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The introduction of new cobots (a type of industrial robot also known as a collaborative robot) with longer reaches and heavier payloads opens up new capabilities for cobot welding operations. With Universal Robots releasing the UR20 in 2022, we uncovered how it enhances the capabilities of standard welding cobots, offering fabricators new opportunities to improve their operations.
The UR20 welding cobot's longer reach, like the ESAB Cobot, enables fabricators to tackle larger and more complex projects. If you're thinking about welding automation or want to add more capability, the UR20's advanced features could be exactly what you need.
Before exploring the benefits of a longer reach for your welding operations, it's important to understand what "longer reach" entails and how cobots like the UR20 enhance cobot welding capabilities.
To put things into perspective, when we talk about "standard" welding cobots, we often refer to models like the UR10e2, which has set the benchmark for collaborative welding robots in size, reach, and payload capacity. These standard collaborative robots have been widely adopted across the industry for their versatility and ease of integration into existing manual welding setups. They provide a solid foundation for understanding the advancements and extended capabilities of the robotic systems offered by the UR20 model3.
The UR20 has an additional 17 inches of reach over the UR10e, which can considerably impact the productivity of your investment.
The longer reach makes it possible to work on bigger pieces overall and do longer welds without moving, shifting the part, or doing another setup—saving you cycle time compared to manual welding.
Moreover, the increased reach means there are fewer limitations and singularities (a configuration in which the robot arm becomes blocked in certain directions). This gives you more flexibility than with a standard reach cobot and helps you meet even strict welding requirements.
Doing longer welds can also improve your production throughput and weld integrity by eliminating the need for frequent stop-start sequences or weld overlays. Welding starts can lead to overlap, incomplete fusion, and slag inclusion, while stops typically lead to cracks and undercut.
This all means that you can now take on jobs that were once more difficult to manage. Along with opening you up to a more diverse client base, you gain an edge over competitors who don’t have the same capabilities. You can offer services and take on jobs that others might not be able to handle. And, you can get them done faster, without reducing quality, something that can happen when skilled welders work on too many repetitive welding tasks.
Welding cobots with extended reach, like the UR20 welding cobot from ESAB, offer fabricators the ability to tackle more complex welding tasks with greater efficiency and quality.
A longer-reach welding cobot has the ability to weld in a single setup without manual intervention, reducing downtime between welds, and ensuring a smoother, more continuous workflow. This continuity is vital for maintaining a stable welding environment—a key factor in achieving consistent, high-quality welds.
Stability in the welding process, afforded by the uninterrupted operation of a longer reach cobot welder, means that heat input and welding parameters can be kept constant throughout the weld. This consistency is essential for mitigating common welding defects such as porosity, incomplete fusion, and thermal distortion.
Such defects not only compromise the integrity of the weld but also necessitate costly and time-consuming rework. By reducing the likelihood of these issues, extended reach cobots directly contribute to the production of higher-quality welds.
An increase in productivity is also due to the cobot's ability to operate within a larger workspace, allowing for more parts to be set up within the cobot's reach. This capability enables the cobot to run for longer periods unattended, maximizing welding time and minimizing idle periods, which also helps to reduce labor costs.
Another key factor contributing to higher productivity is the potential for an alternating workflow between the cobot and the operator. With the extended reach and larger working area, human workers can safely prepare and set up the next batch of parts in one zone while the cobot is actively welding in another. This simultaneous operation ensures a continuous workflow, significantly reducing the turnaround time for welding tasks.
Cobots are known to increase welding safety for human operators. However, with a longer reach, you get a safety boost (especially when you've completed a thorough risk assessment). In a dual-zone setup, the larger workspace allows operators to maintain a safe distance from the welding action, reducing safety risks like exposure to welding fumes, sparks, and intense light from the welding torch. This not only ensures compliance with safety regulations but also contributes to a healthier working environment for your skilled workers.
Like most cobots, the UR20 welding cobot allows you to eliminate issues around the quality and consistency of the finished products that can come with human workers. Cobots don’t have the same tendencies towards variability as human welders. They’re designed to do the exact same thing over and over again with a precision unmatched by even the most skilled welders.
The ESAB Cobot Extended Reach was designed to be used by any experienced welder in your shop without needing deep technical knowledge or cobot-specific skills. It uniquely comes with a phone app, Beacon, that reduces the learning curve for the cobot. It becomes possible for you to train your team to get started quickly.
“When I first saw the ESAB Cobot, it was exactly what I had envisioned. It actually lived up to the advertisement hype about how easy it was to program — we had guys in the sales demo writing programs on it in the first 40 minutes.” — Skyvington Manufacturing
Many organizations lack the time or resources for complex installations and steep learning curves. The rapid installation and setup enable quicker production starts and faster returns on investment.
The UR20 ESAB Cobot can significantly boost your competitive edge by increasing capacity, flexibility, and productivity of your welding projects. If you’re curious to learn more about how the ESAB Cobot might be able to help your business gain a competitive edge, let’s talk.
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