Automation/Robotics
Automation is the individual use or integrated configuration of computer software, machines or other technologies ranging from fully mechanical systems to fully virtual networks, very simple to intensely complex in functionality, to carry out a task that would typically be done by a human worker. Robotics is a segment of automation involving a machine (robot) capable of making independent movements programmed to perform complex tasks ranging from simple handling of parts to full machine tending, welding, grinding and other operations typically performed by a human worker.
When (and How) to Automate Sheet Metal Welding
Cobotic welding systems occupy the gap between fast and heavy industrial robots and manual welding. They also challenge the paradigm that welding automation is strictly a high-volume game.
Cobotic welding systems occupy the gap between fast and heavy industrial robots and manual welding. They also challenge the paradigm that welding automation is strictly a high-volume game.
A collaborative robot (cobot) welds more efficiently, more consistently, and has a longer reach than its human counterparts. Here’s what to consider as you shop for a model that will boost your operation’s throughput and quality.
U.S.-based ACS Industries had a lock on the market for standard attachments – buckets, forks, blades, etc. – for construction equipment, but needed to cost-effectively fabricate specialized implements for related markets. Six-axis robotic welding clinched $1.5 million in new business while lowering labor costs 60%.
Walking back and forth to a vehicle to tweak an engine-driven welder/generator’s control panel takes time. Remote control devices increase productivity by putting the ability to make changes in the palm of the operator’s hand.
Robotic welding is no longer just for low-mix, high-volume production. Robot manufacturers are using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to develop “smart” systems that quickly and easily handle both programming and welding.
Tolomatic’s CSW and CSWX Compact ServoWeld welding gun actuators for robotic spot welding integrate a 3,507-lbf and 4,047-lbf, respectively, actuator into a hollow-core servo motor for faster resistant spot-weld cycles.
Requiring just 4 square feet of shop floor space, Novarc Technologies’ spool welding robot (SWR) enables inexperienced welders working on pipe spools up to 30 feet long to monitor and adjust parameters to pipe variations in real time.
Lincoln Electric’s Fab-Pak Cobot Cart enables small- and medium-sized fabricators to justify investing in automation by providing a mobile, easy-to-program, and safe robotic welding solution.
Welding Industry News
