Automation Tackles the Welder Shortage
The average age of welders in the U.S. is 55, and many are nearing retirement. At the same time, fewer young people are training to become welders. That’s a problem, because we’re going to need welders for infrastructure projects and manufacturing expansion. In fact, the American Welding Society predicts that 330,000 new welding professionals will be needed by 2028. Thankfully, automation can pick up some of that slack.
Welding is one of the fastest growing applications for collaborative robots. Cobot welders are now available from robot OEMs, welding technology suppliers, and systems integrators.
One of those integrators, Blue Bay Automation, showed off its new Spartan cobot welder at the Assembly Show South. The system consists of welding equipment from Fronius, a cobot from Kassow Robots, and a welding table from Siegmund. An optional tool changer lets the cobot switch from a torch to a gripper or a plasma cutter. The system can also be configured with a linear or rotary axis.
The cobot by Kassow Robots is unique because it has a seventh axis of motion. This allows the cobot to weld in complex locations, navigate around workpiece obstacles, and maintain a consistent torch speed. The extra axis also maximizes workspace utilization. The cobot can cover a larger area, so workers don’t have to constantly reposition the workpiece.
With a user-friendly teach pendant, engineers can quickly set up linear, circular and stitch welds. An integrated free-drive button lets engineers teach weld positions by hand simply by moving the torch tip to the weld point. Weld parameters are set through a touch-screen display. The system can be used to weld steel, stainless steel and aluminum. A pre-built cell starts at $80,000.
This is an excerpt from our May episode of Assembly News Now. Watch the full episode here!
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.webp?height=200&t=1747156012&width=200 "ASSEMBLY News Now episode 17: Can Automation Solve the Welder Shortage?")
