Page 36 - ITAtube-journal_2-13

Laser tracking equipment manu-
factured by Meta Vision Systems
is being integrated into the latest
generation of friction stir welding
(FSW) machines built by PTG Heavy
Industries at its Elland factory in
West Yorkshire. As a result, the in-
ternationally successful Powerstir
FSW machine range may now be
controlled automatically, without
the need for accurate fixtures.
Several Powerstir machines have
already been delivered with Meta’s
Smart Laser Pilot (SLPi) weld joint
tracking system, including to cus-
tomers in Europe and China.
The work that Meta is doing in
this high technology field has led
to the firm researching and devel-
oping novel applications of FSW
under the current EU Framework 7
programme.
FSW was invented and patented
by TWI (The Welding Institute) in
the UK in 1991 and was adopted
by PTG in the development of its
world-beating Powerstir machines.
Meta, another British company,
based in
Eynsham, Oxfordshire, has now
added its expertise to help auto-
mate the process and simplify ma-
chine operation.
Being a solid state process, FSW
overcomes many of the problems
associated with the melting and
resolidification of traditional arc
welding. A rotating tool is moved
along the line of a butt or lap joint,
generating frictional heat that sof-
tens the material of the parts be-
ing joined. Together with carefully
controlled clamping, the result is
high strength, defect free welding.
Meta’s SLPi, which uses the com-
pany’s high resolution Smart Laser
Sensor (SLS), detects the line of
the weld joint so that the rotating
tool moves exactly along the cor-
rect path. With a combination of
a mega-pixel camera, high quality
uniform laser stripe and special op-
tical and electronics designs, the
SLS gives a very high quality joint
profile from which the seam posi-
tion can be extracted reliably. The
tool is therefore able to be guid-
ed accurately along the line of the
joint.
Jonathan Moore, Meta’s Technical
Director, commented:
“We have supplied tracking and
control systems for almost every
type of welding and are particularly
excited to be involved in FSW and
helping PTG with its successful ex-
port drive.
FSW shows great promise in aero-
space, shipbuilding and other im-
portant sectors. Our involvement
with the EU R&D programme is an
indication of our commitment to
extend our knowledge of this im-
portant manufacturing process and
further its commercialisation.”
36 ITAtube Journal No2/September 2013
Companies
META leads the way in friction stir welding
Laser tracking equipment manufactured by Meta Vision Systems
Meta’s Smart Laser Pilot weld joint tracking
system on a PTG Powerstir FSW machine.
Screen of the Smart Laser Sensor control.