The push for lighter, corrosion-resistant components has brought aluminum to the forefront of the minds of traditional steel fabricators. Those that approach the material the same as steel often run into weld quality issues that can prove costly. But those who are committed to putting together a topnotch, aluminum-friendly system before striking an arc—from equipment and setup to material preparation and welder education—are better equipped to find success afterward.

Implementing robotics can prove to be beneficial, but you can’t expect to achieve your desired productivity results if you don’t know how products flow to and from that cell. In other words, simply throwing a robot onto the shop floor is not the answer. Before you make the commitment to robotics, it’s important to analyze your process flow and adopt methods that will help reduce waste from the manual process.

The goal when welding any material is to change its microstructure as little as possible and to preserve its mechanical and chemical properties. To achieve this you must be able to determine its weldability, control the heat input, and prevent rapid cooling.

Who says art and science can’t intersect?