Digitalisation is often equated with automation. People think of jobs disappearing because robots or other machines replace human work. But if you take a closer look, the situation is completely different. Digitalisation and automation differ fundamentally.
Digitisation in welding technology – source of optimisation potentials
Digitalisation is primarily the recording and logging of data during the welding process. This can be, for example, the electrical parameters during welding, the wire speed or also the gas consumption. In the next step, this data is evaluated and processed into information that shows, for example, the consumption of energy, wire and shielding gas. At the same time, productivity and quality data can also be determined.
Digitalisation is an important source of analysis and process data that reveals optimisation potential with regard to consumption and efficiency.
Automation in welding technology – the unfounded fear behind it
In the meantime, welding robots have replaced humans in individual production steps or production lines. And that is a good thing. On the one hand, for the economic efficiency of the production operation. But also for the people themselves! Monotonous movements or repetitive forced positions lead to one-sided strains that the body cannot cope with in the long run. It goes without saying that the fun of welding falls by the wayside. And besides: who can still weld with the same quality at the end of the working day as at the beginning? Even the best welding specialist needs rest periods and is exhausted towards the end of a strenuous working day.
Automation supports welders and creates free space for more demanding welding tasks.
Digitalisation supports sustainable production
Is sustainability an important issue for you and your company? Are you constantly looking for ways to optimise your production to make it more environmentally friendly? Would you like to be able to provide customers with information on your environmental performance? Digitalisation helps you to determine the ecological footprint of your welding workstations, welding cells and the manufactured products.
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With the help of digitalisation, you can, for example, find ways to improve the production of your products by
- significantly reduce the overall energy consumption
- reducing the consumption of filler materials
- reducing the consumption of shielding gas
- reducing the strain caused by welding fumes
In addition, you have important process data available through data acquisition and data storage. No matter in which industry you are operating, this data can prove retrospectively in the event of complaints that everything was in order during production in your company with regard to the welding technology or the welding equipment. In addition, faults in the production line can be detected and resolved more quickly. Rejects are significantly reduced, which in turn has a positive effect on your costs and your green footprint.
This shows that digitalisation in welding technology is an important development that collects, analyses and processes data and makes it available for a wide variety of purposes.
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