Y-Blog / Gaining Flexibility for High-mix, Low-volume Welding
 
Gaining Flexibility for High-mix, Low-volume Welding

Gaining Flexibility for High-mix, Low-volume Welding

Posted: 5/18/2021 3:39:23 PM by Sarah Mellish
Topics: Arc Welding, Programming, Software

The term “flexibility” is more than just a buzzword throughout the industrial landscape today. Pressed to deal with the uptick in consumer product variety, create more agile supply chains and deal with labor shortages, many manufacturers are seeking unique ways to quickly adapt and respond to new market dynamics. From welding to coating, and every application in between, robots are helping businesses of all sizes to bolster production efforts.

Once used to compliment only mid- to high-volume manufacturing environments, robotic welding is now being used to address shorter production runs, boosting product quality and throughput in the process. To facilitate even greater uptime – especially for manufacturers that cannot afford to interrupt production while a robot program is being written point by point from a teach pendant – offline robot programming platforms are increasingly being used.

Using a 3D representation of a robotic workcell that visually demonstrates how a robot moves along a programmed path, offline programming (OLP) gives programmers the ability to design, test and adjust a robot program or job from a PC-based virtual environment. Ideal for things like robot reach studies, torch angles and path validation before a cell is even built, OLP goes a long way to minimizing production downtime due to robotic integration and part changeover.

Achieved through OEM specific software platforms such as Yaskawa’s MotoSim®, or robust third-party options like Delfoi ARC and Delfoi SPOT, offline programming provides a more efficient and cost-effective programming method for tasks involving robotic weld systems, especially when complex path planning is needed.

To learn more how this flexible style of programming can enable high-mix, low-volume welding with a simple transition from one job to the next, watch our deep-dive webinar with virtual demonstrations – Can Programming My Robot Cells Be as Fast as My CNC Machines? –  to gain further insight on:

  • Common myths about OLP

  • Robots, part shapes and weld complexities that can be supported

  • One-click offline programming (How is it done? What does it entail? How fast can it work?)

  • OLP for multi-pass welding, circular welding, cloning, sequencing, etc.

  • OLP for touch sensing, seam tracking, vision systems, lasers and more!



Sarah Mellish is a Marketing Content Specialist


Connect on:
This website stores cookies on your computer to provide you with more personalized services on this website and through other media.