CNC Welding Machine?

[Kraig1]

Has anyone built a CNC welding machine? Would there be any special problems to overcome when building a machine to weld rather than machine or plasma cut?

[Al_The_Man]

I have been involved with MIG welders that are automatic, but usually involved a jig for rotary motion for welding automobile gas tanks and exhaust pipe/mufflers etc. With a rotary jig the seam area is pretty predictable, but on a sheet idea then you would have to track the seam/join exactly.
Al

[Kraig1]

The reason I asked about CNC welding machines is because I have a product that I would like to manufacture that will require a dozen small welds per part. I am very impressed with the accuracy of the CNC milling machines and routers I have seem. If the parts are fixtured properly, it seems to me that a four axis machine could be built to hold a MIG welding tip to do the job. A welding robot would be the best way to go, but I don't have $50k to buy one. Could a machine be built with the repeatablity so it would not need some sort of seam tracking? Can you see any other problems with this idea?
Thanks for your help. Kraig

[Alex S.A]

It is really a great idea, but you have to chek out if the regulation of the stand off will be good coz bad regulation of the arc voltage cause many problem on the part welded.