Robotic welding is turning into a cornerstone of producing automation. By leveraging the pliability of robotic techniques to automate routine welding duties, producers can enhance product high quality, improve throughput, and cut back the pressure on expert welders.
From assembling automobile frames to sealing plane fuselages, robotic welding is reshaping how industries deal with welding operations. This surge in adoption is fueled by a variety of things together with the rising demand for precision welding and abilities shortages.
With this rising curiosity in welding automation, there are staggering variety of options and choices for including robotics to your welding course of. The fitting answer might help you decrease human error, improve productiveness, and improve security on the manufacturing flooring.
On this information, we offer a complete introduction to robotic welding, together with the assorted kinds of welding, comparisons with handbook welding, programming methods, and extra.
What’s Robotic Welding? And What It Isn’t
Robotic welding refers to the usage of programmable robotic techniques to automate welding duties. By combining welding instruments, robots, and programming software program, such techniques can supply an unmatched consistency in precision and pace over handbook welding.
A typical robotic welding system includes three principal elements:
- Industrial robotic arm — This versatile, programmable mechanism strikes alongside repeatable welding trajectories. In primary phrases, it’s similar to the human in handbook welding.
- Welding device — The “enterprise finish” of the setup, the welding device attaches to the tip of the robotic arm. The kind of device will depend on the kind of robotic welding course of.
- Programming software program and management system — The programming software program and robotic management system are very important as they flip your 3D product fashions created in a CAD software program into welding trajectories for the robotic to comply with.
These elements mix to type a system for repeatable welding duties in a variety of functions. Normally, these contain repeatable, routine welding operations with constant parameters.
Nonetheless, it’s necessary to level out that robotic welding will not be an entire alternative for all handbook welding. Human welders are extremely expert, adaptable, and versatile with problem-solving capabilities that even probably the most superior synthetic intelligence can’t match. For that reason, robotic welding is greatest seen as a helpful device to complement expert welding professionals.
9 Sorts of Robotic Welding (And How you can Select)
Understanding the various kinds of robotic welding might help you choose the correct answer on your particular wants. In case you are migrating from handbook welding, you’ll most likely choose a robotic answer that matches your present handbook welding course of.
Listed below are 9 of the most typical kinds of robotic welding, together with their respective strengths:
- MIG Welding — Metallic inert fuel (MIG) welding makes use of a robotic device that constantly feeds consumable wire and emits a shielding fuel. It’s best for high-volume manufacturing and is understood for pace and effectivity.
- TIG Welding — Tungsten inert fuel (TIG) welding makes use of a non-consumable tungsten electrode together with shielding fuel. It’s best for producing clear welds with an excellent aesthetic end.
- Laser Welding — Using a high-energy beam of laser mild, this methodology entails melting the fabric to fuse it collectively. It’s typically utilized in digital and medical system manufacturing.
- Plasma Welding — The sort of welding makes use of a robotic device with a tungsten electrode, which varieties an electrical arc with the fabric. It’s typically used to weld chrome steel, aluminium, and different difficult metals.
- Resistance Spot Welding — This spot welding course of entails passing a robust electrical present by means of metallic, which melts them collectively. It’s used the place solely spots of weld are crucial.
- Skinny Gauge Arc Welding — This arc welding course of is used for welding collectively skinny sheets of metallic, corresponding to within the welding of automotive panels. It’s a delicate course of that requires precision.
- Hybrid Welding — This methodology combines laser mild and arc welding to supply a deeper penetration than laser welding alone. As a robotic software, it’s particularly helpful for functions that require accuracy at excessive pace.
See our in-depth information to robotic welding varieties 9 Sorts of Robotic Welding: A Breakdown of Frequent Varieties.
How Robotic Welding Is Altering the Job of Welding
A standard concern amongst each corporations and staff is that robots will exchange welding professionals. Some persons are involved that the job of welding will quickly be a factor of the trail, with solely robots performing this advanced and expert activity.
Nonetheless, the rise of robotic automation doesn’t sign the tip of expert welding. Fairly, robots are creating new alternatives for welders that perceive automation and might program the brand new know-how.
As is commonly the case with automation, robots are merely reworking the job of expert welders.
A standard change is that robotic know-how is used to automate probably the most repetitive and routine kinds of welding activity. This frees up expert welders to give attention to extra advanced and intellectually difficult duties, corresponding to welding customized elements and drawback fixing.
