Industrial robotic welding is often considered only useful for big companies with a large volume of output. However, robotic systems are becoming more affordable today and more accessible to small and medium sized manufacturers. A complete robotic welder cell now starts at about 50,000$ and the investment is easily justified. Let's take a look at some reasons that justify this investment.
Productivity
Robotic welders are very productive because they can move very fast between each weld; the cycle time is, therefore, reduced. Usually, a robotic welding system will produce two to four times more output than an employee. Also robotic tooling is now designed for rapid changeover and one setup can easily contain more than one part. So, a robotic welding system is flexible for many kinds of work and it will improve your productivity.
Quality
The movements of welding robots are very accurate (±0.08 mm) at each repetition. The welding speed, angle and distance are also easily controlled and consistent. Those parameters help to eliminate waste in your production processes. A manual worker usually uses more metal filler than necessary in order to have a safety margin. On the other hand, welding robots use the right amount of metal filler each time. Therefore, there is less metal waste and less error that can result in scrap or require the reworking of the part. Valuable savings can be made by installing a robotic welding cell.
Safety
With all the different models on the market, industrial robots can weld in areas that humans can hardly reach or see. Moreover, welding is a hazardous job for a worker and insurance costs are usually high. Robotic welding could reduce those additional expenses and keep your employees safe.
In conclusion, robotic welding can decrease manufacturing costs and increase productivity and weld quality.
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