{"id":898,"date":"2018-08-09T10:26:10","date_gmt":"2018-08-09T14:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/?p=898"},"modified":"2024-11-05T04:05:39","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T09:05:39","slug":"flawless-robot-welding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/flawless-robot-welding\/","title":{"rendered":"The Simple Way to Flawless Robot Welding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite some people\u2019s misconceptions about it, robot welding can be simple and easy\u2026 if you follow the right steps. Here are 5 benefits of robot welding and 5 steps to flawless robot welding.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Welding has been a popular task for robots since the first ever industrial robot, the Unimate, spot welded cars in 1961. More recently, robot welding has become a compelling way for companies to deal with the lack of skilled welders in the job market. According to the American Welding Society<\/a>, there will be a shortage of 400,000 welders in the USA by 2024.<\/p>\n

Robots are a great way to achieve some welding tasks. They can help you to tackle the skills shortage as well as improve productivity, quality, efficiency and more.<\/p>\n

However, a big restriction for many companies is that programming robots can be hard. For small operations, the time it takes to program the robot can outweigh the time for the welding operation itself, making it difficult to justify the time investment.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, there is a simple way to achieve flawless robot welding with the minimum of time, effort and stress. In this article, we’ll introduce 5 clear benefits of robot welding and give you 5 steps to flawless robot welding.<\/p>\n

5 Clear Benefits of Robot Welding<\/h2>\n

Skilled welders have the ability to make very accurate, neat welds. However, welding is one of those tasks where a robot will almost always be able to perform better than a human. Even the best welders cannot match them for consistency, speed, and efficiency.<\/p>\n

There are various benefits to robot welding. Here are five of the clearest:<\/p>\n

1. Higher Productivity<\/h3>\n

\"Welding<\/a><\/h3>\n

Robots are able to move faster than human workers, which contributes to a shorter cycle time per part.<\/p>\n

They can also work without taking breaks which contributes to more parts per day.<\/p>\n

Over time, these small boosts can contribute to a huge increase in overall productivity.<\/p>\n

2. Better Use of Skilled Workers<\/h3>\n

The shortage of skilled welders doesn’t look to be going away soon. Industries have been raising concerns about the welder shortage for over a decade now<\/a> and the number of unfilled posts is only rising. Using robots for the more routine welds is a great way to make better use of the skilled welders on your team.<\/p>\n

3. Consistently High Quality<\/h3>\n

Even the most consistent human welder cannot beat a robot’s consistency and quality. The robot will make exactly the same movements every time to a high degree of accuracy.<\/p>\n

4. Better Safety<\/h3>\n

Welding can be a dangerous job. It involves scorching heat, blinding sparks, high voltages, and deafening noise. Having a robot perform the weld means that a human worker is not exposed to these dangers.<\/p>\n

5. Efficiency\"\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

Human welds are often larger than they have to be simply due to human inconsistency. Even welds which are slightly oversize can add up to huge costs in the long term. Some research found<\/a> that welds of only 1mm oversize could cost a company $10,000 per year.<\/p>\n

The 5 Steps for Flawless Robot Welding<\/h2>\n

Despite some people’s misconceptions about robot welding, the process does not have to be difficult or take a long time. If you pick the right hardware and programming interface, you can achieve flawless robot welding with the minimum of stress.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are the 5 steps to flawless robot welding:<\/p>\n

1. Clarify Your Task and Welding Type<\/h3>\n

With every robot application, before you do anything else it is important to first clarify your task. Be clear about which steps you want the robot to perform. Write them down and discuss your plan with your team.<\/p>\n

You will also need to clarify what type of welding the robot will be doing. <\/span>There are several types of robot welding\u00a0but two most common types are:<\/span><\/p>\n