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Skilled Worker Shortage Accelerates Use of Robots in Welding Tasks, with Performance Comparable to that of Experienced Humans.
The shortage of welders may have a new ally: robots. A study from the University of Nottingham indicates that technology can fill the gap left by the reduction of skilled labor in the welding sector.
Labor Crisis Concerns Strategic Sectors
The country is facing a critical crisis in the welding area. The training of new professionals is declining, and Brexit has hindered the entry of skilled workers from the European Union.
According to Axiom Personnel, half of British welders are expected to retire by 2027. This scenario threatens sectors such as construction, aerospace, and even national infrastructure.
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Robotic System Learns from Human Experts
The research, published in the journal Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, developed a robotic system capable of learning from experienced welders. The proposal is to record the movements and parameters used by human professionals, such as torch speed, angle, arc length, and current used.
This data is stored in a skills library, which can be accessed for robots to perform new and complex tasks.
The system seeks to mimic human reasoning by combining different learned techniques for each situation.
Tests Showed Good Results
In practical tests, an experienced welder performed basic tasks on stainless steel parts. The data was collected and used by the robot to execute more complex curves, such as polynomial trajectories.
The final result of the welds was comparable to the work of a human welder, with the advantage of greater time and resource savings.
Robots Will Not Replace Welders, Say Authors
The goal is not to eliminate the profession, but to use robots for repetitive or dangerous tasks. According to researcher Abdelkhalick Mohammad, this will allow human professionals to focus on more creative activities.
He also emphasizes that this approach can be applied to other industrial tasks, such as assembly and polishing.
Technology Can Benefit Several Sectors
The system can be useful for industries that require precision in challenging environments, such as shipbuilding, automotive, and aerospace.
Today, robotic processes heavily rely on human technicians to program actions. With the new model, the idea is to reduce this dependency and increase the autonomy of machines.
The proposed solution may represent an important advance in light of the shortage of labor in the sector and signals a shift in the use of technology within the industry.
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