What is the Advantage and Disadvantage of welding manipulators for sale

Welding is a process that uses electricity to generate extreme and localized heat to melt metal and fuse it together. Melted metal is molten liquid, albeit temporarily, which can cause problems.

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One of the most significant challenges of welding that you might not consider if you’re new is the position in which you’re welding. A “standard” weld is horizontal and flat. You can move your welding gun over carefully positioned metal for maximum ease of access.  

What happens, though, if you need to weld the side of a surface, or even overhead?  

All sorts of issues can crop up when welding out of position. Foremost among them is gravity. When welding vertically, your weld pool can sag out of place, leading to a loss of filler material, uneven welds, drips, and weakness in the finished product.  

Overhead welding is even worse. Not only can the weld pool drip, but it can also be dangerous if it’s above you and molten metal drips down onto you. That’s one of many reasons why the proper safety equipment is 100% required for any welding you might do.

There are many considerations to make when you’re welding vertically or overhead. Specific welding rods don’t work in vertical or overhead positions; for example, they create weld pools that are too fluid and will drip out of place.

Sometimes there’s no way around it. Shipbuilding and various construction welding applications are prime examples. It’s not as though you can rotate a ship to weld the hull. Right?

Most of the time, the first step in a welding project is positioning your workpieces as conveniently as possible. That means rotating, moving, and repositioning the pieces you need to weld to get them in the right place.

Depending on the job and the scale of the materials you’re working with, this may be easy or complicated. Large, heavy pieces of metal require manual repositioning, which may require more than one person to move the pieces. Accessing the area that you need to weld can take time and effort, even after the parts have been rotated.  

Thankfully, modern technology has gone a long way toward solving these problems. That’s where a welding positioner comes into play.

What is a Welding Positioner?

Welding positioners are specialized tools to help maneuver, rotate, and reposition the items you’re welding, to put them in an ideal position, no matter how large or unwieldy they are.

A positioner is not to be confused with a welding table. Welding tables are typically heavy metal tables that you can adjust in height for comfortable welding. You can clamp your working pieces to the table, often using magnetic clamps, but there’s only one position for those pieces.  

A welding positioner is more advanced. Like a welding table, welding positioners have a metal surface that you can use with magnets to attach pieces you’re going to weld together. Unlike a welding table, they can be angled and rotated while holding your working materials firm.

With a positioner, you can attach your working pieces to them and rotate and angle them so that welding horizontally and flat is faster, easier, and safer:

• First, secure the workpiece on the table and make sure it is stable and secure. 
• Then, switch on the drive system and set the rotation speed, tilt angle, and other settings as needed. 
• Once your pieces are in position, use a welding gun to perform the welding. 
• After completing your weld, switch off the drive system and remove the workpiece from the table.

Welding positioners are handy tools for a variety of welding applications. They can save welders time and effort by ensuring they only need to move the welding gun instead of repositioning the entire workpiece multiple times. Additionally, using a welding positioner can significantly improve the accuracy of welds, leading to higher-quality results with fewer mistakes. 

Welding positioners come in various sizes and configurations; having one of the appropriate sizes for the projects you typically take on can be extremely useful for your workshop.  

What Are the Different Types of Welding Positioners?

Like anything in this world, welding positioners come in many different forms.

The simplest welding positioners include stands, clamps, and mounts. These allow you to hang, adjust, rotate, and position materials you’re planning to weld, but they require manual adjustment of the pieces rather than the table itself. They can be similar to jack stands or arm mounts, with two or so parts of articulation to make positioning your work surface as accurate as possible using simple mechanisms.

Slightly more advanced welding positioners are heavy-duty tables with robust mechanisms, often using gearing rather than manual adjustment and repositioning. 

Sometimes, you can use built-in clamping mechanisms to attach your project materials. Other times, you need magnetic clamps. Either way, these positioners have high weight capacities, allowing you to easily position and weld materials anywhere from 300 lbs. up to 10,000 lbs. 

Obviously, at higher weights, you’re no longer using manual control to manipulate your project; the welding positioner typically has motorized controls.

