“There are a thousand different kinds of businesses in the United States that are doing some kind of metal manufacturing,” says Nacey. “Everyone who is in the general industry doing metal fabrication and welding on their parts is a possible candidate.” He also believes that there are signs that other industries that don't have high production levels are dipping their toes into robotic welding.

According to Nacey, even structural steel fabricators are finding their place in robotic welding. Advances in offline programming and intelligence between robot and vision systems have allowed for more responsive welding solutions the robotics industry calls adaptive welding.

With a high ROI, welding cells like this one from KUKA Robotics are a good option for manufacturers looking to increase quality and reduce production costs.
Photo courtesy of Kuka Robotics

A key solution for manufacturers who cannot guarantee their parts will be perfect, which no manufacturer can, adaptive welding has opened several doors for robotic welding. In the early days, robot integration was seen as impossible due to unavoidable discrepancies in parts. In response, OEMs such as KUKA Robotics teamed up with vision integrators to develop a system that can inspect the parts and adapt to any differences in the part.

It is true that vision systems do add cost to a robotic welder but it also adds security and peace of mind. In short, the vision system stays one inch ahead of the welder and tells the robot how to compensate for any deviations. For post inspection, the system can measure the part for shrinkage and validate part quality. For most applications, vision systems can eliminate the need for touch sensing software entirely. From part quality improvement to reduction in waste, vision systems have a fast ROI in robotic welding.

Another benefit of robotic welding is the introduction of tandem welding. For parts that need to be welded in multiple locations or if the welding is of varying types, robotic welders can be programmed to work in tandem with each other at very close ranges. This decreases production time while still maintaining great quality.

In the survey done by Clark Schaefer Hackett, last year 58% of manufacturers saw no growth in revenue making investments in production hard to justify. Financial barriers are the last big hurdle manufacturers face in order to integrate robotic welders; however automated welding carries a high ROI. A robot welder can typically do the work of three men and with only one needed to operate the robot; labor cost savings alone, if you can acquire the skilled employees, can total somewhere over $100,000.

“A robot system, fully deployed,” Nacey says, “is going to give two to three-hundred percent return on investment per year.” He also stressed that using a robotic welding system just one to two days a week can give a fifty percent return on investment per year which is not bad in terms of investments.

At a base cost of around $100,000, robotic welding solutions are a great way to remove the stress of finding a skilled welder who can do the job right. Finding a great robotic integrator to work with can bring even more benefits to the table.