components or discuss process-related challenges with local experts to collaboratively develop solutions.

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