This shift entails including further obligations to the roles of welding professionals. For instance, welders now want abilities to program robotic techniques, design new welding cells, and troubleshoot issues.
Robotic Welding vs Guide Welding: 7 Classes to Evaluate
How are you going to resolve about whether or not to make use of robotic or handbook welding for a selected activity?
When assessing a selected job for suitability for robotic welding, it’s useful to check the 2 with the following helpful classes:
1. Pace
For repetitive jobs, robots can keep a relentless pace in the best way that human can not. This makes robotic welding sooner than handbook welding, however principally due to this consistency. Nonetheless, confronted with surprising modifications, people excel at adapting shortly.
Ask your self: What’s extra important on your operation, constant output, or the power to adapt on the fly?
2. Precision
Robots excel at offering constant precision. The accuracy and repeatability of the robotic arm performs a key function. For handbook welding, the experience of the person individual can vastly affect weld high quality.
Ask your self: Do your tasks require exact, constant welding? Or do they require a extra artisan method to weld high quality?
3. Value
The fee impression of robotic welding isn’t simply in regards to the upfront funding. Extra necessary is the return on funding (ROI). Robots can decrease long-term labor bills, particularly when there’s a lack of expert welders within the job market.
Ask your self: Have you ever calculated the ROI of a robotic? If not, try these useful ROI calculators.
4. Security
Welding is usually a harmful job with inherent danger from burns, fumes, and pressure accidents. Robots take away staff from these hazardous environments, providing a safer various.
Ask your self: Are some welding duties in your course of extra harmful than others, and the way might you cut back this danger with a robotic?
5. Scalability
Robots present a solution to scale assets that’s a lot more durable with the present human workforce. As newer generations have moved away from jobs like welding, the power to scale operation with robots in an agile means is more and more the one choice in some instances.
Ask your self: Is your corporation getting ready for progress, and would robotic welding make it easier to scale effectively?
6. Coaching Necessities
It’s true that the majority corporations that make use of robots for welding have to put money into some coaching. Nonetheless, this may profit each your corporation and staff. There are additionally some efficient methods to scale back coaching time for robotic welding together with utilizing the correct software program and leaning into devoted programming wizards.
Ask your self: What worth would you get from including extra robotic abilities to your staff?
7. Flexibility
Human welders stay unmatched in flexibility, with the power to adapt to distinctive, customized, or inventive welding tasks. Nonetheless, a talented skilled welder who additionally is aware of robotic programming turns into an irreplaceable asset to your corporation.
Ask your self: Are your tasks closely customized, requiring handbook abilities, or are some duties routine sufficient to learn from automation?
The Welding Expertise Scarcity (How Robots Assist)
We will’t speak about robotic welding with out discussing the worldwide abilities scarcity of welders
The scarcity of expert welders is a urgent situation that impacts companies in a variety of industries, together with development, manufacturing, and automotive. The explanations for this scarcity are each advanced and laborious to resolve.
One generally reported reason for this scarcity is the low variety of youthful folks selecting jobs like welding. As many expert welders age out of the workforce, a rising hole has opened up which corporations are struggling to fill. Regardless of makes an attempt to encourage youthful folks into welding jobs, coaching takes time.
Robots might help clear up the welding abilities hole in two methods:
First, including robotic welding reduces the necessity for expert welders to have interaction in routine, repetitive welding duties. This enables the welders to give attention to extra intellectually stimulating welding duties.
Second, including robotic programming to a welder’s job description might make welding a extra interesting job to new entrants to the workforce. It helps to maneuver away from the widespread notion of welding as a “soiled job” right into a job that’s seen as excessive tech and specialised.
At the same time as new welding professionals enter the workforce, it seems to be sure that robots can be a key device within the career.
What robotic must you select on your welding challenge?
One issue that can have an effect on your selection of robotic system is how simple the robotic is to program. In case you are utilizing RoboDK to program your welding robotic, you’ve gotten many choices for robots and instruments.
Now we have many industrial robots appropriate for welding and welding instruments in our intensive RoboDK Robotic Library.
Listed below are simply 5 of the robots and instruments from our library:
1. FANUC ARC Mate 100iD
The FANUC ARC Mate 100iD is a 6-axis industrial robotic arm with a payload of 12 kg and a 1441 mm attain.
This robotic excels in arc welding with distinctive precision and high-speed agility.
2. ABB IRB 1410-4/1.45
With a 5 kg payload and a 1450 mm attain, the ABB IRB 1410-4/1.45 is a 6-axis robotic is a sturdy answer for varied welding duties.
