Automated machining and welding of railway car parts

A method for reconditioning a railway car side frame or bolster, comprising:

• loading a railway car side frame or bolster onto automated part positioning equipment positioned to provide a welding tool head and a material removal tool head mounted on one or more welding robot or material removal robot access along the length of the side frame or bolster;
• measuring the side frame or bolster with an automated measurement tool mounted on said one or more robots and, using a processor, storing dimensions obtained from said measuring in memory;
• determining a sequence of welding and material removal operations to be performed;
• translating the material removal robot or the part positioning equipment along the longitudinal axis of the railway car side frame or bolster to position the welding tool head and the material removal tool head at a plurality of positions along the entire length of the railway car side frame or bolster;
• performing welding operations at a plurality of different positions of the railway car side frame or bolster and at different positions along the length of said railway car side frame or bolster;
• and
• performing material removal operations at a plurality of different positions of the railway car side frame or bolster and at different positions along the length of said railway car side frame or bolster, wherein
• said welding operations are performed by the welding robot having a welding head and having a fixed base separate from the material removal robot;
• and
• said material removal operations are performed by the material removal robot adapted to translate along the length of the side fame or bolster, said material removal robot comprising a base, and six variable-length actuators each attached at a first end to the base, and attached at an end opposite said first end to a movable platform;
• and wherein a material removal tool on the spindle head of the material robot is rotated about x, y, z, pitch, yaw and roll axes to perform said material removal operations.

An apparatus for reconditioning a railway car part, comprising:

• a welding robot having a fixed base and a welding head;
• a material removal robot having a base adapted to translate along a length of the railway car part, and having a spindle head adapted to mount a plurality of tools;
• at least one frame arranged on the floor on which the welding robot and material removal robot are mounted
• a tool array consisting of a plurality of tools, including at least one measurement tool and at least one material removal tool;
• a trunnion adapted to support a railway car part and rotate the part around a longitudinal axis of the part;
• a track adapted to support the material removal robot during translation along the length of the part;
• a user interface adapted to be manipulated by a user and having a display adapted to be viewed by a user;
• a processor adapted to determine a sequence of welding and machining operations and adapted to provide instructions to the welding robot and the material removal robot to:
• (a) locate and mount a tool from said tool array, (b) carry out said welding and machining operations at a plurality of positions along the length of the part;
• and (c) record dimensions of the part in memory, and
• wherein the welding robot is separate from the material removal robot and adapted to support a welding tool, and wherein the processor is adapted to determine a sequence of measurement, material removal, and welding operations, and is adapted to communicate instructions to the material removal robot to carry out said material removal operations, to said welding robot to carry out said welding operations.