Digital twin of a robotic GMAW welding process

Abstract

This thesis studies the application of digital twin technology in robot welding systems. Firstly, through a literature review, the theoretical distinctions among digital models, digital shadows, and digital twins are made, and it is emphasized that bidirectional data interaction is the core feature of digital twins. Based on this, a robot welding system integrating the physical layer and the virtual layer was constructed. The virtual environment was built using Visual Components and SolidWorks, and real-time data communication was achieved through OPC UA. MATLAB was utilized to monitor and record the current, voltage, and wire feeding speed during the welding process. The system was verified through two sets of experiments: Experiment 1 was conducted under normal conditions with protective gas, while Experiment 2 introduced controlled faults by removing the protective gas. The results showed that the system was capable of accurately capturing and reflecting the real-time changes during the welding process. The research has verified the feasibility of digital twins in the welding system, while also pointing out that the system still has deficiencies in achieving complete two-way control.