How Precision Metal Fab Increased Welding Throughput by 180% with a Cobot and Custom Fixture
Precision Metal Fab increased welding throughput by 180% by implementing a cobot welding system paired with a custom Flextur fixture. The solution also reduced labor requirements by 50%, resulting in a 460% improvement in labor productivity while improving repeatability on a complex, high-weld-count assembly.
Welding Throughput Bottlenecks
Precision Metal Fab was looking to improve throughput and repeatability on a complex part requiring more than 300 individual 1-inch welds. The weld count created repeatability challenges, consumed significant labor, and made it difficult to scale production.
Custom Welding Fixture and Cobot Integration
Flextur engineered a custom fixture designed specifically to address the widgets complexity and Precision Metal Fab’s process challenges.
Key Results
- Increased welding throughput by 180%
- Reduced labor requirements by 50% (2 welders → 1 operator)
- Achieved 460% improvement in labor productivity
- Improved repeatability on 300+ weld points
- Reduced part handling and repositioning
Why This Worked
The gains in this project didn’t come from automation alone. The custom fixture played a critical role by creating a stable, repeatable setup that allowed the cobot to access over 300 weld points without repositioning. This reduced variability, minimized handling, and enabled consistent, efficient welding.