The most advanced welding positioners are no longer tables or work surfaces. Instead, they’re large and complex machines. These machines are more like workshop installations than they are workspace tools. However, they enable many valuable features, such as computer-controlled rotation and movement, and even automated welding you can program into the machine. These features allow you to create more complex welds around surfaces that need to be rotated and highly accurate, even welds.

Welding automation is often used for extremely large, very complex, or frequently-repeated projects, and it’s a little outside the scope of today’s post, so we’ll bypass the details for now.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Welding Positioner?

Welding positioners have many potential benefits, some of which you might not think about at first glance.

1. Welding positioners make welding easier. Have you ever heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder”? Welding positioners are an excellent tool for working smarter.

• They allow for faster, easier repositioning of items being welded.
• They make it easier to weld consistently across a surface, with less need to reposition.
• They minimize the risk of welding out of horizontal positioning, which is more challenging.

Instead of precariously balancing or securing pieces in awkward positions before welding, a welding positioner allows the welder to set up their work surface for maximum ease of use.

2. Welding positioners also make welding safer. The more you contort or hold an awkward position to weld, the more dangerous it is. The same goes for welding in enclosed spaces, at awkward angles, or where weld pools can drip dangerously from above. A welding positioner eliminates nearly all of these risks when used correctly.
3. Welding positioners facilitate greater access to tools and processes. Since some forms of welding cannot be done in overhead or vertical positions, and many fillers, electrodes, and other types of welding equipment can’t be used in vertical or overhead positions, using a positioner enables a wider variety of known and “easier” options for creating a join.

Many beginning welders train almost exclusively on horizontal welds, so they will be what you are likely most familiar with. Using a welding positioner allows you to adjust the items you’re welding to ensure that you’re working on a horizontal bead, even if you will position the finished product vertically or overhead.

4. Welding positioners reduce strain on the welder. Welding can be taxing work. Staring at exceptionally bright arcs of electricity, positioning yourself over material and holding a careful position, and moving with constant speed and precision are all very difficult to maintain for minutes (or longer) at a time. It’s even more challenging if you’re welding at an awkward angle or out of position in some way.

Again, while this may be unavoidable in some situations, the ideal is to use a welding positioner to minimize the strain welding places on your body and mind, allowing you to weld more, longer, and at a higher average quality level.

5. Welding positioners increase throughput. All of the above combine to make welding more manageable and faster. That means each welder can work more quickly, accurately, and longer without making mistakes due to fatigue. These benefits make it an excellent addition, particularly to fabrication companies and manufacturers, but it can also benefit hobbyists and artists.
6. Welding positioners can enable automation. As mentioned in passing above, welding positioners can also be attached to computerized systems and used to facilitate welding automation. Whether this means a fully automated system that consistently welds on its own every time, or just a computerized set of angles, rotations, and positions for a manual welder to handle, it streamlines the entire process.

With all of these benefits, it’s no wonder that many businesses, factories, and other facilities commonly needing to weld materials will invest in welding positioners.

Are There Drawbacks to Welding Positioners?

There are a few relatively small drawbacks to using welding positioners, though most aren’t really drawbacks, just considerations.

1. First and foremost is the price. While a basic desktop welding positioner costs a few hundred dollars, bulky, high-capacity or computerized welding positioners can cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Full turn-key automated welding systems are the pinnacle of welding technology.
2. A second consideration is all of the extra space that a welding positioner takes up. All but the smallest welding positioners are large and often heavy machines. They must be heavy to hold large and awkward pieces of metal to weld them in place without wavering or falling over. 

Some shops need the floor or desk space to dedicate to a welding positioner. Those who can find the space often find it’s a worthwhile tradeoff, so again, this isn’t purely a drawback, merely a consideration to remember. Of course, the equipment necessary to reposition materials for welding without a positioner often takes up even more space, so that a positioner can be a net increase in floor space in some cases.

3. The more computerized and automated a welding system is, the more specialized the operation of the machine will be. If you’re a welder used to welding manually and you don’t mess with computerized systems, this can require a steep learning curve to operate appropriately. 

On the other hand, an automated system is unmatched for bulk welding and consistent throughput.

How to Use a Welding Positioner Properly

While every welding positioner is unique and will have its user guide, there are some generalized tips you can use to make sure you’re getting the most out of your tools.