As considered one of ABB’s vary of welding robots, it additionally helps different additive manufacturing functions.
3. OBARA Spot Welding Gun
The OBARA Spot Welding Gun is a high-quality spot welding finish effector that pairs properly with many robotic manipulators. OBARA welding instruments are identified for his or her sturdiness and ease of upkeep.
4. OTC Daihen FD-84 Welding Gun
The OTC Daihen FD-84 Welding Gun is a welding gun designed for advanced welding duties.
OTC Daihen gives a variety of welding equipment and torches to carry and management the welding arc throughout robotic welding.
5. Lorch Cobot Welding Station (MIG-MAG)
The Lorch Cobot Welding Station (MIG-MAG) is a complete robotic welding station, integrating a UR10e collaborative robotic.
The answer is right for smaller-scale operations that demand flexibility and ease with out compromising high quality.
How you can Program Welding Robots: 3 Choices to Contemplate
The fitting programming methodology is crucial to maximise the potential of your welding robotic.
The three main strategies for programming a welding robotic are:
- Train Pendant Programming — This conventional methodology entails utilizing a handheld train pendant to manually “jog” the robotic by means of every welding motion or enter coordinates. Whereas it is a widespread methodology, it may be extraordinarily time-consuming for advanced welding duties. Additionally, its reliance on handbook, on-line programming can interrupt manufacturing timelines.
- Offline Programming — By utilizing software program like [RoboDK,][RKCORE] you possibly can simply simulate and program welding duties with out halting manufacturing. By creating and testing digital fashions, this method minimizes downtime and ensures a streamlined programming workflow.
- Train by Demonstration — Programming instruments like [TwinTrack][RKTWIN] add a complete new stage of simplicity and performance for welding duties. The device permits operators to bodily display duties utilizing a motion-tracking system, which the robotic then replicates. This methodology is intuitive, good for personalized welding paths, and fast to implement.
By choosing the proper programming methodology and investing in user-friendly programming instruments, you possibly can equip the welders in your staff to profit from trendy welding robotics.
5 Examples of Excellent Robotic Welding Functions
There are such a lot of potential welding functions you could possibly improve with robotics. As soon as you understand what’s potential, you’ll see new concepts in every single place!
Listed below are only a few examples of welding functions to offer you some concepts:
- Becoming a member of Automotive Chassis and Frames — The automotive business has used robotic welding for many years, from welding seams in panels to identify welding chassis frames. Robotic welding is right for high-volume manufacturing traces and extra customized jobs.
- Welding Plane Fuselages and Parts — The strict tolerances required in aerospace manufacturing will be a lot simpler to satisfy with the added consistency of robotic welding.
- Setting up Ship Hulls and Pipelines — Ship constructing is one other business that usually entails giant and repetitive welding jobs. With their giant workspaces, robots are perfect for such duties.
- Constructing Metal Constructions and Bridges — The development business typically makes use of handbook labor over automation, partly due to the variability of jobs. Nonetheless, robotic welding gives a solution to obtain each scalability and suppleness for structural steelwork.
- Fabricating Medical Instruments and Tools — For exact welding of medical gadgets, precision welding robots can guarantee clear, sturdy joints for a variety of duties.
These are only a few functions which you can enhance with robotic welding. Even probably the most demanding industries are already benefiting from automated welding know-how.
How you can Discover the Proper Robotic Welding Software program: The Way forward for Welding Is Robotic!
Robotic welding has change into a big automobile for change in trendy manufacturing, providing unmatched precision, effectivity, and suppleness. In industries like automotive, aerospace, development, and medical manufacturing, corporations are utilizing robots to attain scalable welding even within the face of abilities shortages.
In case you’re trying to streamline your manufacturing operations, we suggest beginning by choosing the proper robotic programming software program.
With RoboDK, you possibly can simply design, program, and simulate your robotic welding operations. Our software program gives a variety of options for robotic welding and is appropriate with over 1000 robots from all main industrial robots out there.
Robots are a core device in the way forward for welding. With RoboDK, you possibly can keep forward of the curve and be sure that your organization is supplied with one of the best instruments for achievement.
What robotic welding activity will you deploy first? Be a part of the dialogue on LinkedIn, Twitter, Fb, Instagram, or in the RoboDK Discussion board.. Additionally, try our intensive video assortment and subscribe to the RoboDK YouTube Channel
