Insights from Establishing a Welding Robotics Training Facility

MICHAEL J. MCGINNIS, CHARLES JEFFRESS, and ALAN CLIPPERTON
April 2026
By: MICHAEL J. MCGINNIS, CHARLES JEFFRESS, and ALAN CLIPPERTON

The American welding industry faces a critical labor gap. According to AWS, 320,500 new welding professionals are projected to be needed in the United States by 2029 (Ref. 1). This gap affects manufacturers across the country, from rural operations to major industrial centers. As traditional manual welding positions become increasingly challenging to fill, robotic welding automation has emerged as a strategic solution, but this shift creates a new challenge: training a workforce capable of programming, operating, a..

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