There is a fast growing market for friction stir welding applications in many industrial areas of transportation where the focus is on light weight. Along with the aviation, railway vehicle and shipbuilding industries, the automotive industry is expecting a high growth rate over the coming years. Based on the advantages of the friction stir welding technology, such as excellent weld quality, high potential for saving and eco-friendly process, the market share for friction stir welding of automotive parts will also greatly increase. Following a general introduction to the friction stir welding process, a presentation of the tooling and expected quality of various types of joints will be given. Using examples from automotive manufacture, the requirements for component design for a variety of friction stir applications will be highlighted. Our process control and documentation system is the basis for the implementation of Industry 4.0 and ensures the required traceability, quality and data transparency. KUKA Industries has the experience and expertise to develop and implement cost-effective complete solutions with high process reliability. The benefits and special features of robot-based friction stir welding will be demonstrated with the aid of design concepts for production systems.

doi: 10.17729/ebis.2017.5/11