Industrial manufacturing has been undergoing fundamental change for several years, characterised by globalisation, a shortage of skilled workers, increasing quality requirements and shorter delivery times. Hardly any other sector is feeling these changes as intensely as welding technology, where manual production has been the norm for decades. Today, companies are increasingly faced with the challenge of making their welding processes more efficient, reproducible and economical without losing the necessary flexibility in production.
Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular find themselves caught between traditional skilled labour expertise and the pressure to develop technologically. At the same time, customer expectations regarding documented quality, process reliability and series production capability are rising. In this environment, entry-level automation solutions are becoming increasingly important. They offer a feasible way for companies to enter robot-assisted manufacturing without having to invest in complex large-scale systems right away. With the QIROX WeldExperT Compact Cells, CLOOS presents a system that is precisely tailored to this need – compact, user-friendly, powerful and particularly suitable for companies venturing into welding automation for the first time.
The change in welding technology and the need for automation
For a long time, traditional manual welding technology was the dominant form of manufacturing metal assemblies. It still plays an important role today, especially for one-off pieces, special components or repairs. However, the general conditions have changed significantly. The shortage of skilled workers is one of the most serious problems. Companies are increasingly reporting vacancies that cannot be filled for months on end and a significantly smaller number of young people entering the profession than in previous decades. Welding technology requires qualified training and a great deal of experience, but fewer young people are choosing this profession. As a result, companies are under pressure to relieve the burden on their existing welders while at the same time securing or expanding production capacities. Another challenge lies in the increasing complexity of components and the diversity of materials. Modern materials such as high-strength steels, thin-walled constructions and aluminium place high demands on process stability. At the same time, companies are increasingly required to produce different variants and batch sizes, which require flexible yet reproducible manufacturing processes. Economic factors are also driving this development. Companies need to reduce their unit costs, avoid waste and increase productivity. In many cases, optimisations in manual production are no longer sufficient to achieve the desired economic efficiency. Finally, digitalisation also plays an important role. Customers increasingly expect documented and traceable welding processes. Inspection and traceability systems are becoming the norm – requirements that can only be met manually with great effort.
Automation offers the opportunity to improve quality, repeatability, cost-effectiveness and documentation in equal measures. However, a comprehensive automation step often means large investments, long integration efforts and a high degree of technical complexity. This is exactly where QIROX WeldExperT Compact Cells come in: solutions that are compact, manageable, quick to implement and intuitive to use form the decisive first step.