Welding is a highly technical and skilled fabrication process whereby two or more parts are fused together by means of heat, pressure, or both to create a solid join as the parts cool. In large-scale manufacturing industries across the world, the use of isolated industrial robots to perform repetitive mass welding as part of the production process continues to rise.
But, now a new player is entering the South African market to give small, medium, and even large manufacturing companies a way to leverage the power of automation in their operations. Enter collaborative robots (cobots), which are specifically designed for human-robot interaction in close proximity within a shared space.
So, what’s all the fuss about?
Andrew Crackett, managing director at Yaskawa Southern Africa, unpacks how the company’s Weld4Me cobot series is designed to take on welding tasks in ways that ensure accuracy, consistency, efficiency, flexibility and human safety.
“Weld4Me is an alternative or supplement to MIG/MAG welding with air-cooled welding equipment,” says Crackett. “The robot cell has a relatively small footprint compared to the traditional robotic welding cell due to safety requirements around the robot. The benefits of the Weld4Me include quick setup and on-the-fly programming. This is extremely beneficial when one considers jobbing and fabrication facilities.”
How will cobots improve production?
The role of cobots is not to replace human welders, but instead to take repetitive, accuracy-dependent welding tasks off of their hands, allowing them to apply their skills to unique jobs that require more niche techniques. “Furthermore, the Weld4Me is easy to install and is ideal for high mix, low volume production requirements,” explains Crackett. Its quick setup and easy-to-program functionality allow industries that previously realised no benefit from traditional robotics to access the time and consumable waste efficiencies robotics have to offer.”
Are cobots difficult to operate?
Manufacturers are sometimes intimidated by the complexities involved in programming and setting up conventional robot cells. The beauty of cobots in the Weld4Me series is the ability to program them on the fly without knowing a single thing about programming. This is because of an included tool known as the Welding&njbsp;Wizard, designed to simplify the steps needed to create a custom robot program.
The Weld4Me cobot is programmed by hand-guiding the torch to desired positions, and required movement and welding seam points can also be taught easily. This is achieved through simple-to-use programming buttons such as Move, Weld and Circle, which can be strung together to create a welding job. The motions can then be tested in a dry run for adjustments before welding.
What about safety?
“The robot monitors and limits its speed range with the Functional Safety Unit (FSU), “ explains Crackett. “The Power and Force Limiting function will stop the robot as soon as the detected external force exceeds a threshold value.” In essence, this means that in any event where a human intentionally or accidentally comes into contact with the cobot, the robot will stop moving and wait to be activated again.
Are there any additional features?
Because Weld4Me is a customised Yaskawa solution, it has a range of add-on features such as a welding table, fixture clamps, robot jacket, and wrist cover for heavy sputter applications, a weld arc shield, and a range of welding power sources to choose from.
The takeaway
Cobots are your easy-to-program partners that are able to weld with consistent quality while safely working in a shared space with humans. Thanks to their small footprint, they are easy to move around and can be re-programmed for smaller batch jobs on the fly.
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