Clear expectations up front
The most important aspect of transitioning to robotic welding is ensuring there are clear expectations in place, according to Owen Cavanagh, of Abbey Machinery. This must be established well before any decision is made. Initially, the company contemplated larger systems, simpler systems and even cobots. “Valk Welding made it easy”, Owen explains. “They understand the robots’ capabilities and requirements, their pricing is clear, and they are not trying to hide anything. It also helps that they only specialise in welding robots. If we had any questions, we got a response back within 24 hours, something we simply did not experience with other companies.”
Programming learning curve
Having installed their first robot for high-mix, low-volume mild steel components, the Irish company planned well ahead for offline programming. Acquiring the right programming skills is an incredibly important aspect of having an effective start, believes Owen, as it can be the slowest and largest part of the work ahead. “We have trained many of our staff through Valk Welding’s remote DTPS training. It has been seamless, but you need to give it the time it needs to avoid running into problems,” he says. Abbey Machinery’s Mechanical Engineer Ahmet Kaya, who took the training himself, adds another important piece of advice: “Before you specialise in DTPS, make sure you have a lot of manual robot experience. This helped me to keep up and even skip steps during the training.”