Here are our tips for first-time users of welding positioners:

• First, always pay attention to the center of gravity for your weldment. Welding positioners are generally built to be heavy and have a low center of gravity, so large and awkward weldments are still balanced or counterbalanced such that they stay in place. However, particularly large, heavy, or awkward weldments can cause problems if it isn’t balanced correctly yet on the welding positioner.
• Similarly, remember the weight capacity – both vertical and horizontal if necessary – for the welding positioner you’re using. Some have low weight capacities, such as a few hundred pounds, so overloading them will risk sagging out of position or even a sudden, catastrophic breakage.
• Make sure you’re attaching your weldment correctly, as well. Many welding positioners are metal and can accept magnetic clamps, but they also have mechanical clamps and mounting holes for additional support. Make sure your weldment is firmly in position before starting the weld.
• Finally, make sure to use a welding positioner properly with the equipment you’re using. For example, you may need to ground your welder in a particular fashion. Your welding positioner may have a dedicated place for attaching your ground; similarly, securing it in the wrong place can risk damaging any motors or electronic components that help the positioner function.

Does a welding positioner sound right for your project? If so, we have a wide variety of positioners of all shapes and sizes available for sale, lease, or rent. Depending on your needs, there will be something for everyone in our catalog.

Are you interested in learning more about welding manipulators for sale? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

Automate your Welding Process Today

Welding and Cutting Automation Plant and Equipment - New, Used and Refurbished for Sale

A Smarter Way to Welding Automation
As labour shortages continue worldwide, finding skilled welders is becoming a challenge for many businesses.
Welding automation offers a smart solution. Not only does it maintain high production quality and reduce defects, but it also brings long-term benefits that go beyond saving time and labour.

How to Get Started with Welding Automation?
The best approach is to start with simple tasks and gradually improve your production line. Avoid jumping into the most complex processes right away.
It's also important to note that automation can't fix issues from your suppliers, so improving upstream processes will ensure you get the most benefit from your automation investment. If you’re unsure where to begin, we have the experience and expertise to guide you. We’ll work with you to find the best solution that fits your production needs and budget.

Although there are many welding jobs which are best handled manually, and many more that can be done manually if necessary (as, for example, if a welding operation is too small to have an automatic welding machine, or if repairs must be carried out far from one of these devices), there are also many welds that can be handled quite adequately by an automated welding process. Some, such as pipe welding in the case of large pipes in many industrial applications (such as oil drilling platforms and chemical factories, to name only two examples), must be handled by an automatic welding machine such as an orbital welder, because of the precision that needed to avoid springing a potentially hazardous leak.

There are two different situations where an automatic welding machine is typically used. Semi-automatic welding uses a pre-programmed automatic welding machine, but the parts are actually loaded onto the welding bench (or its equivalent) by an operator, who arranges them and then switches on the welding machine until the weld has been completed. The operator then removes the finished workpiece and repeats the process as many times as necessary.

Fully automatic welding removes the human element except as an overall observer to make sure the machines are running properly. In these set-ups, the parts and finished workpieces are moved by other machines, such as conveyer belts, and the welding operation is often continuous over a large number of individual pieces. This is a truly industrial use of the automatic welding machine, and is found mostly in very large operations such as car factories.

Automatic welding machine benefits and drawbacks

Automatic welding machines have both their advantages and disadvantages, and as is the case with so many things, a gain in one place is compensated for by a loss in another. Automatic welding machines are much faster than skillful human welders can ever hope to be, and produce decent workmanship despite their greater speed. An automatic welder is roughly eight times faster than a manual welder. These welders do not pause or tire, although they may eventually become overheated and need to be shut down for a time. Since a lot of welding scrap is generated by welder fatigue when a human is wielding the electrode, there will be less wastage over the course of a long work day when automatic welding systems are the main ‘workers.’

Automatic welding machines also provide a high quality weld, since they are totally uniform in their application of the electric arc or other welding tool. The machines are always on the job, unless they happen to break down, and once they have been purchased, they do not need to be paid.

