The welding industry is facing an important challenge: a severe shortage of skilled welders. By 2028, the United States alone will need over 330,000 welders to fulfill demand. Across Europe, the picture isn’t that different - 54% of countries report a significant lack of welders. As demand continues to surge, fabricators will need to turn to automation to bridge this gap and ensure consistent quality. So what’s holding them back?
Traditional approaches to automated welding often make fabricators hesitant to adopt them:
- High upfront costs
- Specialized expertise
- Lack of flexibility in the design for a high-mix environment
However, there are new customizable and scalable solutions available like Vention’s Quick Start robotic welding cells, allowing fabricators to easily modify, deploy, and adapt robotic welding cells to their specific needs. Users can get all necessary components from a single platform while maintaining the flexibility to tailor the system to their shop floor requirements.
After we looked at some of the packaged solutions out there, we didn’t find one that quite fit what we wanted. We needed to have more flexibility.
- David Summers, Manufacturing Engineer Daifuku Manufacturing Canada Corporation
How You Can Customize Your Welding Cell in Minutes
Vention’s approach to robotic welding is based on a simple yet powerful idea - anyone on the welding shop floor should be able to purchase and use a welding robot. This is why building and deploying a custom welding cell with Vention is as simple as ordering new kitchen cabinets from IKEA.
Steps to customize your welding robot with Vention
Customize: Create a robotic welding solution using Vention’s free online design tool, MachineBuilder is easy. Start with one of the six pre-configured cells and add or subtract features as needed. The tool is integrated with AI assistant features, enabling a user to design a fully functional cell in minutes.
Add Parts with Real-time Pricing: Integrate components with instant, transparent pricing, eliminating the need for repeated quotes. Customize your setup by selecting from a range of parts, including table tops from Strong Hands Tools, TUFFAK welding enclosure panels, and Universal Robots robot arms.
No-code Programming: Vention’s collaboration with SmoothRobotics simplifies robot programming, making it easier than onboarding a new welder. The programming flange designed for Universal Robots offers a no-code interface to effortlessly create complex weld paths.
Discover Full Technical Specifications for Welding Automation
How Flexible Welding Automation Helps You Remain Agile
Fabricators often hesitate to invest in robotic welding due to concerns about ROI transferability across diverse welding tasks. For example, a single dedicated welding station may not efficiently handle both long continuous welds and multiple small welds jobs.
Vention’s fully modular solution addresses this challenge by allowing you to easily extend its capabilities based on specific needs. This approach not only improves productivity for your current welds but also derisks your investment with a future-proof solution. As your operations scale or diversify in response to market demands, your welding automation setup grows and adapts accordingly. The best part is that you don’t have to start from scratch.
Six Quick Start Welding Automation Models
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Mobile Welding Station: Portable setup for flexible use across the shop floor.
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Safety Enclosure: Prevent welders from burns, vision damage, and other hazards such as fumes from MIG welding.
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Compact Welding Carts: Store essential welding equipment including torches, nozzles, and safety gear.
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Multiple Welding Stations: Automate welding of multiple small or medium weld tasks using a robot arm with longer reach.
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Overhead Range Extender: Simplify larger welding tasks such as structural beams, vehicle chassis, or large industrial equipment.
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Floor-Mounted 7th Axis: Process multiple welding tasks, while saving space and reducing manual intervention.
Start Customizing Your Welding Robot with Expert Support
For many welding shops, assessing readiness for automation is a critical step in the journey. Identifying the right processes to automate and selecting the right components can feel like solving a complex puzzle with real-world consequences. Partnering with Vention experts can help ensure a smooth transition for your automation project.
Contact us today to transform your weldline!