Huge, scary robots that dominate the factory floor are no longer needed in commercial welding. Instead, welding cobots — robotic arms designed to weld with humans — combine automation and precision with safety.
We’ll go over their benefits, drawbacks, and everything else you need to know. Then, we’ll let you in on the best available robot on the market.
Read on to learn:
- What welding cobots are and how they work
- Key features
- Popular applications across industries
- Types of welding cobots
- What comes in a cobot welding package
- Challenges and benefits
- Costs of adopting welding cobots
What is a welding cobot?
A welding cobot is a robotic arm or robot that automates nearly every type of welding job under the sun.
Why cobots are everyone’s favorite shop buddy:
- Setups that don’t suck: No complicated manuals or tech jargon. You program cobots with drag-and-drop tools or by showing them what to do, like training a golden retriever, but less drool.
- They play nice in small spaces: Got a cramped shop? No problem. Cobots are compact and don’t need their own parking spot.
- Safety first (and always): Sensors stop the cobot if anything weird happens, so you don’t need to worry about losing a finger.
How do welding cobots work?
Welding cobots aren’t magic, but they might as well be.
Here’s how they pull it off:
- Pain-free programming: Guide the arm manually or use drag-and-drop software to teach it welding paths. Need a tweak? It’s faster than fixing a typo in a text.
- They know their tools: Cobots link up with welding gear like power sources, torches, and wire feeders to crush MIG, TIG, or plasma welding jobs.
- They’re team players: Sensors pause the cobot the second it senses trouble, so humans and machines can share spaces while reducing the chance of awkward accidents spoiling the party.
Key features of cobot robot welding
Ready to get to know what these bots have in spades? (Hint: it’s productive capabilities)
What makes them awesome:
- Programming anyone can handle: If you can drag and drop on a screen, you can program a cobot. Show it what you need, and it’s ready to roll. Of course, not all cobots have this capability, so be sure to invest in one that has no-code capabilities.
- They’re not space hogs: Unlike old-school robots, cobots don’t take over your entire shop. They’ll fit right in, even if space is tighter than a sardine can.
- They don’t break stuff: Built-in collision detection means no more smashed parts or risky close calls with operators. (Or well, that’s the idea anyway, accidents are still a part of life.)
- Materials? Bring ‘em on: From heavy steel to flimsy aluminum, cobots can weld whatever you throw at them, no complaints.
Major applications of cobot welding
Welding cobots step up in a whole slew of industries — especially those that put a premium on speed, accuracy, and safety.
The areas where they make the most noise:
- Metal fabrication: From massive frames to delicate brackets, cobots handle custom and repetitive welding jobs easily.
- Auto manufacturing: Great for welding car frames, exhaust systems, and other essential components where accuracy is the whole point.
- Aerospace projects: Lightweight metals and complex designs are no match for cobots, who always deliver flawless welds in high-stakes environments.
- Custom job shops: Cobots thrive in low-volume production runs, switching between tasks without breaking stride.
Types of welding cobots
Not all welding cobots are cut from the same cloth — choose depending on what your fab shop needs.
Here’s the lineup:
- MIG welding cobots: The big guys for thick materials like steel and aluminum, and handle high-speed stuff like they were born to.
- TIG welding cobots: These are all about finesse, awesome for thin materials and welds that demand huge precision levels.
- Specialized systems: From plasma to spot welding, these cobots handle more niche stuff like auto parts and heavy machinery.
What’s included in a cobot welding package?
A welding cobot package gives you everything you need to kick off automation without sweating the details.
What’s in the box:
- The cobot arm: Handles all the moves with six-axis motion control and built-in safety features. It’s a team player.
- Welding tools: Includes power sources, torches, and wire feeders to handle everything from MIG to TIG welding.
- Software you can actually use: No complex code here. The interface is simple enough for a rookie to program without breaking a sweat. If your provider is asking you to do old-school coding, then get out.
- Nice-to-have extras: Add positioners for multi-angle welding or vision systems to make every weld count.
Cobot welding package costs
The price tag for a cobot welding package depends on what you’re looking for, but here’s a breakdown.
What you’ll spend:
- Basic setups: Start at $25,000 to $40,000 for smaller shops for single cobots without the end-effectors and welding tools. If you’ve got that much to invest, you might want to look into a Standard Bots offering.
- Mid-tier systems: Costs between $50,000 and $75,000, offering multi-process welding and advanced features.
- High-end packages: Can go over $100,000 with extras like vision systems and custom fixtures. A Lincoln Electric cobot will go for around $90,000.
Challenges of welding cobots
Even the best cobot robot welding units come with some quirks. Knowing these upfront helps avoid surprises.
The bumps to watch for:
- Material picky eaters: Some cobots struggle with extra-thick metals or sensitive materials, so check their capabilities before you commit.
- Training time: The software’s easy, but there’s still a learning curve for your team to become pros.
- Slower speed: Cobots aren’t speed demons. They work slower than traditional robots but make up for it with adaptability and redeployability (although not all cobots can be redeployed).
Benefits of welding cobots
Welding cobots — ideally — make the entire process smoother, faster, and a lot less of a headache.
Why businesses swear by them:
- Consistent weld quality: Cobots don’t have off days or shaky hands. Every weld looks like it was done by a perfectionist.
- Faster production cycles: While humans might take breaks or need to double-check their work, cobots power through, keeping your production line moving.
- Cost savings everywhere: By cutting down on wasted materials and saving labor costs, cobots pay for themselves faster than you’d think. The typical ROI for automation is 1-3 years.
- Safer environments: Cobots handle the sparks, heat, and fumes, keeping human workers out of harm’s way. (And without inhaling any potentially harmful stuff.)
Summing up
Investing in a welding cobot is about more than getting a robot to do the boring stuff for you.
It’s a move toward precision, flexibility, and an all-around safer fab shop — something that’s always worth the extra cash.
And there’s no need to break the bank — a great welding cobot can be budget-friendly and efficient. Just read on to find out more.
Next steps with RO1 by Standard Bots
If you’re ready to revolutionize your welding operations, RO1 is the six-axis cobot arm built to level up your fab shop.
- Affordable and versatile: RO1 delivers industry-leading capabilities at half the purchase price of comparable robots. Not ready to buy? Leasing starts at just $5/hour.
- Precision and strength: Achieves ±0.025 mm repeatability with an 18 kg payload, making it perfect for everything from welding to assembly.
- AI-powered and user-friendly: With GPT-4-level AI capabilities and no-code setup, programming RO1 is as easy as dragging and dropping.
- Safety-first design: Equipped with machine vision and collision detection, RO1 works safely alongside your team without barriers.
Schedule your 30-day risk-free trial today and see how RO1 brings AI efficiency to your operation.
