Abstract
TIG is a high-quality weld process, finding applications in the aerospace industry and nuclear power plant construction/repair. The welding is often carried out in environments hostile to a manual welder. Quality is difficult to guarantee, therefore it is advantageous to automate this process. The work presented in this paper is concerned with sensors for the control of weld bead quality, in particular weld bead penetration. It outlines the welding process before explaining four sensors in detail. Results from these sensors are given in each section. The introduction of transputers into control situations is discussed and the circuits used to control the welding power source and the traverse are described in detail.
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