Application of knowledge based control for an integrated robotized CAD/CAM arc welding system

The goal of the work was to provide real-time, knowledge based (KB) control of discrete manufacturing systems (e.g. CIM, FMS) where solutions are based on a real-time expert system (ES) shell on one hand, and the requirements of openness and intensive communication are taken into consideration on the other hand. By means of combining results achieved in the field of KB control of FMS in a previous project and in the field of the CAD/CAM of the are-welding robot system a new application of the knowledge based control system CIM Laboratory was completed. It is done by means of adding new, welding related features to the existing ES based control system. The paper also deals with the PROARC (programming of are-welding robot cell) EC project as a basis of the new approach and gives some details of its communication module and the so-called network interface unit (NIU) added to the robot.