For basic welding jobs, companies often rely on blueprints, tools and tape measures to build and weld the parts. However, when using these conventional tools, there’s a high risk of mistakes being made and, at the end, having to break the parts loose, which is expensive and time consuming. It may take two minutes to weld a part to the wrong place, but it can take 10 to 30 minutes to grind the weld and break it loose. Sometimes, even that is not possible. So, instead of rework, the parts must be scrapped, which is even more costly.
Large and complex welding projects present multiple opportunities for errors. Parts might be located in the wrong position or on the wrong side. Symmetrical parts might be welded on backwards because holes are offset. Additionally, when using manual methods and physical templates, full inspections are performed after the assembly process and mistakes become evident only after welding has been completed. With conventional tools, there is no effective way to know if something is welded correctly along the way.