Will Jobs Like Welding Be Replaced by Industrial Robots?

According to Welding Insider, more than half of all American products manufactured require some type of welding. It's a statistic that holds true for the rest of the world as well since it's a function necessary for the joining of parts in many assembly lines, especially in the automotive industry. As the world moves towards automation and artificial intelligence, there is an important question to be asked: will human welders and jobs like welding be replaced by industrial robots?

The benefits of robot welding

The impact of robotics in the welding industry has been clear as day for many years now. With some welding guns being immensely heavy for a human to lift and certain welding scenarios being far too risky or dangerous, it seems like robotic welding is the only sensible solution. Let's look at some of the other main benefits here:

Consistency and high-quality welds. No matter the skill level of the most experienced professional, a robotic welder is capable of a consistent workflow and higher standard of work every single time. 

Increased productivity. Robots can perform fast and consistently for an increased period of time that far exceeds any human worker's ability. More importantly, the work features fewer errors.

Reduced waste and rework. Due to the high precision of robotic welding, there's a reduced risk of "over-welding" or redoing complex tasks. Undoubtedly, this helps businesses save both time and money.

Reduced post-weld cleaning. Welding can be a messy function with splattering and waste. By utilising robotic welders, however, a manufacturing plant can reduce the regular clean-up times due to the increased efficiency and reduced waste.

Will welding jobs be replaced by industrial robots?

It's true that robotic automation has taken over many functional aspects of manufacturing. There's no denying that robots are perfect solutions for highly repetitive tasks that require both speed and efficiency. However, that doesn't mean that humans are about to be replaced by machines in the welding industry altogether. There are still certain functions that humans will be required to do, such as:

Cognitive reasoning. Robots are programmed to execute a function. They don't have the decision-making ability to think or reason if there's a better way of doing a task. A human being possesses the power of critical thinking and cognitive reasoning to analyse if something is/isn't working and change a process to suit the output. After all, who designed the robots in the first place?

Programming. Tied to the previous point, a robot requires programming; it needs to be told what to do, when and how. This is where a human plays a supervisory role as they are responsible for setting up the robot's programming instructions and specific parameters.

Maintenance. Much like with anything mechanical, maintenance is required to keep a robot working at optimal standards. A robot is not self-maintaining and will require a human being to give it the TLC it requires to keep performing at high levels.

Make no mistake about it, traditional welding jobs are transforming. Rather than being the "doers", human beings are now upskilling and overseeing fleets of robots in action. Like with most jobs in the last half-century, evolution is key to staying relevant. There will always be a place for humans since the power of the human mind cannot be replicated.

Contact Yaskawa for automated welding solutions

Through decades of technical progress and unrivalled experience, Yaskawa has cemented itself as a world-class leader in the field of robot welders and automated welding solutions. Our understanding of the various industries and their specific challenges allows us to design flexible and intelligent robotic solutions that are customised and align with your particular business needs. Additionally, we provide the necessary training, upskilling and support for the robot's entire life cycle, empowering you with the knowledge and required skills to get real value out of your automated welding solution.

If you would like to discuss how automated welding solutions can improve your business operations, please contact us for more info.