Benefits of a Positioner and COBOT for Welding and Assembly: Q&A

When you combine an ALM positioner and a collaborative robot (or COBOT), in many cases, you can more than double your production rate while making your skilled labor more efficient.

We’re answering some of our frequently asked questions about using a positioner and COBOT together. Still have a question? We have answers. Drop us a line or schedule a time to stop in and see our fabricators in action.

How can a COBOT improve welding processes?

A collaborative robot, or COBOT, is a robot designed specifically for working alongside people in a workspace. In conjunction with ALM Positioners, COBOTs work within welding or assembly cells on manufacturing floors.

Unlike traditional robots, COBOTs are equipped with specialized sensing technology, making them safe for people to work with and around while making manufacturing processes better, faster, safer and smarter. COBOTs can be found across manufacturing processes and are especially effective in the welding process. When COBOTs are deployed in the working environment, they increase efficiency and make skilled labor go further; they are productivity multipliers.

“When you pair a positioner with a COBOT, it unlocks all sorts of potential, and productivity gains,” Rob Doneth, Senior Applications Engineer at ALM Positioners said. “Getting any given workpiece repeatably in the right position for the COBOT empowers welders to work faster, smarter and more comfortably and typically results in throughput gains.”

How can you deploy a COBOT with a positioner?

The first step is understanding your current weld process and where it can be improved. Are you looking to make it safer? Faster? Easier to use? All the above? At ALM Positioners, COBOTs are combined with one of our intelligent positioners for a wide range of welding tasks. With virtually limitless configurations, our team works with your unique welding or assembly environment to engineer the most efficient solution possible.

Our team will work with your team to create the perfect solution and assist with training and deployment so that your positioner and COBOT can be welding in as little of time as possible. With on-site positioner and COBOT installation, your team can be confident in how to get the most out of a COBOT and positioner combination.

How does a COBOT work with a positioner for welding?

Depending on the welding solution, a COBOT and positioner can work together in a variety of ways. Through an intuitive interface, your COBOT and positioner will communicate with each other seamlessly. From advanced functions like touch sensing and seam tracking, to simple and intuitive “point and shoot” uses where you can easily manipulate the torch, a COBOT and positioner are an innovative approach when it comes to improving throughput for welding and assembly on a manufacturing floor:

• Long, repetitive straight-line welds: A COBOT and positioner can repeatedly deliver high-quality welds, freeing up a welder to continue working in another spot simultaneously.
• Simultaneous or independent welds: The COBOT’s torch can be easily manipulated and guided down a set path to enable the COBOT to be welding alongside a welder or independently, with safety and quality at the forefront.
• Extended reach: Positioners bring the workpiece to you. But with a mounted COBOT on the positioner, you have even more reach. The COBOT can extend to harder-to-reach spots as you weld other areas for increased speed.

No matter your COBOT welding or assembly needs, the ALM Positioners team can help develop the perfect integrated solution with the powerful combination of an intelligent ALM positioner and COBOT, delivering maximized manpower and increased safety and throughput.

Want to learn how a positioner and COBOT can double your throughput? Contact us.

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