In the industrial and manufacturing world, quality and productivity play an important role in staying competitive in the market. With the advancement of technology in the field of welding, we seek to achieve high performance, low costs for parts and savings in labor costs. In many cases, the decision to implement a robotic welding cell becomes the right solution to meet market requirements and obtain an efficient, productive and profitable system. With this type of robotic solution, you must take into account good planning and investment, which in the long-run yields very positive results.
To incorporate this new technology into our field of work we must first create a culture of change in our employees so that they are able to understand and support this new technological implementation.
The employees chosen to work with the robotic system must be involved with its installation, implementation, support and maintenance so that they will be trained in the identification of errors and opportune solutions for improvement.
An important point is making the right decision of who the supplier of the welding system will be, as there are many available options whether they are a robot supplier, a robotic tool supplier, an automation supplier, integration supplier, etc. This supplier must have experience in production processes, knowledge of software and hardware, consulting in the event of an unexpected situation with the robotic equipment or maintenance, the option of spare parts and a quick response to solving problems as soon as possible. Make sure that your supplier is clear on what your needs, objectives and goals are in regards to the type of welding automation you want to implement in your production line, thus avoiding losses.
When testing this welding system you must have a good knowledge of the variations in parts so that you can handle all variability. Composition and variation is fundamental to the success of the chosen welding process. This includes assessing whether the measures can be improved, removed or added to benefit the start of the industrial process and final result, you have the opportunity to correct many of the errors during this assessment. You must also look out for details in variability that would be conducive to high quality with minimum effort.
If welding is the main activity of your facility, choosing the right supplier with available support will be an essential element to your success.
After selecting the appropriate welding system, the next step is choosing a robot that meets the objectives of the production line by looking at its weight, reach, precision, etc. Most robotic automation suppliers use software to carry out large-scale simulations that will help you to identify access and scope issues that will allow you to add more parts to existing tools, or include more welding stations to manage multiple parts or parts with large variations in size, and will justify the costs before making the final decision.
In the end, the management of a profitable and productive robotic welding operation will include careful planning, proper selection of the right equipment, and training, thus helping you to gain a competitive edge and get the most out of the investment.