Pre-engineered robotic welding cells make automation available for a wide range of applications. Installing robots in facilities of all sizes can boost productivity by increasing weld speed, efficiency and quality. They also reduce cycle time by allowing a single operator to fixture the next piece while the robot welds.

Robotic welding provides manufacturers with several competitive advantages. Most importantly, it makes them more productive while generating more consistent, higher quality welds and reducing waste. Robots also empower manufacturers to address the current shortage of skilled welders to recruit.

As industrial robots continue to become more advanced, more capable and more popular, the need for comprehensive robot safety standards increases. Robots can be dangerous to operate – especially when safety protocols aren’t followed.

Unlike conventional machinery, robots lack the intelligence of a human operator. In the event of a programming error or hardware malfunction robots have the potential to unexpectedly move large distances at a high rate of speed, posing a serious danger to operators or maintenance personnel.

You might recall last year the fatal accident involving a self-driving Tesla. It reinforced the need to be vigilant even as we are assured (or assure ourselves) that “the machine will handle it.”

Robots are everywhere these days – from tackling robots on football practice fields to assembly lines to warehouse retrieval systems to surgical operations. At this year’s American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo, which kicked off officially Monday in sunny Baltimore, ISHN talked to one expo vendor, RoboVent, about the invasion of robots into the welding field.