Patent Grant
11311958
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Welding and cutting process inefficiency drift is a common problem in the industry. While spot checks and corrective actions for improvements in process efficiency yield immediate, localized improvements, invariably the process begins to drift away from ideal conditions again.
There are process analyzers available to measure specific process parameters (i.e. electrical consumption, wire consumption, gas consumption, etc.). An example is U.S. Pat. No. 7,227,099B2, “System and method for improving the productivity of a welding shop”, which is incorporated by reference herein. These analyzers typically operate stand alone, the data is not integrated into a comprehensive analytics program, and ultimately does not provide feedback for overall operational process control improvement or specific recommendations that address multiple aspects of the welding or cutting process. As such, slow deviations from ideal process control parameters go unnoticed by process owners over time, resulting in higher costs of inefficiency, productivity and quality.
Operational (macro) level evaluations of welding and fabrication has been performed largely by experienced consultants performing onsite inspections and training. An example of this are the services provided by OMNIWELD™. While generally beneficial and effective, such operations audits vary in scope, degree of effectiveness, degree of consistency, and cannot be performed continuously or with high frequency.
The inventors have concluded, that a system that provides process tracking analytics and control can be created by using a database of process consumables data, ratios thereof, and correlations or these ratios to process inefficiencies.
This application discloses a process for capturing, tracking, and evaluating welding & cutting process consumables data and making automatic process improvement actions or automatically providing alerts and recommendations for process improvement actions to be taken by the process owner or weld process specialists. The following numbered sentences detail some aspects, features and embodiments:
SENTENCE 1. A metals welding or metals cutting process, the method comprising:
SENTENCE 2. The method of Sentence 1, further comprising a step of (i) providing consumables data b) to a process improvement system or (ii) providing an access to a process improvement system wherein the access is capable of transferring the consumables data of step b) to the process improvement system.
SENTENCE 3. The method of Sentences 1 and/or 2, comprising the step of providing the consumables data of step b) to a process improvement system.
SENTENCE 4. The method of Sentences 2 and/or 3, wherein the step of providing the consumables data of step b) to a process improvement system comprises a process owner placing purchase orders or other purchasing requests for the consumables with one or more suppliers of the consumables.
SENTENCE 5. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3 and/or 4, comprising the step of providing the access to the process improvement system.
SENTENCE 6. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4 and/or 5, wherein the process improvement system access to the consumables data of step b) comprises one or more of access to data from a process owner's computer implemented inventory, supply and/or procurement systems.
SENTENCE 7. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and/or 6, wherein the two or more consumables are selected from shielding gases, cutting gases, welding filler metal/wire, welding contact tips, cutting tips, wire nozzles, diffusors, welding gun liners, power, and spatter grinders.
SENTENCE 8. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and/or 7, wherein the increased efficiency of the second welding or cutting process compared to the first welding process is selected from a reduced consumption of one or more consumable, an improved weld or cut quality, an increased welding or cutting speed, a reduced equipment down time rate, and a reduced frequency of an equipment malfunction event.
SENTENCE 9. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and/or 8, wherein the performance parameters representing the first welding or cutting process are selected from a) ratio or proportions of Purchased or Consumed Shielding Gas Components, b) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Shielding Gas to Welding Wire, c) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Welding Contact Tips, d) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Welding Nozzles, e) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to MIG Welding Guns, f) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Weld Gun Liners, g) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Weld Gas Diffusers, h) ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Weld Grinding Wheels, and i) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Weld Nozzle Shield Spray.
SENTENCE 10. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and/or 9, wherein the communication comprises one or more benchmarks and a degree of deviation between i) a performance parameter representing the first welding or cutting process and ii) at least one corresponding benchmark.
SENTENCE 11. The method of Sentence 10, wherein the benchmark is based on a comparator data set obtained from independent welding or cutting processes previously classified in a classification group shared by the first welding or cutting process.
SENTENCE 12. The method of Sentence 11, wherein the benchmark is based on a comparator data set of historical data obtained from a same welding or cutting operation or facility as the first welding or cutting process.
SENTENCE 13. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and/or 12, wherein the communication comprises one or more process recommendations based on one or more performance parameters representing the first welding or cutting process, the one or more performance parameters selected from a) ratio or proportions of Purchased or Consumed Shielding Gas Components, b) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Shielding Gas to Welding Wire, c) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Welding Contact Tips, d) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Welding Nozzles, e) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to MIG Welding Guns, f) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Weld Gun Liners, g) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Weld Gas Diffusers, h) ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Weld Grinding Wheels, and i) a ratio of Purchased or Consumed Welding Wire to Weld Nozzle Shield Spray,
SENTENCE 14. The method of Sentence 13, wherein the process recommendation, the process correction and the increased efficiency of the second welding or cutting process compared to the first welding process correspond to one or more of the rows in the following table:
SENTENCE 15. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and/or 14, wherein the process correction is implemented by the process owner.
