TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 609/1997
H J Powell and J L Frost
A computer knowledge-base covering design and manufacturing considerations for resistance spot welding.
Background
Research carried out in this programme is aimed at development of a software program to assist TWI Member Companies achieve best practice and total quality management for resistance spot welding. This has been achieved by use of Rapid Software Development techniques, to produce a software program which resembles an electronic book, incorporating database functions, spreadsheet calculations and hypertext documentation. The resultant software, Resistance Welding Toolkit, covers a number of process factors and considerations essential to achievement of best practice manufacturing system design and quality improvement activities as follows:
- joint feasibility
- welding parameter guidelines
- joint performance
- joining process cost analysis
- equipment suppliers
- standards
- weld quality and the achievement of best practice
Objectives
- Design, specification and development of a user-friendly computer knowledge-base allowing rapid access to relevant best practice resistance spot welding information by non-specialist design and manufacturing engineers.
- Development of a process costing methodology for resistance spot welding and incorporation with the above knowledge-base.