Utilizing Cyber Based Processes

Tube welding in the modern era of space applications requires a very high degree of quality in addition to productivity. Modern techniques in automated tube welding provide the tools necessary in today's requirement for high degree of control of quality in production. These tools are a by‐product of performing the automated process via computer control. Since all the pertinent parameters are resident within the computer memory, a reformating and recording of a current welding status and deviations from preprogramed commands is readily available. The nature of cyber‐based controlled systems provides production and quality control management with the tools necessary to carefully control the welding parameters that go into automated welding of tubing. Consequently, the detailed logging of the welding process is available for a post‐weld report. Most problems that occur in producing a quality product are absence of management tools to completely control the welding process. This is because of the nature or manner in which the welding process is performed by the operator and the quality procedures that are followed for recognizing problems and identifying the cause(s) of the problems. The following paper provides the techniques that are currently available for use in managing such production problems and successful case histories in the implementation of these cyber‐based tools.