SENTENCE 16. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and/or 14, wherein the process correction is implemented by feedback control to one or more welding or cutting equipment.
SENTENCE 17. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and/or 14, wherein the process correction is implemented by the operator of the process improvement system.
SENTENCE 18. The method of Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and/or 17, wherein the communication comprises an email, SENTENCE 19. The Sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and/or 17, wherein the communication comprises a webpage accessible via an internet.
SENTENCE 20. A method of improving a welding or cutting process to increase the efficiency based on the consumption rate of welding or cutting consumables, the method comprising:
SENTENCE 21. A method of improving a welding or cutting process to increase the efficiency of the process based on the consumption rate of consumables, the method comprising:
SENTENCE 22. The methods described in SENTENCES 1-21, each method further comprising one or more of (i.e. any combination of) the following feature(s) or detail(s):
For a further understanding of the nature and objects for the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are given the same or analogous reference numbers and wherein:
In several embodiments, the present invention produces an automatic process control feedback and/or process improvement recommendations. These feedback and recommendations are based on capturing consumable data, performing data analytics (detailed below) and establishing logical process improvement recommendations and actions based on consumables' consumption ratios and process inefficiency correlations.
Because the process deviations have a tendency to drift over time, continuous process analyzers, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,227,099B2, can be used to capture consumables data, but are not necessary. The consumables data can often be capture via an existing ERP procurement platform; or via other existing data systems, and therefore the system herein does not require the installation and related costs of specific process analyzers.
Process Improvement System Operation
Measuring the consumption of consumables and calculating ratios of each can 1) provide a relative indication of how efficient the corresponding process is, 2) provide indicators on where inefficiencies exist, and 3) identify likely sources of those inefficiencies. In general, in several embodiments of the invention, the process improvement system therefore performs the following steps:
In preferred embodiments, in cases where the system provides a process recommendation, the process owner (e.g. a welding shop) executes at least one such process recommendation, which thereby improves one or more performance parameter and results in increased efficiency in the process (“process correction”). A process correction can yield such efficiency outcomes as a reduced consumption of consumables (wire, shielding gas, etc.), an improved weld quality, an increased welding speed, an increased cutting speed, a reduced equipment down time, a reduced frequency of equipment malfunction events, or any other aspect of a process that influences productivity and/or cost.
Consumables
Industrial welding and cutting processes (generally referred to herein as “processes”), used in the fabrication of intermediate feedstock materials, parts/components and final products, require the consumption of various consumables during the welding or cutting process. For example, shielding gases, cutting gases, welding filler metal/wire, welding contact tips, cutting tips, wire nozzles, diffusors, welding gun liners, power, spatter grinders, and other consumables such as personal protective equipment or other safety equipment.
Process Improvement System Components
A “Process Improvement System” (10) is defined as including a consumables data acquisition component (20), a performance parameter calculation component (30), a process recommendation component (40) and a communication component (50). Optionally, in some embodiments, the Process Improvement System (10) further includes a feedback control component (60).
The consumables data acquisition component (20) may be a system containing data regarding the purchase of consumables, such as a computer managing a process owner's procurement or inventory management process(es) or an onsite consumables vending machine. Alternatively, the consumables data acquisition component (20) may be a process sensor measuring, intermittently or in near real time, the actual consumption rate of a consumable (e.g. wire use or gas use). The consumables data acquisition component (20) may acquire the consumables data in any way feasible. Exemplary data acquisitions include a) accessing a process owner's computer implemented inventory, supply and/or procurement systems, b) process owner's purchase orders or other purchasing requests that are stored in one or more suppliers' electronic records, c) manual data entry by a vendor service representative or a customer, and/or d) via sensor data (discussed below).
The performance parameter calculation component (30) is a specifically programmed computer, configured to transform the consumables data into performance parameters (as described below).
The process recommendation component (40) is a specifically programmed computer, configured to identify performance parameter(s) that indicate a need for a process correction and correlate the performance parameter(s) with potential cause(s) (as described below). In some embodiments, the correlation is based, at least in part, on a lookup table, indexing performance parameter(s) to possible causes and associated process recommendations for remedial process corrections.
