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Arc-on time is the term that refers to the actual time the electricity is used when welding, with the wire running, and the gas flowing. It is the ultimate measure of welding productivity.
The industry average arc-on time in most manual welding operations is around 10%, which is low because welders take care of a lot of tasks before, during, and after the actual welding process. Furthermore, the prospect of manual welding continuously on a large weldment for multiple hours can be a challenge for a welder.
Collaborative robot-based welding solutions can now be a welder’s secret weapon to boost arc-on time while simultaneously improving working conditions for welders.
Designed to assist welders, rather than to replace them, welding cobots have proven to boost arc-on time across multiple welding tasks.
Fort Lauderdale-based DeAngelo Marine Exhaust, an exhaust parts manufacturer, increased productivity tenfold after deploying a cobot welder.
DeAngelo’s cobot can weld 20 inches per minute, compared with 2-5 inches per minute when the weld is performed manually and can make a similar or better-finished quality to their manual welds. In addition, the cobot takes care of the most repetitive and unergonomic elements of the job, releasing welders to do other tasks.
In another case, Ohio-based metal fabricator Raymath boosted its welding productivity by 200% when it used cobots on complex TIG and MIG welding tasks.
Unlike traditional welding robots, it can take users days, or even longer depending on application complexity, to change production jobs and reprogram them.
Cobots are industrial robots but they are so easy and intuitive to deploy, allowing welders of all ages to learn in hours, without offsite training. They can program most simple welds in just minutes and complex welds in a few hours, driving up the shop’s arc-on time and profitability. Not only that, cobots can be programmed in a few minutes or hours for the same number of parts produced by traditional robots.
On the other hand, cobot welders with an ecosystem of specially designed welding-specific hardware, software, and peripherals, can allow them to quickly deploy and redeploy them for many years to come.
Image source by DLR
