Welding Robotics Market

Market Overview

Welding robotics is a technology which provides automated welding robots to serve during designing and manufacturing processes. Welding robots have offered a viable solution to achieve mass production by decreasing the manufacturing cycle time. Moreover, benefits such as repeatability and accuracy have led to the increasing applications of welding robots in several end-use industries.

On account of its precision and repetitiveness, welding robots are widely used in automotive sector where numerous components need to be weld constantly along the manufacturing line. Welding robots have also found numerous applications in heavy machinery, electrical and electronics, metal processing, aerospace, process industries, transportation and shipbuilding sector. On the basis of technology used for welding process, welding robots are classified into gas welding robots, arc welding robots, laser welding robots and spot welding robots.

Different types of welding robots can be used depending on the nature of material to be welded, required accuracy and level of refinement required in the finished job. Depending on the reach and scope of the welding job, manufacturers can choose between articulating robots and rectilinear robots. Articulating robots move like a human arm with a rotating wrist which creates irregularly shaped working zone for the robot.

Although this increases the angular reach and scope of the welding process, articulating robots require larger working zone to avoid accidental collision with neighboring equipment. Rectilinear robots move in the line along all the three axes (X, Y and Z axis) and have a wrist attached to its end for rotational motion. This creates a box shaped working zone for the rectilinear robot ensuring its safe operation due to lower possibility of collision with neighboring equipment.

One of the major factors driving the growth of welding robotics market is the rising labor costs across the world. This has led to the increasing demand for automation tools across numerous industry verticals. Moreover, with the use of welding robotics, manufacturing industries are able to achieve higher quality of production and safety along the manufacturing line. Such benefits enable manufacturing organizations to adhere to the stringent government norms and regulation pertaining to quality and safety.

Moreover, with increasing repetitiveness and decreasing cycle time, manufacturers are able to achieve economies of scale leading to lower production costs. Despite its immense benefits, the growth of welding robotics market faces a few challenges due to its high initial costs. Manufacturers across the world hesitate to bear the additional costs associated with the deployment of robotics across the manufacturing lines.

Moreover, lack of adoption by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has hampered the penetration of welding robots. Another factor challenging the growth of welding robotics market is the lack of skilled technicians. Manufacturers need to employ a team of skilled professionals to maintain and service robotic equipment to ensure continuity of activities along the manufacturing line.

Regional Outlook

Immense opportunities in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and increasing demand for customized robotic solutions have made welding robotics market lucrative in recent years. Moreover, technological advancements in vision tracking systems have enabled continuous monitoring and control of welding processes. Increasing demand from manufacturing sector in the Asian region is expected to further drive the growth of welding robotics market.

Key Players

Some of the key players in the welding robotics market include ABB Ltd., KUKA AG, FANUC Corporation, Yaskawa Electric Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp.