Page 6 - Welding Robots Technology, System Issues, and Applications

viii Foreword
welding processes are reviewed from the point of view of their automation. A
distributed system’s approach is followed for the integration of the different
components and software of the welding cell and its integration within the global
production system. Particular emphasis is given to the availability and agility to the
end user. Application examples demonstrating step-by-step the system’s
integration design clarify the relevant aspects to the interested reader.

The authors have made a strong-minded effort to set their work in the context of
international robotic arc welding research. The mix of specific research issues and
the review of broader research approaches make this a particularly welcome
contribution.

This book is directed towards readers who are interested in developing robotic
welding applications, and in particular to perform system integration. Although this
work is presented in the context of arc welding, the issues related to system
integration are general in nature and apply to other robotic applications as well.
This book constitutes a valuable source of the kind of information on robotic
welding that result of years of experience, making it suitable as well for the
decision maker, the application engineer, the researcher, the technician, and the
student.

José Sá da Costa
Mechanical Engineering Department
Superior Technical Institute (IST)
Technical University of Lisbon
Portugal