Ensuring consistent processing quality is challenging in laser processes due to varying material properties and surface conditions. Although some approaches have shown promise in solving this problem via automation, they often rely on predetermined targets or are limited to simulated environments. To address these shortcomings, we propose a novel real-time reinforcement learning approach for laser process control, implemented on a Field Programmable Gate Array to achieve real-time execution. Our experimental results from laser welding tests on stainless steel samples with a range of surface roughnesses validated the method's ability to adapt autonomously, without relying on reward engineering or prior setup information. Specifically, the algorithm learned the correct power profile for each unique surface characteristic, demonstrating significant improvements over hand-engineered optimal constant power strategies -- up to 23% better performance on rougher surfaces and 7% on mixed surfaces. This approach represents a significant advancement in automating and optimizing laser processes, with potential applications across multiple industries.

In this work we explore the application of AI to robotic welding. Robotic welding is a widely used technology in many industries, but robots currently do not have the capability to detect welding defects which get introduced due to various reasons in the welding process. We describe how deep-learning methods can be applied to detect weld defects in real-time by recording the welding process with microphones and a camera. Our findings are based on a large database with more than 4000 welding samples we collected which covers different weld types, materials and various defect categories. All deep learning models are trained in an unsupervised fashion because the space of possible defects is large and the defects in our data may contain biases. We demonstrate that a reliable real-time detection of most categories of weld defects is feasible both from audio and video, with improvements achieved by combining both modalities. Specifically, the multi-modal approach achieves an average Area-under-ROC-Curve (AUC) of 0.92 over all eleven defect types in our data. We conclude the paper with an analysis of the results by defect type and a discussion of future work.

The visual sensing system is one of the most important parts of the welding robots to realize intelligent and autonomous welding. The active visual sensing methods have been widely adopted in robotic welding because of their higher accuracies compared to the passive visual sensing methods. In this paper, we give a comprehensive review of the active visual sensing methods for robotic welding. According to their uses, we divide the state-of-the-art active visual sensing methods into four categories: seam tracking, weld bead defect detection, 3D weld pool geometry measurement and welding path planning. Firstly, we review the principles of these active visual sensing methods. Then, we give a tutorial of the 3D calibration methods for the active visual sensing systems used in intelligent welding robots to fill the gaps in the related fields. At last, we compare the reviewed active visual sensing methods and give the prospects based on their advantages and disadvantages.

The industry of the future, also known as Industry 5.0, aims to modernize production tools, digitize workshops, and cultivate the invaluable human capital within the company. Industry 5.0 can't be done without fostering a workforce that is not only technologically adept but also has enhanced skills and knowledge. Specifically, collaborative robotics plays a key role in automating strenuous or repetitive tasks, enabling human cognitive functions to contribute to quality and innovation. In manual manufacturing, however, some of these tasks remain challenging to automate without sacrificing quality. In certain situations, these tasks require operators to dynamically organize their mental, perceptual, and gestural activities. In other words, skills that are not yet adequately explained and digitally modeled to allow a machine in an industrial context to reproduce them, even in an approximate manner. Some tasks in welding serve as a perfect example. Drawing from the knowledge of cognitive and developmental psychology, professional didactics, and collaborative robotics research, our work aims to find a way to digitally model manual manufacturing skills to enhance the automation of tasks that are still challenging to robotize. Using welding as an example, we seek to develop, test, and deploy a methodology transferable to other domains. The purpose of this article is to present the experimental setup used to achieve these objectives.

To advance quality assurance in the welding process, this study presents a robust deep learning model that enables the prediction of two critical welds Key Performance Characteristics (KPCs): welding depth and average pore volume. In the proposed approach, a comprehensive range of laser welding Key Input Characteristics (KICs) is utilized, including welding beam geometries, welding feed rates, path repetitions for weld beam geometries, and bright light weld ratios for all paths, all of which were obtained from hairpin welding experiments. Two deep learning networks are employed with multiple hidden dense layers and linear activation functions to showcase the capabilities of deep neural networks in capturing the intricate nonlinear connections inherent within welding KPCs and KICs. Applying deep learning networks to the small numerical experimental hairpin welding dataset has shown promising results, achieving Mean Absolute Error (MAE) values as low as 0.1079 for predicting welding depth and 0.0641 for average pore volume. Additionally, the validity verification demonstrates the reliability of the proposed method. This, in turn, promises significant advantages in controlling welding outcomes, moving beyond the current trend of relying merely on monitoring for defect classification.

Joining technologies represent a key position in modern manufacturing. Especially fusion welding processes such as GMAW are widely used in fields such as automobile, naval, and aeronautic industries [1]. GMAW relies on electrical energy and its transformation into heat to join metallic materials and is considered one of the most efficient welding techniques for automated welding applications due to its high product yield, high reliability, and good automation capacity. Traditionally, the identification of appropriate setting parameters of the GMAW process is a challenging task that highly depends on the operator's long-time experience and expertise. Such process parameters are, for example, the welding speed, electrical cycle time, and material composition of the workpiece and welding wire. To assess the quality of the welding process, the operator primarily observes characteristic effects of the process such as the arc that builds up in the protective gas between the welding wire and the workpiece or the sound of the process that results from cyclical ejections of the liquified welding wire. The assessment of the weld quality involves the inspection of the materialistic composition and geometrical properties of the welding seam. One of the most reliable methods is to cut the welding seam and the welded workpiece transversally and inspect the resulting micro-sections.

When it comes to manufacturing new lightweight, yet strong components for new passenger jets, scientists are treating the process like trying to brew the most delicious cup of coffee. By using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are intelligently and automatically selecting the perfect settings for a different kind of hot brew -- the process of friction stir welding, a common ingredient needed to manufacture airplane components. In a new collaboration with GE Research, Edison Welding Institute and GKN Aerospace, Argonne computer scientists are putting the power of the laboratory's automated machine learning expertise and supercomputers to use. By reducing the number of costly experiments and time-consuming simulations with a new machine learning approach, they can generate accurate models that provide valuable information about the welding process in much less time and at a fraction of the cost. This approach, called DeepHyper, is a scalable automated machine learning package developed by Argonne computational scientist Prasanna Balaprakash and his colleagues at Argonne.

Agtech capabilities are bringing traditional farming into the 21st century. These solutions range from sprawling LED-equipped indoor farming facilities to robotically plucking ripe produce off the vine using computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI). On Thursday, John Deere and Intel announced a pilot program that relies on AI and computer vision to detect defects in manufacturing related to the welding process. "Welding is a complicated process. This AI solution has the potential to help us produce our high-quality machines more efficiently than before," said Andy Benko, quality director at John Deere Construction and Forestry Division.

BEGIN ARTICLE PREVIEW: Test, Measurement & Analytics WHITEPAPERS How a powertrain manufacturer optimized its welding process using advanced image algorithms from a platform that extracts key features from images, analyzes them, and informs MES decisions in near real-time. How auto-manufacturers can apply ML & AI algorithms to enhance image analytics on their factory floor and to ensure higher product quality? Discover the next generation visual inspection in our new case study. In this case study , you will learn about: Current limitations of image inspection in the manufacturing industry. The O+ end-to-end solution, which brings machine learning and deep learning to image analysis in the production line. How a powertrain manufacturer deployed OptimalPlus’ software on the edge and utilized its image analysis capabilities to optimize the welding process. Despite its great potentia