There's no denying it - capital planning can be tricky, even for the most aligned teams. In this resource, we’ll review five key manufacturing costs every team should consider when determining if welding automation (and which type) is the right fit for them. These costs provide a foundation for crucial conversations, helping to clarify your welding automation journey. Our pro tip? Take your time and work through the tough questions. Understanding these costs reveal critical insights, allowing you to assess how you might be able to reduce manufacturing costs with automated welding. 

In the past 5 years, the number of artificial satellites orbiting the earth has seen exponential growth as a result of the wide adoption of low-orbit telecommunications satellites for consumer internet services and the increased commercial availability of launch provider services. The aerospace industry is now facing a new challenge of scaling up their production rates to meet this new demand while maintaining the highest standards of build quality. With the large, fragile nature of these systems, and special requirements for clean room compliance, a new era of industrialization is upon us. Keep reading to find out how IRCO is leveraging decades of expertise building positioners of all sizes, with unparalleled design and customization flexibility to address these specific hurdles and help our aerospace partners reach their horizons.

IRCO Automation provides a robotic welding system for fuel cells with adaptive fill, laser seam tracking, and production monitoring.

A couple months ago, we posted Automated Welding : Myth vs Reality, an article exploring some common misconceptions about Welding Automation. As a follow-up to that post, and by special request, Matt has added to this series and provided us with a narrower look at Robotic Welding Automation: Myth vs Reality. Continue reading below to learn more about some of the misconceptions and facts about Robotic welding automation!

Ready to "level up" your knowledge about Welding Automation? When choosing which type of system to go with, clarity to determine the best fit can come from knowing and understanding your goals and ROI. But when you have the choice between Hard or Robotic automation - a lot of questions might come up. Which is better for you? Is one type safer? Is one more expensive?

This month’s featured product is IRCO Automations P3X 3 Axis Positioner. A product that allows us to explore and illustrate how traditional weld equipment can evolve to fit into a world of welding automation, robotic welding systems, and industry 4.0.  Read more below!

Sections in this Post: 

1. The Problem: You want something "more"
2. The Solution: "Smart" Weld Positioning Equipment and P3X example
3. Ready for the Future: Data Monitoring
4. Recap: Benefits
5. Conclusion: The Future of Standard Product

Happy National Welder Month!
Read more below.

The choice of whether or not to include a weld camera in the design of an automated welding system is one of the quickest and easiest decisions for some of our customers. But do you have any idea why?

In this post, we’ll explore 4 of the key benefits of using weld cameras and why you should consider integrating them onto your automated welding system.

Read further to learn about ways to help reduce the risks associated with welding automation. We break it down into two sections or "rules" :  

1. Safety built into the design
2. Training as an investment  

Automated reamers, or nozzle cleaning stations, help maximize the productivity of robotic welding systems. In this video and blog post we will talk about the importance of reaming the torch head on your system and a solution we’ve integrated into one of our linear welding robots to help maximize efficiency.