Not that long ago, manufacturers only had two choices when it came to welding their parts: They could manually weld them or invest in traditional industrial robotics to do the work. Today, however, manufacturers are rich in options. As automation has become more affordable and user-friendly in part thanks to collaborative technologies, traditional product lines have expanded and new entrants emerge on the marketplace – seemingly every day.
Manufacturers are also afforded a range of process options, especially considering the increasing ability to automate fiber laser welding. New technologies are creating even more opportunities for integrators and OEMs to put fiber laser welding capabilities into customers’ hands.
To navigate the ever-growing number of options, manufacturers will always benefit from reaching out to the long-time players in the space – especially those that can speak to the full range of options, including fiber laser welding. Dan Belz, FLW product manager at AMADA AMERICA INC., says the company has been steeped in robotic laser welding for more than a decade and is experienced taking on the role of consultant for shops faced with the myriads of available options.
Picking a process
When AMADA introduced its first fiber laser welding (FLW) system in 2012, manufacturers finally had a tool that could produce welds on red metals and dissimilar metals that in the past had been considerably difficult to manage. The new system was also able to overcome larger weld gaps, reduce heat input and post-processing requirements, and achieve completed welds in faster times.
As fiber laser welding and the associated ancillary technologies have matured, the list of benefits has grown. Today, choosing between fiber laser welding and traditional welding processes is still based on a range of factors specific to the work to be completed, but, in brief, the advantages of today’s fiber laser welding include:
- Precise welding of thin to thick metals and a variety of materials, including red metals, steel, aluminum and stainless steel
- High precision and minimal to no heat distortion
- Cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing welds that are paint ready
- Faster, higher volume production
- Easily adaptable to a range of automation configurations
- Reduced or eliminated post-processing
Meanwhile, traditional welding processes, such as MIG and TIG, still have their place in manufacturing environments. Whether manual or automated, traditional welding is manageable for a wide range of skill levels and often has a wider range of training programs available, though the skill required can vary depending on the specific process. Traditional welding processes are also available in a range of automation configurations, including collaborative robot (cobot) setups, although laser welding can also be integrated into cobot welding cells.
While every case is nuanced, Belz says the choice is in the hands of two types of shops: welding shops and shops that weld. The former are typically shops that perform high-volume welding, both manual and automated. The latter are typically smaller fabricators that take on a wide range of work in smaller batch sizes, the bulk of which is manually welded.
“If you are welding 40 percent or more of your parts, AMADA’s FLW ENSISe system should be a major consideration,” Belz says. “We had one customer that was using robots to MIG weld electrical enclosures, but they had to do rework on 75 percent of the parts. It was still faster than doing it manually, but the rework costs were adding up.”
Fortunately, making the switch from robotic MIG welding to robotic laser welding doesn’t require a shop to start from the ground up. Because the FLW ENSISe systems are based on the widely used Yaskawa controller and programming platform, the learning curve is minimal when a shop has some level of programming experience.
“Even if they don’t have experience with laser welding, the welding shops just get it,” Belz says. “We install a machine, give them the basic training and they can’t wait to kick us out because they want to get their hands on it and thrive. Sometimes we don’t ever hear from them again. It’s amazing.”
Automation options
In addition to choosing between laser welding and traditional welding processes, shops must also choose between a traditional industrial welding cell and a cobot welding cell. The considerations generally come down to payload, footprint, speed, precision and accuracy. In brief, the advantages afforded from traditional industrial robots include:
- Higher precision, speed and payload capacities, making them suitable for heavy-duty welding tasks that require consistent, high-quality welds
- High-volume, high-complexity welding tasks where speed and precision are paramount
- Often used in automotive, aerospace and other industries where heavy-duty welding and long production runs are common and where customer safety is dependent on manufacturing precision
Cobot automation, meanwhile, often offers lower payloads and slower speeds, making it better-suited for lighter, less complex welding tasks where extreme precision and speed are not critical, but where humans can work nearby, although not in laser welding applications. Compact designs also allow cobot cells to fit into tighter spaces and be moved and re-deployed elsewhere within a production environment.
The FLW ENSISe systems are based on traditional industrial robots, and to accommodate the industry’s range of needs, AMADA’s laser welding cells are available in three sizes, the M5, which measures 28 ft. by 20 ft.; the M3, which measures 16.5 ft. by 10.5 ft.; and now, the smaller M1+, which measures 12 ft. by 12 ft.
