Robotic Welding Market: How Progressive are its Advantages?

Robotic Welding Market - Inkwood Research

By Sukanya Mukherjee

Robotic welding is one of the most popular robotic applications in the industrial sector. It is an advanced automation welding technology that integrates robotics, control systems, artificial intelligence (AI), and sensor technology. As per Inkwood Research, the global robotic welding market is estimated to be valued at $10.87 billion during the forecasting years, 2022-2030, surging at a 7.32% CAGR.

The components of robotic welding include the software with specific programming, the welding equipment delivering the energy from the welding power source to the workpiece, and the robot using the equipment to conduct the welding. By acquiring and analyzing the input information from the sensors, the control system adapts the output of the robotic welding process based on the welding specifications defined in a human-made program.

Evaluating the Advantages of Robotic Welding

Human welders require significant time, skill, and concentration to hone their manual welding craft. However, enough skills do not confirm a lack of mistakes, directly affecting product quality, costs, and overall production. In addition, fumes, flash, heat, and sparks create dangerous health hazards for workers. Therefore, manual welding comes with numerous hidden costs and disadvantages.

In contrast, robotic welding significantly reduces the hazards for workers with increased safety barriers and protocols. Businesses ensure faster, consistent, and automated welding processes with robotic welding machinery. These systems work 24/7, which allows for greater productivity. It also solves labor shortages, weld distortion, cycle time per weld, etc.

Welders specializing in robotics and automation are in high demand across the industries, especially in the machinery and equipment market, to create specific programs for robotic welding. However, the number of professional welders does not meet the industry’s needs. According to the American Welding Society, as of 2022, the industry experiences over 450,000 welder shortages. Therefore, robotic welding machinery is rapidly growing in demand.

So, here are the basic insights into the advantages of robotic welding:

  • Negligible Human Interference

Robots are capable of fully automated manufacturing processes with negligible human interference. It works on industrial cyber-physical systems, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud robotics, big data, and cloud computing. Thus, welding robot manufacturers are shifting towards networked and intelligent production of compatible robots.

Robotic process automation (RPA) uses computer programming to emulate human interaction processes and tasks in the real world as well as digital interfaces. Robotic processes provide, collect, and interpret responses for varied input data. RPA also helps lower a range of repetitive tasks, improving the business’s overall efficiency.

In October 2020, FANUC Corporation, Fujitsu, and NTT Communications came together to establish DUCNET Co Ltd, a new company that offers cloud services supporting digital transformation (DX). This has prompted new demands for robotic welding that positively impacts the efficiency of internal operations while accelerating the machinery and equipment market growth.

  • Enhanced Speed & Accuracy in Vehicle-Building

The transportation and automotive markets continue embracing technological innovations that improve productivity. Welding robots are critical parts of these industries’ operations. To keep up with the international competition, manufacturers and suppliers need to make their production processes as efficient as possible in terms of time and costs.

Accordingly, the rising production requires investing in machinery like robotic welding arms that increase the precision and speed of the vehicle-building process. The increasing demand for cars raises production requirements in the transportation and automotive sectors.

Besides, the automotive sector majorly contributes to the robotic welding market growth with its repetitive and high-volume welding tasks. Additionally, the growing vehicle demand in emerging economies is predicted to drive the adoption of robotic welding systems.

Our analysis also shows that the automotive & transportation end-user segment is expected to capture the majority of the market shares by 2030.

  • Supplementing Industry 4.0

Robotic and automated welding is considered at the front and center of enabling Industry 4.0, as it has already begun to transform various applications. The industrial robotics market through the deployment of collaborative robots that work with humans in a shared space. It revolves around cyber-physical systems (CPS), which include systems to connect the digital world with the physical one. They also optimize the results with continuous data analysis.

At the same time, advancements in robotic welding will continue to drive this revolution further by negating the need for complex industrial research and development. It will also allow businesses to focus on executing and delivering greater efficiencies. Welding robots in use today are more technologically advanced and feature-laden than ever. This technology will improve all business sectors with different types of robotic welding, including plasma, laser, arc, spot, etc.

Robotic Welding Market: What are the Future Prospects?

Currently, operators are required to program welding robots to begin their operations. However, future operators can be expected to only think about the robot’s operation to complete the task instead of teaching pendants or computer terminals. For instance, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been working on a cap to transfer brain waves into operations of the robotic welding arm. This technology could significantly reduce the required training period for manual welders to become robotic operators. Such developments boost the global robotic welding market growth.

 

FAQs:

Which country will capture the highest market share in the global robotic welding market?

China is expected to capture the highest market share by 2030, with a predicted valuation of over $2.97 billion.

What are the key growth restraints of the global robotic welding market?

High installation costs and the complex integration capabilities required for the initial setup of welding robots are the key growth restraints of the global robotic welding market.