Intelligent non-autogenous metalworking systems and control logic with automated wire-to-beam alignment

An automated non-autogenous workpiece processing system comprising:

• a processing head with a support frame configured to pivotably mount to a support structure, a wire feeder mounted on the support frame and operable to discharge filler wire, and a beam emitter mounted on the support frame and operable to melt the filler wire;
• an actuator drivingly attached to the support frame and operable to selectively pivot the processing head;
• and
• a system controller communicatively connected to the actuator and the processing head, the system controller being programmed to:
• receive sensor signals from a position sensor indicative of a wire location of the filler wire discharged into a joint region by the wire feeder;
• determine, based on the received sensor signals, a wire displacement between the wire location and a beam location of a beam emitted onto the joint region by the beam emitter;
• determine if the wire displacement is greater than a threshold wire displacement value;
• responsive to the wire displacement being greater than the threshold wire displacement value, determine a corrective force calculated to reduce the wire displacement to below the threshold wire displacement value;
• and
• transmit a command signal to the actuator to pivot the processing head such that the processing head applies the corrective force to the filler wire as the filler wire is discharged from the wire feeder.