# Development of a Virtual Reality-Based System for Simulating Welding Processes
## 4 Conclusions  
In this research a virtual reality-based system for simulating the SMAW, MIG, and TIG welding processes was developed. The developed system enables to describe the welding processes in the virtual environment, which is similar to real welding processes. The specifications of the virtual reality-based welding system are as follows:  
* The system includes hardware and software. The hardware devices include three welding torches for carrying out the SMAW, MIG, and TIG welding processes, fixtures, welding sample plates attached to circuit boards, circuit board with microcontroller unit, 3D glasses, and one computer. The software is a virtual reality module installed on the computer, which enables to connect with the hardware devices to simulate the welding processes. * The welding speed is in a range from 70 mm/min to 460 mm/min; the welding joint width is from 1.5 mm to 12.9 mm; the selection of these value for simulation depends on the type of welding process. The value ranges of other welding process parameters are shown in Tables 1-3. * The system enables to simulate three welding processes with different types of weld joints, such as fillet joint, butt joint, and lap joint, by changing the position of the welding sample plates attached to a circuit board with the IR sensors. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & **VR for SMAW** & **VR for MIG** & **VR for MIG** & **Onew360 [11]** & **VRTEX 360** & **OeuWeld [36]** & **Our Developed System** \\ \hline Welding processes can be simulated & SMAW & MIG & SMAW (or DMAW) & MIG (or GMAW) & SMAW, MIG, TIG & SMAW, MIG, TIG & SMAW, MIG, TIG \\ \hline Tracking the welding torch position & Linear Variable & & & & & & Infrared \\  & Linear & & & & & & radiation \\  & Different & & & & & & sensors, and \\  & Transformer & & & & & & LED infrared \\  & (LVDT) sensor & & & & & & light \\ \hline Programming & VB.net 2010 & & & & & & \\  & virtual reality & language from & & & & & \\  & Microsoft & & & & & & \\  & & & & & & & \\ \hline Visualization in & & & & & & & \\  & 3D and & & & & & & \\  & processing of & & & & & & \\  & user interactions & & & & & & \\  & in real time & & & & & & \\ \hline Electrode is & & & & & & & \\  & stock to the & & & & & & \\  & welded plates & & & & & & \\ \hline Helmet, 3D & & & & & & & \\  & glasses & Helmet & Helmet & Helmet & Helmet & 3D glasses & 3D glasses \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 5: Comparison of the developed system with the reported systems and the commercial systems. For implementing the VR-based system, hardware components and VR software were designed, fabricated, programed, and tested. With the hardware components, two microcontroller units (MCUs), two circuit boards attached to 32 infrared radiation sensors, and the physical parts, such as the welding torches and weld fixtures, were designed and fabricated. With the VR software and with the 3D models showing parts of each welding processes, such as welding torch, electrode, filler rod, and base material plates, the virtual environment was established. The Unity3D tool was used for programming the simulation function of the VR system. To connect the modules of the system, communication protocols, such as RS485 and USB ports, were used. Algorithms for controlling and processing the data were proposed. The PsyCreator tool was used for programing the control and communication modules. The functionality of the developed system was tested successfully. The contributions of this research include:  
1. Establishing a virtual reality-based system for simulating three welding processes including the SMAW, MIG, and TIG with a visualization in three dimensions (3 Ds) and processing of user interactions in real time where the weld joint is described in the virtual environment when we moved the welding torch or changed the distance from the welding torch to the plates in the real environment. The weld joint and the welding process parameters were shown on the computer and the 3D glasses. 2.