A novel automatic robotic planning method and system for reducing error accumulations in multi-layer and multi-pass welding

Zidong Wu received the BS degree in mechanical engineering in 2020 from the Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China, where he is currently working toward the PhD degree with the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. He is also a Visiting Research PhD Student in production and manufacturing at the University of Birmingham. His current research interests include manufacturing, robotics and automation and machine learning.

Yongquan Zhang received the BS and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from the Wuhan University of Technology, China, in 2011 and 2020. He is also a Visiting Research PhD Student in remanufacturing at the University of Birmingham from 2017 to 2019. He is currently an associate professor and master’s supervisor at the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology. His research focuses on Robotic and application technology, intelligent manufacturing and equipment digitization. He has been in charge of a national-level project in China and has participated in projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, international collaborative projects, as well as major projects under the Hubei Province Technology Innovation Special Program.

Hong Lu received the BS and MS degrees in mechanical manufacturing from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 1987 and 1990, respectively, and the PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China, in 2000. She is currently a Full Professor with the School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, China. She has authored three books, more than 60 articles and more than 20 inventions. Her research interests include mechanical CAD/CAM, synchronous control technology and mechatronics.

He Huang received the BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering in 2019 and 2022, respectively, from the Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China, where he is currently working toward the PhD degree with the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. His current research interests include manufacturing, robotics and automation.

Zhi Liu received the PhD degree in mechanical engineering in 2014 from the Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China. He is currently a professor in the School of Mechanical and Intelligent Manufacturing in Huanggang Normal University. His current research interests include teaching and research work on digital design, intelligent manufacturing and control of mechanical products and equipment, such as steel structures and automotive components.

Guangao Yang received the BS degree in mechanical engineering in 2022 from the Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China, where he is currently working toward the MS degree with the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. His current research interests include robotics and automation, welding and reliability analysis.

Xujie Yuan received the BS degree in mechanical engineering in 2022 from the Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China, where he is currently working toward the MS degree with the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. His current research interests include smart manufacturing, robotics and hardware development and design.

Yujie Wang received the BS degree in engineering management from Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China. He is currently serving as the Director of the Technical Research and Development Center, Chief Engineer and Project Manager at Hubei Huichuang Heavy Engineering Co., Ltd. His current research interests include the research and development of bridge steel structure manufacturing and installation techniques, as well as the research, development, and application of bridge maintenance and inspection equipment.

Yongjing Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham. He is the Principal Investigator of the three major EPSRC grants in the area of smart robotics for sustainable manufacturing with a total value of £3.5M (ATARI, STAMAN and RoboTriage). Wang is also a Co-investigator and a theme lead in the £35M EPSRC national hub in robotics for circular economy (RESCUE-M). He has over 50 publications in the area of robotics for sustainable manufacturing. His coauthored book Optimization of Robotic Disassembly for Remanufacturing was the first book addressing optimization problems in disassembly sequence planning. Wang’s research work has been supported by world-leading companies, including but not limited to Airbus, Boston Dynamics, Caterpillar, Toshiba, Jaguar Land Rover, KUKA and Dyson. Wang is on the advisory board of the United Nations Higher Education Sustainability Initiative, an editor of the United Nations guidelines on artificial intelligence for sustainability and a member of a Standards Committee with the British Standards Institution, UK. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Engineering and Technology and a member of IEEE.