Novarc’s automated welding robot rises to the challenge of Australia's acute skilled labour shortages

There is currently an acute shortage of skilled welders required to meet the demand for pipe welding needed to build the world’s essential infrastructure, from the construction of data centres and ships to hospitals and LNG plants.

This workforce challenge, combined with supply-chain management difficulties, has resulted in a near-term challenge in Australia and around the world.

Escalating costs and delays have also created massive bottlenecks in the construction of industrial plants necessary to meet the needs of developed and developing economies worldwide.

To complicate this extremely challenging situation, pipe fabrication shops serving global industries require highly skilled welders.

“Australia is facing a critical demand for welders, and the magnitude of the problem demands a solution. If it’s not dealt with, it’s going to slow industry development,” says Novarc Technologies CEO Soroush Karimzadeh.

“And in this very competitive climate, if you’re not improving productivity, and doing it profitably, winning projects will become more difficult.”

Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden also feels the situation is incredibly demanding. With an ageing welder workforce, and a lack of uptake in the welder trade, Crittenden predicts the Australian industry will have a shortage of up to 70,000 welders by 2030.

“Coupled with the rise of projects on the horizon in a competitive landscape, winning tenders has never been more difficult,” says Novarc Australia senior account executive Brad Walsh.

But there is a solution.

Introducing Novarc’s Spool Welding Robot

Novarc’s Spool Welding Robot (SWR™), currently sold in North America, Europe and the Middle East, is now available across Australia, with clients in Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland.

The consistent message Novarc receives from these markets is “qualified welders are hard to find”.

As the world’s first collaborative welding robot, Novarc’s SWR not only provides the country’s pipe fabrication shops with a solution to the welding labour shortage, it also transforms the way fabrication shops can bid on jobs.

Novarc automates the pipe welding process, working alongside a human operator, to increase productivity, weld quality, consistency and profitability. As a result, Novarc clients often recover their capital investment within six to 18 months.

Novarc’s SWR provides an automation solution to industries such as oil & gas, mining, construction (which includes mechanical contractors), and shipbuilding. 

All of these industries are suffering from the same inherent problems today in the fabrication world - the lack of skilled labour and the limited productivity of manual labour. The SWR provides a solution to both of these pain points, with the added benefit of improved working conditions for welders.

Just this month, Novarc announced a significant development that fully automates the welding process. The SWR is now armed with game changing software developed using the company’s years of machine learning. It is embedded in the control system of the SWR and controls the weld in exactly the same way as a human welder would, allowing the boring, repetitive welds to be delegated to the robot.

Called NovEye™ Autonomy (Gen 2), this image processing system integrates state-of-the-art AI algorithms with advanced robotic controls to fully automate the pipe welding process, delivering high quality welds with zero operator intervention, maximising productivity and eliminating errors. 

“NovEye Autonomy is the only AI machine learning real-time vision processing system that constantly improves welds based on data collection and model enhancement,” says Walsh.

“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.”

How it works is that NovEye Autonomy utilises live-stream video from the camera mounted on the SWR’s torch to analyse the scene and detect welding states. Based on these detected states, the AI adjusts welding and motion parameters in real-time. 

One of the key benefits is that NovEye Autonomy does not require the operator to be a highly skilled welder. After some basic training on how to operate the SWR, an operator can oversee a piece of equipment that can make x-ray quality welds in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost to the fabrication shop.

This is absolutely key because fabrication shops and contract manufacturers are held to strict standards to provide sophisticated welds for industries such as aerospace, food & beverage, mining, energy, pharmaceutical, shipbuilding, chemical processing, and water treatment & desalination.

All these industries stand to benefit from the consistent and x-ray quality welds that result from the continuous improvement of the welds through Novarc’s terabyte-scale library of welding videos, which ensure unmatched precision and reliability.

The SWR can easily integrate into existing manufacturing processes of customers across a range of industries. The Spool Welding Robot is designed with a very small footprint, but a very long reach, enabling it to be a fit in almost all fabrication shops, and easing the adoption of automation.

In addition, the SWR also has health and safety benefits to welders, which is especially key given heightened concerns regarding the health and safety of welders employed in oil & gas, mining etc. In fact, Safe Work Australia recently announced that Work Health and Safety Ministers have agreed to an immediate reduction in the workplace exposure standard for welding fumes within an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) from 5 mg/m3 to 1 mg/m3.

As the exposure standard for welding fumes has been reduced, all possible controls must now be implemented to meet this higher standard.

Novarc’s full-stack customised automation solution significantly reduces welding duration, delivering lower airborne fumes, energy consumption, and metal waste for the fabrication phase.

Novarc’s SWR reduces Hexavalent Chrome exposure when welding stainless steel, a significant health and safety benefit for the welder.  Welding metal waste control is also critical for minimising overexploitation of natural resources.

Novarc’s SWR minimises the active arc time which results in fewer airborne emissions  (CO2/CO/O3/metal pollutants) into the air, and dramatically reduces fumes that put the welder at risk.

The cobot also works collaboratively with the human welder, allowing the welder to be comfortably positioned several meters away from the welding arc and welding fumes.

Lepol Metal case study on the implementation of the Spool Welding Robot

Novarc’s SWR has a substantial impact on manufacturing processes, enhancing productivity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness through welding automation.

Lepol Metal, established in 1976, has been a cornerstone of support for the construction industry in Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Tasmania, Adelaide, Canberra and the East Coast of Australia for more than 45 years. Renowned for its exceptional service in mechanical projects for commercial construction, Lepol specialises in offsite steel manufacturing, metal work, piping systems, stainless services, prefabrication, and onsite support.

Its commitment to delivering efficient, cost-effective, and high-quality customised solutions has streamlined construction processes across various industries, including commercial, industrial, and critical infrastructure.

Lepol Metal recently incorporated Novarc’s SWR into its operations. The result was a significant improvement in welding efficiency and productivity.  Before implementing the SWR, Lepol averaged between 50-60 weld inches per day. Post-implementation, it now achieves between 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.

This represents a 400-500 per cent increase in daily welding output, allowing the company to complete projects in a fraction of the time previously required.

The user-friendly interface of the SWR has also helped Lepol to solve the issue of skilled labor shortages. For example, Lepol employed an 18-year-old operator with no prior welding experience, who quickly mastered the SWR.

This innovative approach has reduced dependency on highly skilled welders, with the SWR operator performing at levels previously unattainable by manual welding.

The adoption of the SWR has allowed Lepol to complete a higher volume of work without increasing their workforce.

“Approximately 75 per cent of Lepol’s pipe welding is now completed using the SWR, significantly enhancing their operational capacity," says Brad Walsh of Novarc.

"This has allowed Lepol to undertake larger projects and complete them faster, directly contributing to increased business opportunities and revenue."

Lepol has leveraged cutting-edge technology to set new industry standards, reinforcing its commitment to delivering high-quality, customised solutions.

The successful integration of the SWR has established a new benchmark for efficiency and quality in the mechanical services industry, positioning Lepol Metal as a leader in innovation and excellence.

"Lepol has positioned itself as a forward-thinking frontrunner in industrial efficiency and technological adoption, setting new industry standards in high-quality, customised solutions, welding productivity and quality," says Walsh.

Lepol is just one example of how Novarc’s SWR is transforming traditional industries by providing a successful and profitable path to automation.

Novarc’s Spool Welding Robot (SWR) is the world’s first of its kind in pipe welding applications. As a proven pioneer in the field, Novarc’s team is dedicated to solving challenging welding automation problems and improving their customers’ bottom line.