Automation-ebook-2026

FORMING AND FABRICATING AUTOMATION

Resetting the Value Equation for Automation A

Choosing Between Robots and Cobots for Automated Welding I nvesting in welding automation represents a big decision—

s labor challenges grow, two technologies have reached a tipping point of cost, ease of use and versatility to justify automating secondary as well as primary operations: cobots and smart vision systems.

Cobots offer a combination of safety and ease of use, making them ideal for automating second- ary operations in a busy work cen- ter. Not only are cobots easier to learn, they’re built and programmed to be sensitive to cohabitating with humans. They can sense unplanned contact and forces, and then react by stopping, waiting and probing for a safe path. And, they don’t require guarding to separate them from the people they work near. Cobots also tend to be articulated at multiple joints that enable com- plex movements, and they traverse more complex paths than three- axis gantry-style robots. This added agility makes cobots suitable for a much wider variety of tasks than previous generations of robots.

financially and in choosing the right fit for a fabrication

shop. Understanding the nuances of robot and collaborative robot (cobot) setup, operation and maintenance helps greatly in deciding.

An operator programs a welding robot via a teach pendant.

As soon as a fabricator begins experiencing higher part throughput with lower part mix, it will want to explore welding automation dedicated to that specific part or product family. In such a case, robots offer repetitive, high-pre - cision welds, providing the uniformity needed when producing high-volume parts. Meanwhile, cobots offer flexibility for customized welds, providing the adaptability needed when producing a higher part mix of low-volume runs.

Flexibility in automation derives primarily from the training of cobots/robots, programming of the orchestration layer, and development of end-of arm tooling and product fixturing. Fab- shop examples include robot/cobot-tended press brakes that bring consistency and repeatability, and predictable tact time.

Cobots are restricted to relatively low top speeds compared to robots to account for collaboration within the cell, typically resulting in lower produc- tivity than robots.

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