ABIBLOG USA: ABICOR BINZEL's Welding Blog

When considering the needs of your robotic welding set up, there are far more components to worry about than just the torch. Cables are an often-overlooked part of your setup, but can make a world of difference in efficiency and productivity.

Your cable decision stems from a full understanding of your robotic welding process. In this blog, we will break down the necessary steps you should take as you consider different robotic MIG torch cables.

When it comes to your robotic welding torch, the swanneck (sometimes known as the gooseneck or torch neck) is one of your most critical parts. What is a swanneck? It is the front end or “working end” of a robotic welding torch, where the contact tip and gas nozzle are mounted to deliver the electrical current, filler wire, and shielding gas into the weld joint.

Robotic MIG welding requires a choice when it comes to which welding torch to use for your operation. Your facility will need to weigh the options for using a water-cooled or air-cooled welding torch based on research you have done regarding both. Each torch type has its benefits and downfalls that can alter productivity. Is your torch providing the amperage ratings and duty cycle you’re looking for while staying within your budget? These factors are essential to consider, along with understanding common problems you will run into with your new equipment.

Wire feeding is a critical part to your automated welding process. Without functioning wire, this multi-layered, complex process would not deliver optimal performance. This could lead to complete failure of your process. Challenges can arise due to wire feed speed, wire feed distance, and friction within the system causing a host of problems throughout your process. As you continue to understand your robotic welding cell, it is important to evaluate your wire feed practices.

Making the switch from manual to automated welding can be an on-going pros and cons discussion for your facility. Giving control to a robot may be a daunting task for anyone new to this application process, but is a necessary step in getting the most out of your operation. Decreasing production times and taking the load off of your welders may be all you need to go full automation.

Let’s take a look at what it would take for your facility to incorporate automated technology and what you should be taking note of throughout this integration process.

Robotic welding is all about time and minimizing the loss of it. Everything from porosity, microarcing, and spattering contributes to an inefficient welding process that requires troubleshooting and problem solving.

No matter how good your welding process is, weld defects are inevitable. Inspection ensures those defects are caught and fixed before your product goes out the door. Leaving this unaddressed can lead to customer issues, premature product failure, and a lot of other avoidable mistakes. In my experience, I have seen a number of issues impact welding. One of my most memorable experiences was during my time at Tower. We would always run into inconsistency in parts which caused a frenzy in figuring out the reasoning why. We'd argue with our internal and external stamping supplies, have holes and trimmed edges that would move or change, and spend countless hours on the robot cells touching up welds here and there. This lead to many different quality issues and wasted time chasing down and troubleshooting these inconsistencies. 

Are you looking to continue advancing your welding process? You've completed the first step by adding robots to your operation, but now you're looking to improve safety among your team. Step two is setting up a robotic fume extraction system in your plant to improve air quality. The xFUME^® ROBO by ABICOR BINZEL USA and CA is the most effective and economical way to control welding smoke emissions with fume source capture.

There are two physical elements of weld wire to be aware of in a robotic welding application. The first is the cast, which is the natural curvature of the wire. The second is the helix, which is the natural winding geometry of the wire's radial shape. 

ABICOR BINZEL USA is now offering full turn-key solutions to fume extraction welding in both automated, robotic applications and manual applications.