Conversely, human welders still retain a few advantages over automatic welding machines. The cost of setting up even a modest array of automatic welders can be in area of a quarter million U.S. dollars, so the initial outlay on a human welder is much smaller. Automatic welders also take an extremely long time to set up, so the urgency of the welding job also needs to be weighed in the balance. Manual welding is extremely flexible, while automatic welding machines carry out the task in a repetitive manner and must be completely reconfigured if a different weld needs to be made. Also, if maintenance is not handled properly, the machines may break down and cause a disastrous pause in production. Automatic welding machines are fast, efficient, and highly useful, but they are not a complete solution to every situation and this must be borne in mind by their potential users.

Full or Semi Automatic welding systems come in many shapes and sizes and can be used for a variety of applications from welding pipe to ship building.

Column & Boom (TIG, Plasma, MIG & Submerged Arc Process)...

To meet the stringent requirements of aerospace and nuclear related applications column and boom manipulators need to provide exceptional rigidity and low deflection under load. Other important requirements include smoothness and consistency of axis movement. In meeting these demands a range of column and boom manipulators have been designed featuring high quality sub components and stress relieved fabrications that are incorporated into a design, which provides class-leading stability. This design philosophy is carried through to larger heavy-duty models.

Light duty and standard range generally have more applicability to Aerospace and light precision engineering applications, where minimal boom deflection and lack of vibration at full boom extension are important factors. Options exist for precision boom drive (for linear welding applications) or even precision column drive (vertical) utilizing recirculating ball screw type mechanisms. As for all column and boom manipulators both boom and column motions can be via precision bearings and guide ways. Design features include thick section fabrications that have been stress relieved to ensure highest standards of straightness and dimensional tolerance. Applicable weld processes include TIG, plasma welding and MIG/MAG, where high level weld head payload is not a primary factor.

Heavy Duty and Extra Heavy Duty column and boom manipulators share the same design features common to the light and standard duty manipulators so they also can be used for precision applications involving processes such as Dual Arc – Plasma / TIG. However, these units will find application mainly involving MIG/MAG and submerged arc (SAW) processes offer a range of optional extras including powered carts and king pin rotation of the column. Special oversized travel carts are available to carry all control and weld process equipment.

If factory space is an important consideration then we can offer models which feature telescoping of the boom, thus minimizing space requirements to the rear. Movement of the telescoping sections is synchronous to ensure the highest possible smoothness of motion is maintained.

All Column and boom manipulators are designed to work with a range of controls. Depending on size and duty, boom motion control may be via a frequency inverter type drive with encoder feedback.

Brands of Column and Boom welders include Bode, ESAB, SAF, Lincoln, Gullco, Pandjiris, Ransome, Arsonson

Seam Welders (TIG, Plasma & MIG Process)...

Longitudinal seam welding systems accommodate manufacture of tubes and pipes for a very wide range of material thickness and length. Applications range from the seam welding of small diameter tubes with short length and ultra thin wall thickness for bellows and instrument manufacture, through to large diameter beverage and brewing tanks, and thick wall pressure vessels. Brands of Seam welders include Bode, Jetline, ProArc, SAF, AMET, ESAB, Koike.

Get in touch with our team if you need assistance and advice on choosing the right machine and application for your project.

Seam Welding Industry Examples...

Below are some examples of advanced seam welding technologies being used in a variety of commercial sectors - Aerospace, Automatic, Bellows, Fume Extraction, Water Heating Tanks, Dairy machinery

Welding Lathes (TIG Plasma and MIG Process)...

Supplied are new and used Lathe type welders for circumferential welding systems to suit small components such as bellows, sensors and transducers, right through to a diverse range of larger components including, hot water tanks, fuel containers, nuclear waste containment, food and beverage containers.

For small to medium size components we offer our New Pro-Arc lathe range. These head and tailstock units feature ultra low backlash harmonic type gearboxes and encoder servo motor drive. Options exist for bench and freestanding models featuring controls suited to the most demanding precision application. Typical weld processes include Micro TIG, Micro plasma, TIG, Plasma and MIG.

Circumferential lathe type welding systems can accommodate components with diameters up to mm and weights up to 10,000Kgs. Smaller models are ideal for welding components such as Air Cylinders, Valve Assemblies, Catalytic Converters and Hydraulic Actuators. Various control options are possible including PLC, Typically welding process selection would be TIG, plasma and MIG reflecting thicker section weld requirements.  

