Taiwan research institute develops AI-powered welding robot
台灣研究院開發人工智慧焊接機器人
| Researcher Chen Po-jung says robot cuts welding time from 6 hours to just 30 minutes
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Industrial Technology Research Institute announced Wednesday an AI robot arm that significantly reduces welding time at 99% accuracy. According to a press release, Chen Po-jung (陳柏戎), head of the Smart Sensing and Systems Technology Center at ITRI, said that welding is a specialized and labor-intensive job. Current welding robots can only perform single-pass welding on thin plates up to 2 cm thick, requiring manual programming for each weld, per CNA. To reduce this inefficiency, the institute trained an AI model on the experience of expert welders. Combined with a 3D vision sensor, the robot arm can detect the contours of weld seams and adjust its path in real time. The system boasts 99% accuracy and reduces welding time from six hours to just 30 minutes. This boosts production capacity by 12 times for industries including semiconductors and offshore wind power, Chen explained. Additionally, the institute said the welding robot has been deployed at domestic steel factories for testing. It said it sees applications in automotive, aerospace, and transportation. According to a Grand View Research report last year, the global welding equipment market is expected to reach US$27.77 billion (NT$912 billion) by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.1% from 2024 to 2030. |
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| Michael Nakhiengchanh, Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2025-02-13 |
