Considering Collaborative Robotic Laser Welding?

Faced with labor gaps, among other challenges, West Coast Manufacturing, Stanton, Calif., a CNC machine shop serving the commercial dishwasher industry in the United States and Canada, has joined a number of companies that have deployed collaborative robotic (cobot) laser welding.

“We had quality issues, and we had production issues,” explained President Patrick Hundley. 

The changeover, which meant switching from manual gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) to cobot laser welding, enabled the manufacturer to quadruple output while improving quality and reducing waste (Photo 1). 

Plant Manager Bryan Montez explained that the manufacturer has a dual-station welding setup incorporating two welding tables and the industrial cobot in the middle, enabling work on multiple fixtures on the same table. 

“Operators can load one fixture, hit a button, and get the next operation ready to go while it’s welding the previous one. Robotic laser welding is, in some cases, four times better, and there’s just certain things that the manual [welding machines] can’t do or they won’t have a good-looking part,” said Montez, explaining how the excess heat in manual GTAW often caused warping and rework in thinner materials and smaller-diameter parts.  

“Laser welding has really helped us out there,” Montez added. “We saved a lot of time postprocessing the parts, and there’s a lot more efficiency moving out the door after these parts are welded.” 

The process is gaining popularity due to technological advancements — particularly the rise of effective handheld lasers — and rising demand in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical devices, and precision manufacturing sectors. Laser welding uses a focused beam of light to create fine welds with tight tolerances and is especially effective for thin materials. lt’s a fast process that generates less heat than traditional methods. 

In addition, laser welding is automation friendly, as most handheld units integrate well with robotics and CNC systems. Because of the user-friendly interface and usability factors, getting a collaborative robotic laser welding unit up and running for high-mix/low-volume production can happen quickly.  

Overall, the manufacturer went from producing ten to 30 parts per hour manually to 45–60 parts per hour with robotic laser welding. It has also purchased two more collaborative robotic laser welding units to help with future production needs (Photo 2). 

When asked whether he would recommend collaborative robotic welding to others, Hundley had no doubt. 

“I would highly advise it,” he said. “If you don’t stay on the cutting edge of technology, you’re going to be behind the eight ball.”  

This article was written by Matt Hendey (cofounder and CEO at THG Automation, Indianapolis, Ind.) for the American Welding Society.