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The metalworking industry is currently under intense pressure due to tight deadlines, technical repeatability, and the need to reduce costs per welded part. If you manage a factory or lead the finance department of a manufacturing company, you know that automation is no longer just a plan for the future – it has become a survival strategy.
However, one concern often haunts this decision:
“If we buy a traditional robotic cell, who will program it? Will we become dependent on complex software and scarce automation engineers? How will we accommodate this investment and the need for physical space?”
The solution to this challenge lies not in increased technical complexity, but in simplicity. Ease of programming is the true secret to successful automation – and that is exactly where the iBOTone® collaborative robots (cobots) from ABICOR BINZEL transform your factory floor.
The Bottleneck: the lack of skilled welders and the barrier of traditional technology
The shortage of skilled labor has reached critical levels in the market. Finding and retaining a high-performing manual welder has become a time-consuming and extremely costly challenge, leading to high turnover and losses due to rework.
To address this, many industries are turning to automation. But when they opt for traditional industrial robots, they run into the same problem: systems that require specialists to handle complex code, as well as major structural changes to the factory layout. In other words, they’re simply replacing one bottleneck with another. Such an approach can be avoided with a welding cobot like the iBOTone® from ABICOR BINZEL.
Understanding cobots and the iBOTone® system
A collaborative robot, or cobot, is designed to work safely side-by-side with human operators without the need for large, expensive physical barriers or heavy safety fences. The iBOTone® from ABICOR BINZEL is such a complete, ready-to-use welding cobot system engineered to bring seamless automation directly to your production floor with minimal effort.
Made for welders, not programmers: the iBOTone® concept
iBOTone® collaborative robots were designed with a clear philosophy in mind: technology made for welders, not for programmers. Automation should not serve to replace professionals, but rather to support the welding department in its transition to an automated environment, without the need to invest in long, complex, and exhausting training programs.
If your most experienced welder understands everything about torch angle, feed rate, and weld bead penetration, they shouldn’t have to waste time typing lines of code or figuring out industrial software. They can simply “show” the robot how the job should be done.Once done, any other colleague can load the cobot and supervise the welding operations.
How does manual guided programming work?
The key feature of the iBOTone® is its lead-through programming technology. The process of teaching the cobot a new part is purely intuitive, fast, and eliminates the need to enter complex code. Instead of complex programming on a control panel, the iBOTone® features a highly tactile easy-teach-handle with integrated mode and recording buttons, allowing any welder as well as unskilled labor to learn to operate the interface in minutes. Programming is simplified to about 15 minutes.
| 1. Move manually: The operator physically moves the robot's torch – by holding the articulated arm and guiding it smoothly via the highly tactile easy-teach-handle – to the desired start and end points of the weld. | |
| 2. Save the point: Directly on the integrated interface or the simplified panel, the operator uses just three physical buttons on the easy-teach-handle to define the weld bead. There are no hidden menus and no typing required. | |
| 3. Execute: The robot instantly saves the path and replicates the exact movement with millimeter-level precision. This removes technical barriers, drastically reduces implementation costs, and allows the factory to change part setups with complete agility. |
