Tactile part localisation
Locate the part with the tool you already have.
TouchMaster® turns the welding wire into a measuring probe. A few touches on the part tell the robot where to weld.
Overview
Not every cell needs a camera. But every cell needs to know where the part really is.
TouchMaster® is the all-rounder of part and joint detection. Electrical contact between the wire and the part gives a precise, robust measurement in the harshest welding environments and very tight work envelopes. TouchMaster® structures that principle into a configurable and sophisticated search strategy, generated with the program instead of taught by hand.
TouchMaster® uses the welding wire as a probe. By touching reference surfaces of the part it measures where the part actually is and shifts the welding program accordingly, without adding a camera or sensor head to the cell.
How it works
How a touch becomes a correction
TouchMaster® runs as part of the welding cycle.
Search
The robot approaches reference faces of the part along defined search directions.
Capabilities
Simple principle, engineered execution
No camera required
The welding wire is the probe: no camera or sensor head on the robot.
Generated, not taught
Search routines are generated with the program in Lumen Weld®.
Robust in the cell
Insensitive to light, spatter and surface finish.
In production
TouchMaster® is used in production welding cells today.
At a glance
TouchMaster® in brief
- Principle
- Electrical contact between welding wire and part
- Hardware
- No camera or sensor head; touch sensing on the welding circuit
- Output
- Shifted welding trajectories
- Works with
- Lumen Weld® or standalone
Works with
The pragmatic sibling of FalconEye®.
TouchMaster® and FalconEye® answer the same question with different means. TouchMaster® is chosen where a camera is impractical or not justified; FalconEye® in time-sensitive applications and/or where complex geometry or larger deviations require full 3D measurement. Both serve the same purpose but carry very different pros and cons.
Interface
Interface
Search strategies and measured offsets are visible and traceable.
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FAQ
Questions engineers ask
Does TouchMaster® slow down the cycle?
Each touch takes cycle time. The search strategy is designed to use the minimum number of touches for the correction the part needs.
Can TouchMaster® and FalconEye® be combined?
Yes, although most cells use one or the other. Applicability is decided case by case, depending on the parts, the cell and the application.
Next step
Need localisation without the need for complex vision systems?
Tell us about your parts and fixtures and we will assess whether TouchMaster® is enough.