Welding is an essential part of most businesses in the industrial setting. This process allows companies to manufacture products with strength and durability. It also allows them to fix broken pieces or make modifications to existing structures.
However, companies nowadays are dealing with a limited number of qualified welders who are willing to work in the industrial setting. This leads to a shortage of skilled individuals who can create high-quality welded products.
To address this problem, you might have thought about automating some parts of your welding process. And the first kind of technology you might have thought about is a traditional industrial robot.
Although traditional industrial robots seem like a suitable solution, they will not provide you with all the functionalities you might need. This is because this type of robot is not ideal for high-mix-low-volume production.
Instead, you should consider using a collaborative robot or cobot in your welding process. There are several benefits of cobot welding that you can enjoy.
Why Weld With a Cobot?
A collaborative robot or cobot is a type of technology that works together with a human operator. This type of robot is designed to help people perform tasks more quickly, accurately, and safely.
Unlike traditional industrial robots, cobots can be safely operated by humans without the need for safety cages and other extra cautionary measures. They are also more suitable for smaller companies that do low-volume, high-mix production.
Using this kind of robot in your welding company can provide you with various benefits. Here are some of the reasons why you should use cobots in the welding process:
Increased Productivity
The shortage of qualified welders might lead you to struggle when fulfilling large order quantities. You must not have enough manpower to produce large batches of products at a time, which can affect your overall productivity.
A cobot welding system can help you with this problem. They are capable of welding small parts continuously throughout the day. This means that you can reduce your production time significantly and increase your overall productivity.
Your welders will also have less workload to deal with. This allows them to focus on more complex welds that are needed to ensure the quality of your products.
Flexible
Most welding companies have to deal with low-volume, high-mix production, which is not ideal for traditional industrial robots. Fortunately, with the development of cobots, you can easily automate different tasks in one day. This is possible because cobots can be reprogrammed to fulfill different jobs in the workplace without any hassle.
Additionally, once programmed, a cobot can easily rotate between any task and adapt to the different dimensions of the parts that need to be welded. This makes this kind of robot highly flexible and suitable for high-mix-low-volume welding applications. So, whether you need to complete a small batch production or a bigger batch for your clients, a cobot can get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Cost-Efficient
One of the major benefits of cobot welding is that it is more cost-efficient compared to traditional industrial robots. Cobots don’t require any additional safety cages or barriers, and they are much smaller and lighter than traditional robots. This means that you can save on the cost of installation, maintenance, and repair.
Moreover, the flexibility of cobots means that you only need a few units to complete various tasks throughout the day. You don’t have to invest in different kinds of robots for the various jobs that need to be done in the workplace, which can significantly reduce your overall costs.
Consistency
Highly qualified welders can produce consistent work that keeps your customers happy. However, this skill requires several years of training and experience.
With a cobot, you can achieve the consistency that manual welders can provide without having to train your staff members for years. This is because the accuracy and precision of cobots are unmatched by humans.
No matter how long you leave your cobots on, you can always expect them to produce consistent results. You can also be sure that every part a cobot welds will meet your standards.
Easy Installation and Maintenance
Another reason why you should use cobots in the welding process is they are easy to install and maintain. They require minimal set-up time, and once they are programmed, they can be deployed and ready to go.
Additionally, cobot maintenance is much easier compared to traditional robots because they are smaller and lighter. You can easily clean them and make any necessary repairs without taking too much time.
Use a Collaborative Robot to Complete More Welding Jobs
As amazing as they sound, collaborative robots are only designed to help welders and not to replace them. By leveraging the benefits of cobots, your welders can have more time to complete complex welding jobs and produce quality work consistently in a shorter amount of time.
To improve your efficiency, you can take your automation one step further and invest in an AI cobot. This type of cobot allows you to customize and program your robot to accomplish various tasks while also benefiting from its built-in vision systems and AI technology.
To learn more about AI cobots, get in touch with us.
Techman Robot’s AI cobots are equipped with advanced Al and machine learning capabilities that enable the cobots to increase their efficiency over time. These cobots are known for their built-in smart vision system, providing ease of use and versatility, ideal for a wide range of applications, including material handling, AOI inspection, and palletizing.