“Over the years, we discovered that probably 98 percent of our customers’ work falls under a 48-in.-by-24-in.-by-8-in. envelope,” Belz says. “So that’s what inspired the concept for the M1+. It features a shuttle table that rotates 180 degrees either way and has the same size robot as on the M5 and M3, but on a pedestal. The setup gives people the footprint they want, plus the ease of use they need.”
A smaller welding head, the LE, was also specifically designed for a second M1+ system to accommodate smaller parts and tighter welds. The LE welding head is 37 percent smaller than previous designs and can perform complete 360-degree rotations.
“With the smaller laser welding head, we can get in closer, into a box, for example, to weld brackets inside,” he says. “Because of the nimbleness of it, it can get closer and in tighter confines. Welding a couple of pipes that are close to each other is no problem.”
Additional considerations
When shops are vetting a laser welding system, available technologies and features will vary, of course, by brand. For those considering AMADA’s FLW system, major differentiators include the company’s ENSISe technology, beam weaving capability and teaching assistant system (TAS).
ENSISe gives shops AMADA’s powerful variable beam control that automatically adjusts the laser beam’s properties to weld a wide range of material thicknesses with high precision. ENSISe is also an eco-friendly technology designed to reduce electricity consumption.
“The amount of electricity a shop uses can be incredibly high,” Belz says. “But with the ENSISe technology, the FLW system essentially knows when to idle itself to not be constantly consuming electricity. At the end of the year, that can equate to a lot of money.”
In addition to the variable beam control, the laser process also affords beam weaving where the laser beam itself rotates or wobbles, as it is sometimes referred to, instead of relying on the robotic arm to move. In addition to producing smoother results, beam weaving allows shops to overcome large weld gaps and the heat-affected zone typically seen when welding thin material.
“Beam weaving is pretty huge because it gives us the capability to do a few things, including bridging larger gaps in welding and controlling the speed and deposition of a wire feeder, which can also be incorporated into the system,” Belz says. “It’s great with thinner materials, too. For a 20-gauge aluminum light fixture application, we found that by using a weave on a simple butt joint, we were able to bring more material in and weld that effectively without bringing in more heat or distorting the metal. The end result was so perfect that the joint looked more like a bend than a weld. With no post-processing, it was sent straight to powder coating.
“For thicker material and on corners, beam weaving also produces a chamfered weld versus a sharp weld,” he adds. “These are the tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years to help our customers be more effective in whatever they’re trying to accomplish.”
In terms of programming and weld repeatability, AMADA’s new AI-TAS system is another critical feature that is brand exclusive. It can reduce a shop’s overhead by significantly speeding up the time it takes to start welding a new part. When a program is presented, whether developed offline or through the pendant, a CCD camera automatically detects the weld lines and uses 3-D images to guide the robot to the correct weld locations. The TAS also detects any robot deviations from the actual weld path to correct them in real time.
“The holy grail for robotic welding has always been a seam tracker type of system where it’s welding and making adjustments in real time, but that system just isn’t possible in a MIG or TIG environment,” Belz explains. “You create a lot of smoke, sparks and flying debris with MIG, for example. It can be a violent process, so no matter how many filters you put on it, you’re not going to get a camera to last in that kind of environment. It’s yet another advantage of fiber laser welding.
“We have customers that use the TAS on every item they weld,” he adds. “They dry run it, make the adjustments and start welding highly accurate parts time and time again.”
The success stories that Belz’s customers can tell run deep. By investing in AMADA’s FLW ENSISe systems, one customer saved $500,000 on abrasives annually and that didn’t take into account the labor savings involved. Another customer, a small family-owned shop, tripled their output. The owner, who also happened to be the company’s main welder, hasn’t touched a torch since the FLW system was installed.
“We want to be involved and engaged long before we do the installation,” Belz says. “We want to work with customers on fixturing, fitment, design, everything. We offer a consultative type of process, but that’s because laser welding is such a different way to weld. And that’s why we keep the education flowing throughout the entire process – from sales all the way through implementation. Bring us your parts or have us walk through your shop and we can show you how laser welding can improve your operations.
“We’ve been doing this for 10 years, and we’ve seen just about everything,” he concludes. “I mean, we figured out how to wire-feed titanium for tube welding for a customer. Even the best titanium welders struggle with that, but we have the ability to dig deep and find a solution. Our team’s expertise is unmatched.”
