The IDEAL Welder’s Turning Heads

When we were on the hunt for a new automated welding machine, we knew we needed a machine that would be quick, reliable, and versatile. With the ability to finish welds in two milliseconds, the CSR102 from IDEAL definitely met the quickness requirement. Also, the ability to make welds in three dimensions allow this new welder to make welds at every intersection in a wire basket by itself, which translates into incredibly consistent, reliable welds.

But, what about the versatility of the machine? What features help to make this machine able to adapt to nearly any welding job?

Lower and Upper Z-Axis Welding Heads

The use of four welding heads sounds like a good start to ensuring versatility. That’s right, the CSR102 comes with two pairs of welding heads, one pair on the upper Z axis and one pair for the lower Z axis.

All of the welding heads, both for the top and the bottom are equipped with servomotors that allow for height adjustments on the fly. Needless to say, this feature is invaluable for objects that have welds which need to be made at multiple heights – not on a flat plane. The upper welding heads can shift up to 400 mm up and down, while the lower welding heads can move up to 200 mm.

Two pairs of welding heads allow the CSR102 to make welds along both the upper and lower areas of a given part or wire form with ease. Sheet metal fabrications like housings and consoles and electronic panels in three dimensions are also welded precisely, consistently and fast.

The Pincer Welding Head

Beyond the upper and lower z-axis welding heads, the CSR102 also possesses a special pincer-type welding head that it uses to make vertical welds.

This particular head comes equipped with two separate servos, one to raise and lower the head and one to allow it to rotate 359° of a full circle! One of two heads that can swivel 359 degrees.

A typical welding machine can only do welds at a 90° angle. If all of your welds are taking place on perfectly square forms, this is fine. However, for rounded shapes, such as our round wire baskets or wire guards or wavy shapes, completing intersection welds can be tricky if you can’t rotate the welding head to match the actual shape of the basket or wire product. This often leads to production craftsman having to do welds manually, or trying to move the part into place for the machine to weld while it’s in operation (which can be insanely dangerous and we recommend that you avoid doing this).

The free range of motion that the pincer welding head enjoys allows it to complete complicated, rounded welds quickly and efficiently, without the interference of the operator. This keeps the operator away from the moving machinery and out of harm’s way, while minimizing the amount of time it takes to complete weld operations and time spent adjusting parts in the machine.

Thanks to the number of welding heads that the IDEAL welder employs, and the free range of motion that the attached servomotors grant them, the Versaweld CSR102 certainly lives up to the versatility implied by its name.