2000W All-in-one Cobot Station – Bologna, Italy

Field Engineering Report: Implementation of 2000W All-in-one Cobot Station

Site Location: Bologna, Italy – Industrial Packaging Sector

1. Executive Summary of Field Operations

The following report details the technical deployment and performance evaluation of a 2000W All-in-one Cobot Station at a Tier-1 packaging machinery manufacturer in Bologna. The objective was to transition high-precision Stainless Steel welding tasks from manual GTAW (TIG) to an automated framework. By leveraging Collaborative Robotics, the facility aimed to maintain the flexibility of a manual workshop while achieving the repeatability of a dedicated robotic line. The deployment focused on 1.5mm to 4.0mm 304L and 316L austenitic stainless steel assemblies used in food-grade conveyor systems.

2. Hardware Architecture: The All-in-one Cobot Station

The “All-in-one” designation is critical here. Unlike modular robotic cells that require external chillers, power sources, and separate controller cabinets, this unit integrates a 2000W fiber laser source, a dual-cycle water chiller, and the cobot controller into a single mobile footprint.

Technical Specifications Observed:

• Laser Source: 2000W Continuous Wave (CW) Fiber Laser with wobble functionality.
• Integrated Chiller: Dual-circuit (Optics/Source) with ±0.1°C stability, essential for the humid conditions of the Bologna facility in late summer.
• Safety Integration: Collaborative sensors with PLd Category 3 safety ratings, allowing for a “cage-free” operation in a shared workspace.

The synergy between the All-in-one Cobot Station and the production floor layout was immediate. In the Bologna workshop, floor space is at a premium. The ability to wheel the station to different jigs without reconfiguring the safety perimeter saved approximately 40 man-hours during the initial two-week setup phase.

3. The Role of Collaborative Robotics in High-Mix Production

The core advantage of Collaborative Robotics in this specific application is the “Lead-Through” programming capability. In Bologna, the product mix changes daily. Traditional industrial robots require G-code proficiency or offline programming (OLP) that adds too much lead time for a five-piece batch.

Practical Application:
During the field test, the lead welder—who had zero previous coding experience—was able to teach the cobot a complex circular weld path on a 316L flange within 15 minutes. By physically moving the cobot arm to the start, mid, and end points, the software interpolated the path. This “welder-centric” automation ensures that the metallurgical expertise of the senior staff is translated directly into the robot’s motion profile.

Furthermore, the Collaborative Robotics framework allowed for “Hand-over-Hand” operation. The welder could manually hold a component in a temporary fixture while the cobot executed a tack weld, a workflow that would be impossible (and illegal under ISO standards) with a high-speed industrial robot.

4. Deep Dive: Stainless Steel Welding Parameters

Stainless Steel welding with a 2000W laser requires a precise balance of power density and travel speed to avoid Chromium carbide precipitation (sensitization). In the Bologna trial, we focused on 2.0mm 304L butt joints.

Calculated Parameters for 304L (2.0mm):

• Power Output: 1650W
• Wobble Frequency: 150Hz (Circular pattern, 2.0mm width)
• Travel Speed: 25mm/s
• Shielding Gas: 100% Argon at 15L/min
• Wire Feed: 0.8mm 308LSi at 1.2m/min

Metallurgical Observations:
The Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) was measured at approximately 0.4mm, a 75% reduction compared to the previous manual TIG process. This is vital for the Bologna client, as it minimizes the risk of warping in long, thin-gauge conveyor rails. The All-in-one Cobot Station’s ability to maintain a consistent torch angle and standoff distance (kept at 2.0mm) ensured that the shielding gas envelope was never compromised, resulting in a “straw-colored” weld finish that required zero post-weld pickling or passivation.

5. Operational Synergy and Shop Floor Integration

The integration of the All-in-one Cobot Station within the Bologna shop highlighted a specific synergy: the democratization of high-end welding. In this region, finding skilled TIG welders is an ongoing struggle. By using Collaborative Robotics, the facility “upskilled” their existing assembly technicians.

The “All-in-one” nature meant the machine was “plug-and-play” with the factory’s 380V 3-phase supply. We observed that the station reached operational temperature in under 6 minutes from a cold start. Because the chiller and wire feeder are controlled through a single HMI (Human Machine Interface) on the cobot pendant, there was no “communication lag” between the arm movement and the laser trigger—a common failure point in piecemeal robotic integrations.

6. Lessons Learned from the Field

Technical implementation is never without friction. Here are the engineering “hard truths” learned during the Bologna deployment:

A. Surface Prep is Non-Negotiable:
While the 2000W laser is powerful, Stainless Steel welding via automation is less forgiving of surface contaminants than manual TIG. We found that even slight residual oils from the laser-cutting process could cause porosity. We implemented a mandatory acetone wipe-down protocol which eliminated 98% of X-ray failures.

B. Jigging Precision:
Collaborative Robotics removes the human element of “correcting on the fly.” If the parts are not accurately jigged within ±0.5mm, the laser beam (with its narrow spot size) will miss the root. We had to redesign three of the existing manual jigs to include more robust toggle clamps to ensure the All-in-one Cobot Station could perform repeatable passes.

C. The Gas Lens Effect:
Initial passes showed slight oxidation on the underside (root) of the weld. Even though the cobot was perfect, the Stainless Steel welding physics still required a purge gas (backing gas). We integrated a secondary gas line through the cobot’s internal cable management to provide an Argon purge for the root, which solved the “sugaring” issue on the internal diameters.

7. Final Technical Assessment

The deployment in Bologna confirms that the All-in-one Cobot Station is the most viable path for European manufacturers dealing with high labor costs and high-mix requirements. The synergy between the 2000W power source and the Collaborative Robotics interface allows for a level of precision in Stainless Steel welding that manual operators cannot sustain over an 8-hour shift.

Key Metrics Post-Implementation:

• Production Throughput: Increased by 320% on the conveyor rail line.
• Consumable Cost: Reduced by 45% (lower gas consumption per meter of weld).
• Rework Rate: Dropped from 8% to under 0.5%.

For future installations, I recommend the inclusion of an optical seam-tracking sensor if the part fit-up cannot be tightened. However, for the current 316L packaging components in Bologna, the standard configuration of the All-in-one Cobot Station is more than sufficient.

Signed,
Senior Welding Engineer
Field Operations Division