An IoT-enabled Software Architecture for User-Friendly Fault Diagnosis and Identification: The Welding Cobot Use Case

This paper proposes a software architecture for monitoring and diagnostics of failures in industrial systems. The architecture aims to support the operator's decision-making process by enabling a real-time and intuitive understanding of system faults. The paper describes the methodology and implementation process applied to a real industrial case: a welding collaborative robotic application. However, the proposed software architecture can be easily extended to a broader number of industrial systems. The core of the idea is based on an ecosystem of Internet of Things (IoT) elements deployed in the automation systems that collect the system status and alarms to stream them to the cloud server. The industrial use case described in the paper is a collaborative robot-assisted welding solution for automated MIG/MAG welding produced by “Indus-tria Tecnologica Italiana”, an Italian SME company, with the brand name”MyWelder”. We investigated the system's impact on the operator's work and its effectiveness in supporting his/her decision-making process. Additionally, the validation process assessed the system's functionalities within this specific use case. The primary objective related to the use case is to establish a strategy that minimizes the production of defective parts, ultimately reducing waste.