Economic welding of small batch sizes

HAIGER/NEUENHAUS – Glüpker Blechtechnologie GmbH is increasingly facing the difficult challenge of finding suitable manual welders due to the shortage of skilled workers. The sheet metal specialists have therefore invested heavily in automation solutions in recent years. In order to weld even small batch sizes economically and with consistently high quality, the company also uses three Cobot welding systems by CLOOS.

Lasering, edging and welding - since its foundation in 1981, Glüpker has been continuously expanding its expertise in sheet metal processing. Today the company employs around 600 people at its site in Neuenhaus in Lower Saxony. Glüpker has relied on CLOOS technologies for both manual and automated welding for around 30 years. The first robot system was put into operation at Glüpker Blechtechnologie in the early 1990s. Today, the company uses more than 30 robot systems for automated welding. These are both compact robot cells for welding small parts and larger systems with several robots for welding complex components. With the investments in automated production technologies, the sheet metal specialists want to further expand the quality and productivity of their production and sustainably secure their competitiveness. The range of components is very large as Glüpker works for many different companies in various industries. "Our customers appreciate the short processing times and the high quality standard," explains managing director Jürgen Gerst. "That's why we continuously invest in modern machinery.”

Three Cobot Welding Systems
Glüpker commissioned the first Cobot Welding System in 2020. Two more were added in the following months. The compact "Ready to weld" complete packages were delivered completely ready to weld. This enabled Glüpker to integrate the cobots into existing production processes without any problems.

Now, the cobots mainly weld smaller components up to a size of half a metre. "Due to the simple programming, we can now also weld small batch sizes automatically under economic conditions," says Gerst.

A torque sensor in each axis allows the Cobot to be programmed and moved precisely. The intuitive operation significantly increases work efficiency. The user can make individual adjustments on the user-friendly touch control panel with macros specially developed for welding. In addition, the Freedrive option with foot switch and the intelligent safety concept guarantee sensitive and safe control of the Cobot. Another special feature is the simple restart after an emergency stop as no extensive unlocking or free movement of the robot is necessary.

The Cobot Welding System is equipped with the high-tech QINEO NexT MIG/MAG welding power source which is characterised by versatile high-performance welding processes and excellent welding properties. For perfect interaction between the welding power source and the cobot, the welding control is integrated into the robot controller so that no additional controller is required.