Before the late 19th century, the only welding process was metal forging welding, a technique blacksmiths had used for centuries. The earliest modern welding techniques appeared in the late 19th century, initially arc welding and oxy-fuel welding, followed by resistance welding. In the early 20th century, the high demand for military equipment during World War I and World War II spurred the development of welding technology due to the need for inexpensive and reliable metal joining techniques. After the wars, several modern welding technologies emerged, including the currently popular manual arc welding, as well as automated or semi-automated techniques such as gas metal arc welding (GMAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), flux-cored wire arc welding (FWHM), and electroslag welding. In the latter half of the 20th century, welding technology advanced rapidly, with the development of laser welding and electron beam welding. Today, welding robots are widely used in industrial production. Researchers continue to delve into the essence of welding, developing new welding methods and further improving welding quality.
The Current Status and Prospects of Welding Automation Technology
With the increasing maturity of digital technology, digital welding machines and digital control technologies, representing automated welding technology, have steadily entered the market. The Three Gorges Project, the West-East Gas Pipeline Project, aerospace engineering, and shipbuilding engineering, among other large-scale national infrastructure projects, have effectively promoted the development and progress of advanced welding, especially welding automation technology. The manufacturing of automobiles and auto parts demands ever-increasing levels of automation in welding. my country's welding industry is gradually moving towards "high efficiency, automation, and intelligence." However, my country's welding automation rate is still less than 30%, far behind the 80% of developed industrial countries. Since the late 20th century, the country has gradually promoted gas-shielded welding-the basic welding method for automatic welding-in various industries to replace traditional manual arc welding, and initial results have been achieved. It can be predicted that in the future, domestic automated welding technology will develop at an unprecedented speed.
The Current Status of High-Efficiency and Automated Welding Technology
In the 1990s, my country's welding industry took the mechanization and automation of the welding process as a strategic goal, which has been implemented in the technological development of various industries. This includes developing automated welding production, researching and developing welding production lines and flexible manufacturing technologies, and developing and applying computer-aided design and manufacturing. Among these, the growth rate of flux-cored welding wire has increased significantly and is expected to surpass solid welding wire within the next 20 years, ultimately becoming the dominant product in welding centers.
