🤖 3-shift welder? Why robotic welding is winning over the shortage of people

Introduction: Where are all the welders?

“I can’t find a welder.” You hear this sentence in every engineering company in the Czech Republic. A quality welder is a scarce commodity today, its price is rising and it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep one. At the same time, the requirements for quality and speed of production are constantly increasing.

Moreover, manual welding is physically demanding and harmful to health – heat, radiation, fumes. But what if there was a welder who never complained, worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and whose every weld was absolutely identical? That is exactly what robotic welding is. It has long ceased to be a solution only for car manufacturers; thanks to modern cobots, it is also available for small and medium-sized workshops.

Main part: Problems of manual labor and solutions by robot

The problem called "human factor"

• Quality Consistency: The welder is tired. The weld quality on Monday morning is different than on Friday afternoon. The result is variations, leaks and scrap.
• Lack of people: The biggest problem. Welders are missing, they are retiring, and new ones are not coming.
• Productivity: A person needs breaks, preparation, suffers from fatigue. His pace is limited.
• Occupational safety: Even with protective equipment, the welder is exposed to dangerous fumes, UV radiation and the risk of burns.

How does a robotic welding cell work?

A robotic welding cell is not just an arm. It is a system that typically consists of four main parts:

• Robotic arm: Holds and guides the welding torch. Its task is to ensure an absolutely precise and repeatable path and speed.
• Welding source and torch: The brain of the entire welding process (MIG/MAG, TIG). The robot gives the source a signal when and with what parameters to weld.
• Positioner (Turntable): Often more important than the robot. The robot holds the torch in the ideal position while the positioner rotates the weldment. This allows welding to be done in the optimal (typically horizontal) position, dramatically increasing quality and speed.
• Safety features: Fencing, light barriers or safety scanners that protect operators from robot movement and arc radiation.

A new era: Welding cobots for small series

It used to be that a robot was only worth it for thousands of identical parts. Collaborative robots (cobots) have changed that.

Their main advantage? Extremely simple programming.

With a traditional robot, the programmer had to enter coordinates in a complicated way. The welding cobot is programmed differently:

• Hand-Guiding: A skilled welder takes the arm of the cobot, which has a torch on the end, and literally “guides” it along the path of the future weld.
• Intuitive software: Just confirm the points on the tablet, set the parameters (start/stop, speed) and the robot will remember the entire path.

This makes switching to a new product a matter of minutes, not days. Robotic welding suddenly pays off even for series of 20, 50 or 100 pieces.

Specific benefits (Return on investment)

• ✅ Perfect weld quality:
  The robot does not get tired. It maintains a constant speed, angle and torch distance. Every weld is identical.
• ✅ High productivity:
  The robot works without breaks. It does not deal with preparation, it just welds. It can usually handle the work of 2-3 welders.
• ✅ Cost savings:
  Precision welding means lower consumption of filler material (wire) and shielding gas. This reduces scrap and repair costs.
• ✅ Better jobs for people:
  Your valuable welder no longer has to “just hold the torch.” He becomes a robot operator and programmer. His work is cleaner, safer, and more valuable—he oversees three robot cells instead of one job.

Recommended welding solutions

The basis of the cell is a robotic arm, which must be sufficiently rigid, precise and have the necessary reach. For welding applications, more robust collaborative robots are ideal, which can be easily integrated with third-party welding power sources (e.g. Fronius, Kemppi, EWM).

• Universal Robots UR10e :
  The global standard for collaborative welding. With a reach of 1300 mm and a load capacity of 12.5 kg, it is ideal for most welders.
• CR10 Finish :
  It offers an excellent price-performance ratio. With a reach of 1300 mm and a load capacity of 10 kg, it can handle even heavier wire feeder torches.

Frequently Asked Questions about Robotic Welding (FAQ)

1. Do I have to be a programmer to teach a robot to weld?
Not so with modern welding cobots. Thanks to the manual guidance function (you grab the robot and show it the path) and simple software, a trained welder can do it in one day.

2. Is a robot worth it for our small workshop and small series?
Welding cobots are designed for you. The speed of re-setting to a new part is so high (often 10-15 minutes) that automation pays off even for series of dozens of pieces.

3. Can the robot also handle TIG welding?
Yes. Although the most common automation method is MIG/MAG, robots are also extremely accurate for TIG welding. The consistent speed and electrode distance results in perfect, visually beautiful welds that are difficult to achieve manually.

4. What is the return on investment (ROI)?
Very fast. By solving the shortage of people and operating in 2-3 shifts, the payback of a complete welding cell is typically between 12 and 24 months.

Conclusion: Don't wait for welders who won't come

Robotization of welding is not about replacing people. It is about solving a critical shortage of skilled labor and transferring valuable employees from dangerous, monotonous work to skilled supervision and programming. A robot will provide you with consistent quality and performance 24/7.

Want to see how robotic welding can increase productivity and quality in your production? Visit svet-robotu.cz and discover robotic arms that are ready to become your most reliable welder.