Many people have misunderstandings about robot welding, thinking that it is difficult to make the leap from manual welding to automatic welding. However, in fact, robot welding can be completed through simple steps.
Since industrial robots were introduced, welding has been one of the most common tasks for robots. The world's first industrial robot, Unimate, helped the automotive industry complete spot welding in 1961. In recent years, welding robots have solved the problem of high-skilled welder shortage for many companies. According to statistics from the American Welding Society, the welding industry in the United States will face a shortage of 400,000 welders by 2024.
Industrial robots are very suitable for completing some welding processes. They not only solve the problem of shortage of skilled workers, but also greatly help improve productivity, quality, and efficiency.
However, for many companies, programming robots is a huge challenge. For small-scale tasks, the time it takes to program robots may be greater than the time it takes to complete the task manually. At this time, companies often choose to give up using robots to complete the welding task.
Fortunately, we now have a very simple way to program robots and achieve perfect welding in a short time. In this article, we will introduce 5 advantages of robot welding.
Very experienced welders can accurately meet the welding process requirements, and the welding joint is very beautiful. However, using robots to do this work can be done better. Because even the best welders cannot match the cohesion, speed, and efficiency of machines. The outstanding advantages of robot welding are as follows:
High productivity of robot welding
Robots work faster than manual operations, so the production cycle of products will be shortened. And robots do not need to rest while working, so the time saved can be used to increase production, and the output of the entire production line can be increased significantly through accumulation.
Reasonable use of technical staff for robot welding
The problem of shortage of technical staff will not be solved in a short time. The industry began to worry about the shortage of technical workers more than a decade ago, and the vacancy position of technical workers will only increase. Making full use of robot welding can better utilize technical personnel within the team.
High quality of robot welding
Even the best and most stable welding technology workers cannot beat robots. As long as the hardware equipment is set properly, robots can accurately repeat their actions and weld high-quality products every time.
High safety of robot welding
The welding process may lead to safety issues. It needs to be completed in a high-temperature, sparks, high-pressure, and high-noise environment, which may be dangerous to workers. Using machines instead of manual labor is a human-oriented modern production model.
High efficiency of robot welding
To ensure the quality of welding, manual welding points are usually larger than the welding area required by the processing technology. Unnecessary welding areas, even a little bit more than what is required by the process, can accumulate into huge costs over a long period. Studies have shown that if each weld spot is 1 millimeter wider than required, it may bring an additional $10,000/year in cost to the company.
