Used Industrial Robots and laser cladding welding: a perfect match

Robotics has experienced spectacular growth since it first appeared in an assembly plant. Today's resource optimisation in robotic welding is the result of the efforts of thousands of teams and research that is constantly evolving and providing increasingly affordable laser technologies, which not only offer flexibility and productivity on the lines, but also save energy and materials.

The advantages of the industrial robots used in welding are numerous: they offer uniform finish quality, predictability, consistency, material savings, risk reduction and energy savings. In combination with laser welding, the advantages of used industrial robotics are even greater: this is the case with laser cladding welding.

Laser cladding welding provides powder or wire materials that are added to recover parts otherwise destined for scrap: either because they need repair that would not have been possible otherwise, to create parts using additive manufacturing technology (3D) or to coat materials and protect them against wear, impact or unwanted corrosion.

New technologies effectively make it possible to weld materials that were previously impossible to weld, thus creating items that were unthinkable just a few years ago: for example, metals that require a tight heat input to avoid problems such as cracking or deformation - or so-called exotic metals.

The laser offers higher precision and performance than a traditional heat source, and in the case of laser cladding welding, the material can also be added either in powder or wire form, allowing the consumption and temperature at the specific point to be adjusted as much as possible. With wire, we can carry out the additive manufacturing of metal parts of all kinds: obsolete spare parts, large dimensions, breakages or impossible geometries: imagination is the limit.

Thus, we can repair rather than replace broken, rare or worn elements, and all this in an economical, safe and efficient way. Creating protective or re-adapted layers is another of the great advantages offered by this technology, which will allow us to create parts, even large ones, without the need for additional tools, and to save the models in a simple computer file.

Temperature adjustment not only saves costs, but also avoids deformations that could affect the finish and properties of the final product, directly affecting its quality.

The industrial robots used, properly maintained and reconditioned, provide the precision, speed and repeatability necessary for work that meets the highest demands: it is the evolution of tools and materials that has allowed the renewal and development of new techniques, parts or processes.

There is a growing need to update traditional manufacturing processes to the automated environment: it is key to the competitiveness of companies today and will be even more so in the future, as demonstrated by the growing importance of industrial robots around the world. The lack of updating and modernisation of processes, linked to the need to adjust costs, has for decades led to the relocation of production sites and small and medium-sized companies to an increasing competitive imbalance: a very productive and consistent solution at all levels lies in the use of second-hand industrial robots for the automation of all those processes that allow costs to be adjusted and competitiveness to be increased.

Robots Gallery buys, reconditions and sells used industrial robots and second- hand industrial robots across the globe. Through recycling and reuse we facilitate an average saving of 45% on industrial robot investment, providing equipment with a long life ahead of it, fully functional, guaranteed, and amortisable over a shorter period of time. Furthermore, working with the best welding specialists, we offer second-hand industrial robots already equipped for welding and we provide our customers with contact with engineering companies specialised in the execution of turnkey robotised welding products.