2024’s latest tradie invention could spell the end for terrible tig welds as it gears up to make tracks on job sites across the country.
Meet your new welding workmate – the automated Novarc Spool Welding Robot (or SWR).
A product of the AI buzz that’s been building across the market, Norvac is looking to change the welding game by putting these robo tradies to work side-by-side with their human counterparts on the tools.
Using real-time analytics from a mounted camera ‘eye’, these robotic welders would be learning from seasoned welders on site, perfecting their craft until they’re capable of running repetitive welding tasks all on their lonesome without needing oversight from other workers.
According to Novarc Australia senior account executive Brad Walsh, this AI apprentice could even outperform the best boilermakers in the country with its precision welding tech.
“NovEye Autonomy is the only AI machine learning real-time vision processing system that constantly improves welds based on data collection and model enhancement,” he told reporters.
“Now, a welder can have advanced, real-time control, due to NovEye Autonomy’s sophisticated AI, and powerful hardware.
“The difference is that a human welder ‘could’ perform a perfect weld, but NovEye does it perfectly.”
But the proof is in the pudding for steel manufacturing company Lepol. Before taking on the SWR, Lepol would average around a respectable 50-60 weld inches per day.
After plugging in the robo welder, that number has since shot up to 250-300 weld inches per day on average.
“On a particularly productive day, we’ve reached up to 351 weld inches,” says Lepol Metal owner Luke Gordes.
Now with the figures to back it up, Walsh said the SWR is responsible for handling 75 per cent of the company’s pipe welding projects and encouraged others to follow in their footsteps.
“This has allowed Lepol to undertake larger projects and complete them faster, directly contributing to increased business opportunities and revenue,” he added.
A solve to the skills shortage?
In addition to just being pretty f#*king cool having a robot work friend, Novarc is also looking to tackle some of the biggest problems facing the industry – and it might just pull it off.
If you’ve opened any newspaper in the last year, you know the country’s crippling tradie shortage is set to derail some of the biggest infrastructure projects on the books before they even begin.
Welders in particular are in short supply, with Weld Australia estimating the nation will need 70,000 more workers by the end of the decade, and that number climbing up to 100,000 if Dutton’s nuclear power plant proposal ever miraculously gets approved.
“The global shortfall in welders is evident, with the US experiencing a deficit of 480,000 before its recent manufacturing boom and Japan reporting a shortage of 250,000 welders. The demographic shift away from trades has created a global crisis that Australia is not insulated from,” CEO Geoff Crittenden told reporters last month.
“Of the 67,000 welders identified in the last census, fewer than 5,000 possess the expertise to weld to the highest standards required for nuclear power plants, submarines, and other critical infrastructure.
“Of those 5,000 welders, approximately one-third are nearing retirement, further compounding the issue.
“Where are these highly skilled and paid tradesman to come from?”
Where indeed? Well, straight off the factory floor if Norvac has its way.
One of the key benefits of the SWR is that it does away with the need for highly skilled welders. After some basic training, an operator with a fraction of the skill can easily oversee the machine for the same result, opening up the employment pool to thousands of more Aussies.
Soroush Karimzadeh, CEO of Novarc, said that with its track record of boosting productivity in North America, Europe, and the Middle East, it was time for the SWR to do its bit for Aussie businesses.
“Across Australia, Novarc’s SWR is helping fabricators and engineering companies needing to address the skilled welder shortage transition to an automated solution, to make them more competitive and significantly lower the cost of welding, while achieving superior weld quality,” he said.
The automated apprentice also cuts down on emissions and keeps welders away from fatal toxic fumes, which SafeWork Australia recently cracked down on after discovering they lead to cancer risks in workers.
