Purpose – Friction stir welding (FSW) is a novel method for joining materials without using consumables and without melting the materials. The purpose of this paper is to present the state of the art in robotic FSW and outline important steps for its implementation in industry and specifically...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the fundamental concept of Honda's robotized friction stir welding (FSW) technology, its implementation to mass produced vehicles and the future impact on the automobile industry. Design/methodology/approach – Based on an interview with...

Purpose – This paper aims to present a deflection model to improve positional accuracy of industrial robots. Earlier studies have demonstrated the lack of accuracy of heavy-duty robots when exposed to high external forces. One application where the robot is pushed to its limits in terms of...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the tool experiences using torque during welding as a means of in-process sensing for tool wear. Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are materials with immense potential for aerospace structural applications. The major barrier to implementation of...

Purpose – This paper aims to present a new friction-stir-weld robot for large-scale complex surface structures, which has high stiffness and good flexibility. Design/methodology/approach – The robot system is designed according to manufacturability of large aluminum products in aeronautic...

Purpose The weld joint of large thin-wall metal parts which deforms in manufacturing and clamping processes is very difficult to manufacture for its shape is different from the initial model; thus, the space normals of the part surface are uncertain. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, an...

Purpose This study aims to enable robotic friction stir welding (FSW) in practice. The use of robots has hitherto been limited, because of the large contact forces necessary for FSW. These forces are detrimental for the position accuracy of the robot. In this context, it is not sufficient to...