Five Ways to Effectively Integrate Welding Automation

Automation is transforming nearly every vocation, welding included. Welding robots and, more recently, collaborative robots (cobots) have become increasingly popular, and it’s not hard to see why. Right off the bat, they can increase productivity and cost efficiency, provide consistent weld quality, enhance shop safety and be used to help fill other unique gaps consistently. Cobots, specifically, are easy to operate and help newer welders or welders less familiar with automation accelerate their impact on a shop’s production quickly. Those benefits are pretty big, but integrating welding automation into an existing operation is a big deal for any shop to consider and implement. Once you’ve made the decision to automate, consider these five factors when deciding whether a robot or a cobot is the right fit for your shop’s needs.

Assess Your Production Volume
The first thing you need to do is review the production volume in your shop. Are you running a low-volume, high-part mix or a high-volume, low-part mix?

Robots are designed for speed and precision, offering repeatable, high-quality welds when producing a high volume, low mix of parts. Robotic welding is cost efficient and improves overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Cobots are a better fit for shops that produce a lower volume of a higher mix of parts. Because of its collaborative nature, a cobot’s top speed is considerably slower than that of a robot. This ensures a safer working environment for the operators working alongside it, but it also makes the overall part throughput lower than a robots.

Ensure That the Part Size Correlates to the Ideal Arm Length

The size of a part influences the ideal length of the automation’s arm. Arm length is important for two key reasons: No. 1. It impacts whether the welding gun can reach all the weld joints on a part; and No. 2, it needs to sustain the necessary precision across the entire weld. Larger parts need a longer arm to ensure the right coverage across the entire length of the weldment. If the arm isn’t long enough, you’ll need to move the part or reorient the automation, which is not only time-consuming but could result in inconsistencies across the weld. The average arm length can range from 5’-to-10’, and if the part is longer than that, you can extend a robot’s reach by adding a track setup, which allows it to move on an external axis to reach the part in full.

For cobots, not only do you need to choose an arm length that aligns with the size of the part, but you need to keep in mind the safety requirements in the collaborative workspace. Cobots have smaller arm lengths, with 5’ typically being the maximum. This makes them ideal for smaller workpieces (and workspaces). Since operators work alongside this technology, mitigating collisions with nearby objects and people is a must. This is another instance where a shorter arm is ideal.

Select the Right Gun for the Job
The robot will only be as good as the tools it’s using, making the right welding gun essential to optimizing the effectiveness of the technology. Selecting the right gun comes down to several considerations:

• Duty cycle: Understanding the amperage and arc-on requirements for the application is important because it determines the right duty cycle for the gun. A robot has a higher arc-on time than a cobot and might require a higher duty cycle torch. If the wrong duty cycle is selected, it can cause damage to the gun and negatively impact the welds. Robotic welding guns are available in a wide range of ratings and cooling options (e.g., air-cooled versus water-cooled).
• Neck length and angle: For smooth wire feeding and laying quality welds, the length and angle of the neck must provide the proper approach to the part. If the robot or cobot needs to weld harder-to-reach areas, the right neck reach, positioning and accessibility will be imperative for the welding process. The type of welding wire can also impact the right neck for the job. For example, operators using aluminum wire, which is soft, should consider a straighter neck to help ensure proper feeding through the gun. The wrong neck can negatively impact penetration, fusion and overall weld quality.
• Cable length: The right cable length is ultimately going to be dependent on the robot’s or cobot’s make and model, along with the location of the wire feeder. But overall, it’s recommended to avoid one that is too long because it can lead to wire feeding issues. However, one that is too short will be stretched repeatedly and break down quickly. Finding the perfect middle ground will help mitigate both of those issues.

Determine Operator Skill and Programming Requirements
Welding automation can be intimidating, especially if a welder has never worked with it before. That can make the idea of programming and maintaining it even more daunting. It’s true that, depending on the complexity of the robot, joint geometry, joint size and specific weld parameters, welding automation can increase the needed skill set for operators to adeptly handle the machinery. However, that shouldn’t be seen as a barrier — a little training will provide the right technical knowledge and practical skills to master the use of welding automation and enhance a shop’s bench strength and productivity.

By and large, welding robots are used for more complex tasks and larger workpieces, which requires education and training to be qualified to program the robot. The more complex the part, the higher level of programming required. Knowing how to correctly use the teach pendant, which is the handheld device used to control and program the robot, will be integral for ensuring that the parameters are entered correctly, and monitoring that the robot moves and welds the way it should.

Because cobots undergo more frequent part changes, they’re designed in a more intuitive way with less of a programming learning curve. The interface screen is also more user-friendly, making it much easier (and faster) for an operator to input different welding parameters. This reduces downtime and the need for offline programming. Along with the specific part requirements, programming a cobot will include indicating safe zones, force sensing and speed limitations to create a safe work cell.

Keep Equipment at Peak Performance
Maintaining welding automation is crucial to ensure optimal performance, prolong its lifespan and minimize downtime. It may seem like low-hanging fruit, but regular cleaning can go a long way. Quick things to cross off the to-do list include: No. 1, keeping the robot and its peripherals clean from dust, debris and welding spatter; No. 2, regularly wiping down the robot arm, cables, torch and other components with a clean, dry cloth or compressed air; and 3, removing any buildup of weld spatter or slag from the welding torch and front-end consumables. Consider using a robotic nozzle cleaning station to improve efficiency and speed up the process.

Performing more thorough preventative maintenance and equipment checks is another way to keep performance on point. This could include:

• Regularly inspecting the consumables (tips, nozzles, diffusers and liners) for wear, damage, buildup or spatter.
• Inspecting the wire feeder for proper operation and alignment and adjusting the tension settings as needed for a smooth wire feed.
• Assessing all cables and connections for signs of wear and damage.
• Checking that the torch is properly positioned and providing consistent welds.
• Keeping the software up to date, which could include bug fixes and performance improvements that enhance the system’s functionality.

Integrating robots or cobots into an operation can bring a lot of benefits. Knowing what type of system best suits an operation’s needs and the core considerations for overall automation management can make their introduction onto the floor an even smoother and more helpful process — a win for efficiency and the bottom line.

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