AiVibeTextile & Automotive Manufacturing
Resistance Spot Welding (RSW)
Resistance spot welding joins overlapping metal sheets by clamping them between two copper alloy electrodes and passing a high current, so electrical resistance heats the interface and forms a weld nugget.
The electrodes press the sheets together, current flows through the stack and resistance heating, proportional to current squared times resistance times time, melts a small zone at the faying surfaces. The electrode force is held while the molten nugget solidifies. The main process parameters are welding current, weld time and electrode force, together with electrode tip geometry and material condition. Robots usually carry servo-actuated weld guns, and weld controllers regulate the current.
Resistance spot welding is the main joining method for steel car bodies, with thousands of spot welds in a typical body-in-white, because it is fast, needs no filler material and is easily automated. It is also used for appliances, enclosures and other sheet metal products.
Electrode tips wear and mushroom, especially on zinc-coated steels, so tip dressing and replacement are scheduled. High-strength steels, coatings and aluminium alloys each need adapted parameters, and expulsion of molten metal indicates unsuitable settings. Weld quality is checked by destructive tests such as peel and chisel tests and by ultrasonic inspection, and adaptive controllers monitor signals such as resistance during each weld.
Key points
- Current through clamped sheets forms a weld nugget by resistance heating
- Key parameters are current, weld time and electrode force
- The main joining method for steel car bodies
- Electrode tips need regular dressing; welds are checked by testing
Where AiVibe comes in
AiAmbA use cases include visual inspection on textile and automotive lines, predictive maintenance and digital twins. Existing lines are retrofitted with edge devices, and AI agents only propose changes for a trained operator to confirm.
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