Introduction
There are few fabrication shops that still choose manual or semi-automatic welding over the automated welding for their base operations. However, today’s market demands push them more towards automated cutting systems to overcome limitations such as labor shortages, tight tolerance, competitive pricing etc. There is a higher demand of throughput without breaking down the teams. It is a harsh reality that continuing the usage of outdated processes may lead to problems such as rising costs, inconsistency in quality and bottlenecks caused by workforce constraints. This can also lead to slow pacing of one’s shop. The solution to all these problems is adoption of automated welding making it an essential tool.
Welding Robots are known for offering consistency, speed and has the ability to scale without burning out the workforce. In today’s modern world, welding robots have become a necessity instead of a luxury as the shops want to deliver exceptional services to the customers and maintain the competition and image in the market.
5 Signs that Indicates the Need to Upgrade in Automated Machines
Below stated are the 5 signs that indicates the need for one to upgrade to the automated welding machines:
- Shortage of Skilled Labors: Welding field requires skilled labors to carry out the production smoothly. Shortage of skilled labors can hinder this schedule across various sectors. These sectors would remain under constant pressure to meet the deadlines due to labor shortage. In this scenario, welding robots can be a practical solution that can fill the bridge along with requiring the human expertise. In recent times, the demand for skilled workers is increasing whereas their availability is decreasing. Experienced people are also retiring and the quantity of new people entering the market is very less. Due to this, training programs are unable to keep up the market needs which increases the skill gap. This gap also leads to inevitable increase in labor cost as the shops offer overpay and temporary positions to cover the gaps. However, welding robots tend to support people rather than replacing them. Welding robots take repetitive welds and high-volume jobs and allow the skilled welders to handle value-added and complex tasks. Combining welding robots with human profanity can meet the deadlines and reduce dependency on human labor.
- Inconsistent Quality and Need to Rework: Frequent complaints in quality not only increase the monetary costs, it also damages the reputation of the company. The recurring inconsistency can be a sign that a manual process is not enough to carry out the whole process. Below stated are few common types of rework and inconsistency problems that needs to be catered:
- Frequent Defects: Certain kinds of defects such as porosity, undercut or bead variation result in costly reworks and missed deadlines.
- Operator Fatigue: The operators tend to increase their error rates due to long shifts reducing their precision and efficiency.
- Compliance Demands: Customers and regulators are raising a high bar by expecting a zero-defect standard of the products.
- Traceability Gaps: It is quite difficult to capture detailed welding parameters in manual welding which lead to incomplete reports about compliance and quality documentation.
However, welding robot systems tend to deliver consistent and documented results and cater to problems of reworking and quality control.
- Increasing Production Volume and Complexities: Manual welding cannot handle the pressure when one’s facility scales up. Higher throughputs and complex assemblies require an exceptional level of precision and stamina which humans can’t offer. However, robotic systems are specifically designed to meet those challenges very easily. These welding systems tend to run continuously without requiring breaks and help in meeting the rising demands without burdening the human staff. They tend to complete the orders faster and align the production schedule with customer timelines. Also, certain procedures such as creating muti-pass welds for modern parts, varied joint configurations, or balancing dissimilar material combinations can be time-consuming and inconsistent for the manual welders. However, robots are designed to follow a programmed path offering repeatable accuracy which provides the same quality across the most intricate builds. These robots can also be reprogrammed quickly to weld the paths according to new guidelines.
- Rising of Safety Concerns: Safety is one of the top priorities in the welding environment. Risks such as fumes and sprains tend to accumulate over the time making the environment more hazardous. Arc welding robots help in addressing those challenges by keeping an eye on the most dangerous parts of the welding operations. Below stated are some of the solutions provided by arc welding robots for rising safety concerns:
- Exposes Heat and Fumes: Automated welding systems detect risks related to smoke, spark and toxic gases and reduce direct contact with those risks which leads to a safer work environment for humans.
- Repetitive Strain Injuries: Robots tend to offer repetitive welds and protect humans from injuries and strains along with providing a consistent output.
- Hazardous Environment: Collaborative and industrial robots tend to take control over dangerous operations such as tight angles or elevated workplaces and allows the human operators to work in a safer environment.
- Insurance and Liability Cost: Safer atmosphere created by the robot systems also reduces insurance and liability costs.
- Struggling to Compete on the Basis of Manual Welding: In today’s world, shops that rely on manual welding totally tend to fall behind due to adoption of advanced automation by others. This problem can be solved by adapting robot welding systems as they offer faster cycle times in lower costs.
Take Away
This is the brief explanation about Robotic Welding Systems and 5 signs to know when one should adapt to these systems. We hope this information will be effective for you. Please let us know through your valuable feedback and the suggestion in the drop box.
