Off‐line programming motion and process commands for robotic welding of space shuttle main engines

Abstract

Abstract An intelligent, adaptive robotic system is being developed for a low‐volume, high precision process: the welding of the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs). The overall system goals include the development of a workstation‐based system to provide flexible, efficient off‐line programming of both motion and welding process commands for the robotic workcell. This offline programming system includes: implementation of a user interface for weld engineers, generation of both geometric and process commands for the workcell, development of a weld parameter database system, and display of both run‐time and archived data. This article presents details of the off‐line programming system, including interfaces, implementation, and limitations. The system will be implemented on the SSME production floor, and will be benchmarked in effectiveness and productivity against commercially available robotic welding systems presently in use. The overall system development is a joint effort between NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and two divisions of Rockwell International: Rocketdyne and the Science Center.