Stud welding method and stud welding device particularly for stud welding without a support foot

Abstract

The invention relates to a stud welding method, particularly for welding without a supporting foot, which makes it possible to securely detect the presence or the absence of a part to be welded in the stud holding device. For this purpose, in a first embodiment of the method, the stud holding device is first positioned in a pre-determined distance relative to the surface of the workpiece without a part to be welded. Then, a part to be welded is supplied. When the welding axle moves towards the workpiece, the distance which has to be covered until the part to be welded contacts the workpiece is detected. On the basis of the previously determined distance between the stud holding device and the workpiece and on the basis of the distance covered, conclusions on the presence or the absence of a part to be welded may be drawn. In another embodiment, the stud holding device is moved towards the workpiece together with a part to be welded until a contact is detected. If, after detecting the contact, it is possible to further move the welding axle into the stud holding device as a result of a displacement of the part to be welded, this will be interpreted as an indication to the presence of a part to be welded. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for carrying out the method and to a computer program for an evaluation and control unit of generally known welding devices.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.