The Value of Robotic Welding
Demand for robotic welding continues to grow as machine shops and OEMs realize the tremendous value this technology adds to projects, especially heavy fabrications. In fact, a recent survey projects the robotic welding market will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.2% from 2022 to 2029, reaching $6.77 billion USD by 2029.
This impressive growth projection is not surprising as robotic welding is attractive for many reasons. Robotic welding offers machine shops an opportunity to increase productivity while also increasing quality and reducing costs, helping shops remain competitive in a global market. In addition, robotic welding often boosts sustainability by reducing waste.
Process automation like robotic welding has long been a source of productivity and efficiency gains in manufacturing. At ABS, our next generation robotic welding cells are far more precise and intuitive than older designs. Our automated welding cells effectively drive quality and throughput in heavy weld deposit applications. Recent innovations like smart sensors, track mounting, and large part positioners make robotic welding even more feasible for heavy fabrications. The key benefit of our robotic welding technologies is the ability to rapidly produce high-quality welds, increasing fabrication productivity and consistency as well as safety on the shop floor. Below are several examples of how robotic welding adds value for heavy fabrication projects. It should be noted that all of these lead to cost and schedule savings for OEMs.
- Increased Productivity and Throughput: robots are designed to execute a specific job, typically a repetitive task, and are known for their efficiency on the shop floor. Robots are able to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no breaks except for occasional maintenance. Multi-axis robots are able to reach difficult welding locations that are common on heavy fabrications due to their large size and unique geometry – something manual welding often cannot achieve. For these reasons, robots are capable of higher welding productivity and throughput. Higher volumes and faster cycle times translate to lower costs that provide a valuable competitive edge.
- Increased Welding Efficiency: welding efficiency is often measured by the duty cycle which is a ratio of the arc time and total time spent welding a joint. Robotic welding has a better duty cycle compared to manual welding. Another measure of welding efficiency is deposition rate, which is simply the amount of usable weld metal that is deposited into the weld joint in one hour of arc-on time, and is measured in pounds per hour. In general, the higher the deposition rate, the higher the welding productivity. When compared to manual welding, robotic welding has a higher deposition rate and a better duty cycle – two significant ways that robotic welding adds value to heavy fabrication projects.
- Increased Quality and Precision: heavy fabrications are often very large with special geometries, and some of these parts undergo tremendous stress. For these reasons, the welds must be consistent and precise, and free of voids and contaminants, in order to ensure stability and longevity of the part. Manual welding can often introduce variance and inconsistencies, whereas, robotic welding machines are known for their excellent precision and quality. Many sectors require high precision and alignment of parts that are challenging – if not impossible - to achieve with manual welding. Since robots produce more consistent welds with fewer errors, they are an excellent choice for industries that demand high precision and require a high level of production consistency. In addition, robotic technologies are always evolving and advancing with new innovations in areas such as dexterity and flexibility – making tomorrow’s robots even more capable than today’s – leading to even higher weld deposition rates and high precision welds.
Looking for a machining partner that leverages the latest technologies for heavy fabrications?
Contact the team at ABS today to learn about our state-of-the-art equipment including our advanced robotic welding cells.
- Faster Speed to Market: employing robots speeds up the manufacturing process, reduces costs, and enables more throughput for the machine shop. In addition, welds performed by robots are almost always performed “right” the first time without any rework required – leading to a a higher quality part and a faster speed to market for heavy fabrications. Additionally, customers are more satisfied when parts are delivered on time – improving a machine shop’s reputation and increasing the number of repeat customers.
- Less Waste Generation and Consumables Consumption: since robotic welding is more precise than manual welding methods, there is less waste generated due to weld spattering. This leads to less time spent on post-weld cleanup, another efficiency gain for robotic welding. In addition, the precision of robotic welding results in lower consumption of consumable materials during the welding process such as filler material and weld wire. These materials are used more economically during robotic welding. The precision of robotic welding also means less rework is required and less is waste produced due to mistakes made during the welding process. There is also less energy (power) waste with robotic welding as equipment usage is optimized. Less waste and consumables consumption lead to significant cost and time savings – another example of robotic welding adding value for heavy fabrication projects.
- Improved Personnel Safety: robots often perform welding tasks that can be hazardous to humans and potentially expose welders to fumes, toxic gases, and weld flash burns. The use of robotic welding cells removes operators from higher risk processes, allowing personnel to oversee the welds from a safer distance and improving personnel safety as well as reducing lost time from injuries.
- Solve Labor Shortage: in recent years, many companies have observed a shortage in the number of skilled welding personnel – often making it challenging for shops to find and train welders for heavy fabrications. Robotic welding machines help solve the labor shortage by reducing the number of welding personnel required to fabricate equipment. In many cases, a single experienced welder can oversee several automated work cells at once. In addition, robotic welding cells often perform the same weld over and over again, eliminating the repetitive jobs that could be a factor in welder turnover.
About ABS
Established in 1971, ABS Machining has grown to become the recognized global leader in large CNC machining, fabrication, and assembly for OEMs. The key to our success has been exceptional people, unparalleled facilities, and an unwavering commitment to quality. Our people are experts in their given field. Their expertise is matched only by their passion for serving our clients. We continue to invest in our people with education programs, cross training and in our internal accredited apprenticeship center.
Our facilities are state-of-the-art and we are equipped to serve our client’s requirements in:
Our massive fleet of machines and automated welding systems has delivered solutions to the most technically challenging projects. Our commitment to maintaining unparalleled facilities is evidenced by our renowned continuous capital reinvestment initiatives. Our commitment to quality goes well beyond our ISO 9001:2015 Registration. From the inception of all programs, ABS quality professionals work closely with each customer to ensure all their unique requirements are met or exceeded. It is this commitment that has positioned ABS as a strategic supplier to leading OEMs worldwide.
Contact us today to see how we can help with your machining project, or give us a call at 1-844-227-6224.
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