Laser scanning–based robot welding path planning for complex saddle–shaped weld seams

Research question

How can measured geometry guide multilayer, multipass welding of a saddle-shaped header-to-nozzle joint?

Method

Laser scans reconstruct the groove and establish a workpiece coordinate system. Cross-sectional equal-area filling determines pass locations, which are transformed back into three-dimensional paths and torch poses.

Main findings

The study reports groove upper-edge extraction errors within ±1 mm and demonstrates the planned filling paths through welding and section examination of header-to-nozzle joints. This geometric metric describes groove recognition.