Robot welders address human labor shortages

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A robot can’t fully replace the flexibility and creativity of a skilled, experienced welder.

But at a time when good welders are getting harder and harder to find, welding robots are increasingly becoming an essential part of manufacturing — in shops of just about every size.

Bryan Peoples, regional sales manager for OTC Daihen Inc., an Ohio-based manufacturer of robots, said the benefits of adding robots to an operation are many: “The welds are more consistent, the quality is better, the speed is improved, the cost goes down and efficiency goes up dramatically.”

But just like with hiring an employee, sizing up a robot and figuring out if it’s the right fit for your

company takes some time and consideration. Peoples suggests taking scope of your workforce, your hiring prospects, and your needs.

With the average age of a welder now standing at 54 years old — and increasing — it’s likely that most firms in need of a welder are up against the same challenges. And that’s a problem that’s expected to grow; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the need for welders will go up 26 percent by 2020.

When he travels to trade shows to speak about the use of robotic welders — including a recent stop at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis — Peoples said those stark statistics tend to prompt high interest.

Filling the gaps

“There’s not nearly enough people going into the field to fill demand, so that’s the biggest driver for people to be interested in my presentation in general,” he said.

Next, it’s a question of sorting out where robots could help fill in the gaps. For small operations with highly variable production demands, making a significant investment in a robot may require a bit more consideration. Peoples coaches would-be buyers to start small, so they can sort out how the robot fits in, rather than rushing to try to automate everything.

“I usually espouse to companies doing low-volume, high-mix applications that you really want to look at kind of walking before you run,” he said. “People have an assumption that if they’re going to spend money on a robot, they want to look at making it as flexible as they possibly can. More often than not, it makes sense to focus on getting a robot or system that’s going to do a few things very well, rather than trying to get a system that’s capable of doing anything.”

Often, Peoples said, it can be fairly easy to find a number of jobs that could fill out the capacity of a more basic robot. Once it becomes clear what that system is adding to your operation — and what the results are in terms of production and quality, then it’s time to sort out if adding another robot, or two or three, might also make sense.

“You don’t want to get overwhelmed by any new tool, and I really look at robots as a tool, not as a solution in and of themselves,” Peoples said. “You’re trying to produce parts and hit your quality goals and get the number of parts out per day that you need.”

Oversight required

That’s been the case at Stellar Industries Inc., an Iowa-based manufacturer of mechanics trucks,

telescoping cranes, hooklifts, and other products. Matt Schroeder, an engineering manager, said the company has been using robots and some automated welding in production for about a decade.

“The more we got used to using them, the more products we were able to put on the robot centers and set them up to handle some of our higher-volume needs,” he said.

Schroeder said those robots still require the oversight of a real, human welder in the bay with the robot to make sure that all the work meets the company’s specifications. But it’s also provided some new flexibility.

“We’re seeing the technology being embraced to help out where we’ve got a lot of repetition, and it’s allowing our other certified welders to work on more challenging and engaging projects,” he said.

The crossover between human and robot welders is often a concern for companies looking to step into the world of robotics, Peoples said. With welders in such short supply, many people are wary of making any moves that might signal that they don’t need people to do the work.

“If a welder thinks that getting a robot in there is just going to get rid of their job, that’s a big fear — and it’s a real fear that companies have,” he said. “So that has to be addressed by management.”

Peoples said welders should keep in mind that while robots are easy to program — especially for people who grew up playing video games or with experience in basic computer programming — they are most valuable if they are programmed by someone who knows a thing or two about welding.

“Especially as your parts get much more complex, somebody with welding experience knows what they would do if they were doing it manually,” he said. “If you don’t understand welding, that’s a more complex process.”

Expanding careers

Meanwhile, the introduction of a welding robot can also help transform the workloads of skilled welders on staff, as it as at Stellar Industries.

On one hand, Peoples said, the programming aspect of robots might be a draw for younger or computer-minded welders. Learning to work with the robot might be seen as an incentive to stay on the job, or sign on with a company.

And for older workers, the chance to work with robots may actually help expand the length of a career. Peoples said he knows of a situation where older workers were struggling to keep up with the physical demands of jobs that required them to climb up and over and around while welding. But with a robot, they could keep welding — just in a different way.

“It’s rare that you’re actually replacing people (with robots),” Peoples said. “You’re just adding capacity.”

Other major concerns are costs and payoff. Robotic welding systems can be a major investment. Peoples said about 80 percent of the welding units that he sells are in the $80,000 to $150,000 range. But that’s actually considerably less than many people imagine, with the machines often paying for themselves in relatively short order.

“A robot will justify itself almost instantly,” he said. “If you’ve got one person or a couple of people welding the same part, the robot is going to pay for itself in a matter of weeks, rather than months.”

Peoples said users of robotic systems usually see productivity gains ranging 2.5 to five times more productive.

And while robots aren’t yet the norm on every shop floor, Peoples predicts that the numbers will continue to soar as more people see the potential benefits in terms of cost, time and reliability.

“I would be surprised if 80 percent of companies 20 years from now, minimum, don’t have robots,” he said.

Both Peoples and Schroeder said anyone considering adding robots to their operation should seek out input of those who have seen robots become a valuable part of other companies’ production processes.

“I would say to somebody who is curious about robots: to network, reach out to a company that can provide those types of solutions and understand what the robots can do for your business, and how much they can benefit you,” Schroeder said.

— Erin Golden

Erin Golden is a writer based in Minnesota.