Welding cobot or autonomous cell: which one to choose?
Welding cobots have made automation accessible to small workshops. But they only do part of the job. Here, without a sales pitch, is what each solution automates, and for which workshop it makes sense.
| Stage of the work | Manual welding | Welding cobot | Autonomous cell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read the drawing, prepare | Welder | Operator | Software, from the STEP file |
| Positioning jig | Often | Often | No (magnetic table, second arm) |
| Place the components | Welder | Operator | Handling arm |
| Tack | Welder | Operator | Welding arm |
| Program the path | — | Hand teaching | Generated from the model |
| Weld | Welder | Cobot | Welding arm |
| Change part number | Reread the drawing | Reprogram, adapt the jig | Load another file |
| Human presence | Constant | For every part | Loading bins, inspection |
| Maturity | Proven | Proven, wide choice | New, in pilot phase |
What a cobot automates: the arc
A welding cobot is a collaborative arm fitted with a torch. The operator guides it by hand to record the points of the path, then the cobot welds, consistently, while the operator prepares the next part. It generally does not need an enclosed cell, which makes it simple to install.
On a long-run part, welded hundreds of times identically, it is extremely effective: the programming is paid back, and so is the jig.
What it leaves to the welder: everything else
On a small batch, the maths changes. Arc time is often a small fraction of the total: on a typical part from our study, we estimate it at about 3 minutes out of 21. The rest is reading the drawing, designing and setting up a jig, placing the parts, tacking them and teaching the path to the cobot. These tasks remain human, and often need the very qualified welder you were trying to free up.
That is why many workshops that switch between many part numbers in small quantities find that a cobot runs less than planned. We explain this in why a welding robot does not pay off on small batches.
What the autonomous cell adds: the preparation
The autonomous cell starts from the 3D file. The software breaks the part down and plans the assembly order, the tack points and the welds. One arm places the components on a magnetic table, the second tacks and then welds them. Changing part number means loading another file and other component bins.
The price to pay: a more complete architecture (two arms, vision, guarding), and a younger technology. That is why we offer it first as a rental, and why we produce subcontracted parts ourselves to run it in.
When to choose which
- Choose a cobot if you often weld the same parts in batches of several hundred, with an operator available to prepare and tack.
- Consider the autonomous cell if you switch between many different parts in batches of 10 to 500, if your components come from laser cutting and if it is preparation, more than the arc, that overloads your welders.
- Start with subcontracting if you are unsure: we produce a few of your parts on our cell, and you judge on real parts.
Frequently asked questions
Is a welding cobot a bad investment?
Can a cobot be upgraded into an autonomous cell?
Who programs the autonomous cell?
Put figures on your case
Welding hours, hourly rate, number of part numbers: the calculator shows what preparation costs you today.