The shortage of welders looms large. In fact, according to the American Welding Society, by 2026, there will be 375,000 welding jobs with no one to fill them. This is putting heavy-duty pressure on manufacturers to find new ways to meet demand and keep productivity up.
Enter Cobot technology, also known as collaborative robotics. It has made waves in the world of welding in recent years, allowing companies to ramp up productivity without more people.
Using these collaborative robots enables existing welders to do more, faster. It is especially beneficial for those manufacturers with a high mix of low-volume parts, as well as smaller companies looking to scale up or enhance quality and consistency.
The latest option on the market – introduced in 2023 – is ESAB’s Cobot. It is made for welders working on MIG and pulsed MIG welding applications on steel, stainless steel, and aluminum alloys.
One major advantage to the ESAB Cobot is that it is app based. Welders can use their smart phones or tablets to operate it. The Cobot with a “Smart Puck” to hand-guide the torch, record its position, and create a repeatable weld sequence. There is no programming experience needed, so set-up is simple.
It is also built with a RobustFeed U82 four-wheel wire drive system outstanding feed-ability of the wire. The U82 communicates with the app to select memories and change weld functions. Paired with a heavy-duty industrial power source – the Aristo 500ix – for welding a wider range of material thicknesses.
So, what is it like in the shop? Here is what one customer had to say about their experience with ESAB’s Cobot so far:
“As soon as we saw the ESAB Cobot solution, I drafted an email to both my operations manager and our production supervisor that was titled ‘The Future.’ After less than an hour of in-person demonstration time, we knew the ESAB Cobot would move the company in the right direction.”
Want to find out more? ESAB is offering FREE, LIVE virtual demos to anyone interested in exploring the Cobot. You can find out more, ask questions, and see first-hand if the Cobot is a fit for your needs.