Abstract: Disclosed example robotic welding systems include: a robotic manipulator configured to manipulate a welding torch; a first input device attached to the robotic manipulator and configured to receive rotational and translational inputs; a second input device attached to the robotic manipulator and configured to receive a masking input; and a robot control system, comprising: a processor; and a machine readable storage medium comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: in response to activation of the masking input via the second input device, masking at least a portion of the inputs received via the first input device; and in response to inputs to the first input device, move the robotic manipulator according to the inputs and based on whether the inputs are masked.

Abstract: Robots are commonly used for automated MIG (Metal Inert Gas) or TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding in many industries such as automotive manufacturing. A weld procedure is defined and the robot performs motion control of the weld torch along the weld seam, while starting and stopping the arc as desired along the weld seams. The robot controls the motion of the torch along the weld path. The motion is defined by a combination of the position and orientation of the torch which is attached to the robot end-effector. The weld specification will generally prescribe a portion or all of the desired orientation of the torch. This information can be used to reduce the complexity of programming a weld path for a robot.