In some embodiments, the performance parameter calculation component (30) and the process recommendation component (40) are the same computer.
The communication component (50) is operated by the process recommendation component (40) to transmit the process recommendation(s) to one or more recipients. For example, the communication component (50) may be an automated email generation system that transmits a process recommendation to a process owner by email (55).
Alternatively, the communication component (50) may generate webpage or graphic user interface, specifically configured to display one or more of the consumables data, performance parameter values, benchmarking values, degree of deviation between performance parameter values and benchmarking values, and process recommendation(s). The webpage or graphic user interface may be accessible via the internet.
Example Process Improvement System
As shown in
Performance Parameters
The performance parameters are ratios or other data transformations, of at least two distinct consumables data, to derive a calculated performance parameter. Exemplary performance factors include:
Other operational data and information may be combined with performance factors for benchmarking, process recommendation(s), and/or feedback control. Exemplary operational data include:
Benchmarking utilizes the performance parameters and, optionally, additional operational data, to compare a specific process to an ideal or real world derived comparator data. For example, the comparator data may be the closest to optimal in a classification of processes (e.g. mild steel semi-automated welding) based on a collection of data derived from a number of measured processes in the classification. The comparator data may be a calculated or hypothetical ideal value. The comparator data may be historical process data for the same process (e.g. a weld shop's own best historical performance). The benchmarking may be implemented in a variety of ways. One form of benchmarking may be ranking a specific process in terms of “top 20%” or quartiles within a combined dataset of similarly classified processes. The ranking could be by for a specific performance parameter or a combination of performance parameters such as a weighted composite score.
Process Recommendation(s)
When a performance parameter deviates from the expected or a benchmarked performance parameter range defined as correlating with an acceptable performance efficiency, this deviation is likely tied to specific areas of poor or inefficient operation. The Process Improvement System calculates the performance parameters, identifies deleterious or suboptimal performance parameter values, and correlates one or more process parameter deviation(s) with possible causes.
The Process Improvement System can for example have a “look up” table, with Process Parameters correlated with Process Recommendations. Specific causal factors and more targeted process recommendation(s) are more readily identified using combinations of performance parameters. The Process Improvement System may, in some embodiments, include software for machine learning. In specific embodiments, the machine learning includes pattern recognition based machine learning programming that uses an initial benchmark data as the training set.
Process Correction and Automated Feedback Control
The Process Improvement System supplies one or more process recommendations to process owners for improving their process. Generally, a service provider (such as the one operating the Process Improvement System), or the process owner, implement at least one process recommendation(s) as a process correction(s), thereby improving the process owner's welding and/or cutting process.
Alternatively, certain process corrections may be implemented directly by computer implemented feedback control of one or more pieces of process equipment (e.g, a robotic welding station) to modify an operating parameter of the equipment per a process recommendation, thereby improving the process owner's welding and/or cutting process.
The process corrections are correlated with performance parameters and welding or cutting process efficiency improvement as stated by rows in the following table.
Process Sensors
In some embodiments, one or more process sensors are used to measure operational data, consumables rate of consumption, or both. These “senor data” provide additional information about the process to the Process Improvement System for use as a basis for, or in conjunction with, performance parameter(s).
An example of a common process sensor is a welding gas mass flow meter. Many other welding/cutting process sensors are established in the art. See, e.g., Kah, P., et al. “Robotic arc welding sensors and programming in industrial applications.” International Journal of Mechanical and Materials Engineering 10.1 (2015): 13.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. The present invention may suitably comprise, consist or consist essentially of the elements disclosed and may be practiced in the absence of an element not disclosed. Furthermore, if there is language referring to order, such as first and second, it should be understood in an exemplary sense and not in a limiting sense. For example, it can be recognized by those skilled in the art that certain steps can be combined into a single step.
The singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
“Comprising” in a claim is an open transitional term which means the subsequently identified claim elements are a nonexclusive listing (i.e., anything else may be additionally included and remain within the scope of “comprising”). “Comprising” as used herein may be replaced by the more limited transitional terms “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” unless otherwise indicated herein.
“Providing” in a claim is defined to mean furnishing, supplying, making available, or preparing something. The step may be performed by any actor in the absence of express language in the claim to the contrary.
Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event or circumstances may or may not occur. The description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not occur.
Ranges may be expressed herein as from about one particular value, and/or to about another particular value. When such a range is expressed, it is to be understood that another embodiment is from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value, along with all combinations within said range.
All references identified herein are each hereby incorporated by reference into this application in their entireties, as well as for the specific information for which each is cited.
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