Robotic Welding Sourcing Is Up 244% YoY with Tele-manufacturing Boosting Remote Work

Christian Cavallo Feb 27, 2023

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Welcome to this week’s edition of the Thomas Index Report.

Innovations in manufacturing are key to realizing future ambitions. Industrial robotics is one such upgrade, and in this Thomas Index Report, we show how the creative deployment of robotics is changing manufacturing jobs.

Robotic welding has been a topic of interest for several decades, but the widespread use of the internet and the availability of sensors and automation are putting it in the hands of more businesses.

EWI, a mission-focused solutions provider, helps customers identify, develop, and implement new processes to overcome complex manufacturing challenges. They developed a new way of remote working for industry: “tele-manufacturing,” which combines live streaming with robotic equipment to allow for fully remote fabrication services.

Connie LaMorte, the principal engineer in the automation and tele-manufacturing group at EWI, explains that “EWI is finding ways for people who learned welding over many, many years but are now out of the workforce to use robotics and automation to transfer manual dexterity across the internet.”

EWI’s new robotic welding approach combines internet live streaming, telemetry data, a haptic-feedback guided stylus, and a cobot welding arm so users can weld from the comfort of their homes. She elaborates that their tele-welding system “gives users the sounds and feel of the welding environment and allows them to still offer their expertise to complete the job off-site.”

Remote robotic welding may help augment the existing welding workforce, as more than 150,000 welders are approaching retirement age, and over 336,000 new welders are projected to be needed by 2026. Thomasnet.com®’s sourcing data show a sustained 244% increase in year-over-year sourcing for robotic welding services, suggesting strong demand for scalable welding solutions throughout industry.

The expansion of robotic services is expected to augment existing manufacturing capabilities as they are further deployed on production lines.

I’m Anna Wells, and this is the Thomas Index Report.