Max Freter
Features Reporter

Photo by Max Freter

The ability to manipulate some of the strongest elements on Earth with fire and force has allowed us to build the world we live in today.

Automobiles, building foundations, pipelines, industrial art, and so much more are made possible by the age-old craft of welding. The welding trade revolutionized industry when it was discovered and has only continued to advance since then.

Today, technology has allowed welding to become almost completely automatic with the invention of robotic welding arms. These machines have the ability to mass produce replicated parts at an incredible rate without a single human hand holding a blowtorch, but rather a computer.

Western Colorado Community College recently purchased two robotic welding machines with funds the department received as part of a grant last year. The robots are a product of Lincoln Electric Automation, one of the largest welding equipment manufacturers in the world, and came to WCCC last fall as an addition to the welding associates degree program. However, the machines were not functional until this spring semester.

Welding Technology Instructor Bill Campbell explained how mastering these machines is the key to a future career in the welding profession.

“In the coming years these robotic arms are going to be replacing a lot of production welders,” Campbell said. “Since we are developing more and more industry out here on the Western Slope, the demand for someone who knows how to program these robots will without a doubt be very high.”

Campbell began teaching the Topics: Robotics course that deals with programming the welding bots this January. Since he was also new to the technology, Campbell traveled to Detroit and Cleveland for two weeks last fall to learn how to work the machines.

His class is dedicated to teaching students how to program the robots. The machines move on a three-dimensional coordinate plane with six different axes that allow for free range of motion. Each project can have its own customized coordinate systems based on the types of movement necessary for the project and will travel from one point to another based on how the programmer wants it to be done. Campbell described how the robots are great for a hands-on classroom setting and require more than just number punching.

“This is teach technology,” he said. “It’s more than just looking at a line of code. You actually have to move the robot into a position, teach it that point and teach it how you want it to move from point to point.”

The robots also have advanced features that help make the process even more automated, such as vision and touch sensors. The mechanical arm can be calibrated with a camera to locate specific features on the object it is working on to help it determine how the object is placed during welding. Based on the level of amperage it is receiving through a wire attached to its welding arm, the robot can also detect how close the heat is to the part it is welding.

Even with the ability to fully automate the entire production, Campbell explained how important it is to understand the basic principles of welding before learning to use machines to take over.

“To be a good programmer, you have to know welding,” he said. “You have to know how to set the torch angle, know how to look for problems in the weld or adjust the weld schedule. You have to have that basic welding knowledge before you can do the programming.”

Campbell hopes that by teaching his students current and future methods of welding, they will be ahead of the curve in the industry.

“We want our students to go into the workforce with experience in present welding technology as well as what’s in the near future,” Campbell said. “They can go to an employer with something on their resume that is going to be better than the next guy.”

mfreter@mavs.coloradomesa.edu