Brands of lathe welding equipment include Bode, Jetline, Pandjiris, Pro-Arc, Weldlogic,

Welding Lathes Industry Examples...

Below are some examples of advanced welding lathe technologies being used in a variety of commercial sectors. Aerospace Technical Welding, Instrument and Transducers, Steam, Air and Water Pressure Welding, Welding of Munitions

Robotic Welding Equipment

There are two popular types of industrial welding robots. The two are articulating robots and rectilinear robots. Robotics control the movement of a rotating wrist in space. A description of some of these welding robots are described below: Rectilinear robots move in line in any of three axes (X, Y, Z). In addition to linear movement of the robot along axes there is a wrist attached to the robot to allow rotational movement. This creates a robotic working zone that is box shaped.

Articulating robots employ arms and rotating joints. These robots move like a human arm with a rotating wrist at the end. This creates an irregularly shaped robotic working zone. There are many factors that need to be considered when setting up a robotic welding facility. Robotic welding needs to be engineered differently than manual welding. A robotic welding system may perform more repeat ably than a manual welder because of the monotony of the task. However, robots may necessitate regular recalibration or reprogramming.

Robots should have the number of axes necessary to permit the proper range of motion. The robot arm should be able to approach the work from multiple angles. Robotic welding systems are able to operate continuously, provided appropriate maintenance procedures are adhered to. Continuous production line interruptions can be minimized with proper robotic system design. Planning for the following contingencies needs to be completed:
·Rapid substitution of the inoperable robots.
·Installing backup robots in the production line
·Redistributing the welding of broken robots to functioning robots close by 
Brands of Robotic welders include Motoman, OTC, Kuka, ABB, Fanuc, Panasonic, Miller, Lincoln

Benefits of robotic welding

Productivity

A robot typically works between two or more work stations. This means that during the robot welding cycle the operator is unloading a welded assembly and then loads new components to a welding fixture. Because there is less handling compared to a manual weld cycle the robot achieves much higher levels of arc-on time. The robot also moves very quickly between the joints and this yields a further saving in cycle time. Typically a robot system will increase output by a factor of two to four. This depends on the nature of welding. An assembly with lots of short welds can be produced with the most time savings. The cost savings that robot welding brings, can help companies to be more competitive and beat off competition from low cost manufacturing countries in Eastern Europe or China. In order to assess what sort of productivity improvements can be achieved it would be appropriate to compare manual welding times with robot welding times.

Quality

The robot has a very high repeatable accuracy (± 0.08 mm) and excellent path following accuracy. The robot presents the welding gun at the correct welding angle, welding speed and distance. The high level of integration to the welding equipment ensures that optimum welding conditions can be used for each and every joint. The end result is consistent high quality output, day in day out, year in year with reduced cost for rework, scrap or removal of weld splatter.

Consumable costs

It is up to the judgment of a manual welder to weld to the correct standard, but often the weld is oversize. A robot however, always welds to the correct length and size of weld that it has been programmed to produce. This means that some potential savings in wire consumption can be made. If for example a manual welder welds a 5 mm fillet, where only a 4 mm fillet is required, the savings in welding wire alone will be a staggering 36%!

Labour

In recent years it has become increasingly difficult to employ manual welders. There tends to be a certain amount of staff turnover and this of course carries a cost for recruitment and training. When labour is an issue companies often find themselves working overtime or having to employ additional contract labour to meet demands and this can have a serious impact on production costs. If products cannot be supplied to the end customer, penalties may be incurred or future business may be at risk. Whilst there will always be a requirement for manual welding, companies that invest in robotic automation are much less dependent on manual welding.

Safety

A robot welding system addresses health and safety issues associated with dangerous welding fumes and exposure to arc-flash. Companies can reduce the risk of their employees claiming compensation if they are affected by the hazardous working environment.

Flexibility

The robot can be used to weld many different products and allows companies to consider Just In Time production. By reducing work in progress and stock levels, savings can be made due to fact that less value is added to stock levels in terms of labour, transport and storage costs.

Floor space

Compared to the same output from manual welding bays the robot requires less floor space.

For more information, please visit Hardfacing Welding Wire.