In 2025, welding shops are confronting a labor shortage alongside mounting productivity pressures. The American Welding Society projects a shortfall of about 330,000 welders by 2028, with more than 20 percent of today’s welders nearing retirement. This gap comes as demand surges—roughly 70 percent of manufactured products require welding—making skilled welders more critical than ever. For fabricators and manufacturers, the result is operational strain: project delays, rising labor costs, and tight production schedules that squeeze profit margins.
Many shops are turning to welding automation as a strategic solution. Rather than replacing welders, new robotic welding systems—especially collaborative robots (cobots)—are redefining and augmenting their role on the shop floor.
The 2025 Welder Shortage: Why Automation Matters
- Aging workforce: More than one-fifth of welders are approaching retirement age.
- Demand spike: Most manufactured goods still rely on welded assemblies.
- Cost pressure: Labor scarcity pushes wages up and erodes margins.
Automation helps shops meet output goals without sacrificing quality or profitability.
Collaborative Welding Robots: Human-Robot Teamwork, Not Replacement
Unlike traditional robots that work behind safety fencing, cobots are designed to operate safely beside humans. Built-in sensors and force-limiting features enable genuine collaboration:
- Robots tackle dull or hazardous welds.
- Skilled welders handle custom jobs, troubleshooting, and quality oversight.
Cobots Shift Welders Toward Higher-Skill Work
Companies report higher job satisfaction after introducing cobots. Welders advance into roles such as robotics supervisors or welding process engineers, using their expertise to program, fine-tune, and oversee automated cells.
7-Axis Cobot Arms: Next-Level Dexterity for Complex Welds
Most robotic arms have six axes—roughly a human arm without a shoulder blade. A 7-axis cobot adds an extra “elbow,” giving the torch far greater freedom to reach around fixtures and into tight corners.
More Reach Without More Floor Space
- Completes more welds in one setup, cutting re-clamping time.
- Fits the same footprint as a six-axis cell yet covers more positions.
- Mimics skilled human motions for consistent torch angles along complex paths.
Companies such as Kassow Robots build lightweight 7-axis arms, while integrators like Spartan Robotics pair them with high-performance power sources to maximize productivity.
Case Study: Teo Fabrications Triples Output with a 7-Axis Cobot Cell
Teo Fabrications in New Jersey builds race-car chassis and high-mix production parts. In 2024, its rented six-axis robot lacked reach and required constant maintenance.
Early in 2025, Teo Fabrications installed a new cell featuring a Kassow 7-axis arm and Fronius TPS/i power source. Results were immediate:
- Throughput tripled versus the old hybrid setup.
- Tasks once needing three welders now require one operator tending the cobot.
- Welders moved to custom and quality-critical work; a newcomer learned to run the robot in 20 minutes.
Within a year, Teo turned a bottleneck into a high-efficiency station—without adding floor space or headcount. Read the Full Case Study
Five Business Benefits of Cobot Welding Systems
1. Improved Ergonomics and Safety
Robots handle repetitive or awkward welds, reducing strain, injuries, and fume exposure.
2. Consistent Quality and Less Rework
Cobots don’t tire; they maintain uniform weld quality all shift, cutting scrap and grinding.
3. Higher Throughput in the Same Shift
A welder supervising a cobot can double or triple daily output. Robots keep arc-on time high—often 60–80 percent of a shift.
4. Fast Training and Onboarding
Intuitive interfaces let new operators become productive in hours, freeing veteran welders for high-value tasks.
5. Quick ROI from Productivity Gains
Productivity and quality boosts often repay a cobot cell in well under two years—sometimes after a single large order.
Welding Automation Creates Opportunity, Not Job Loss
For shop owners and plant managers, welding automation is a lifeline amid the skilled-labor shortage—boosting productivity, maintaining quality, and hitting deadlines when good welders are scarce. For welders, cobots enhance the craft instead of replacing it:
- Robots fill gaps no welder is available to handle.
- One welder can now do the work of several by supervising automated cells.
- Greater capacity brings new projects and career paths in programming, quality, and maintenance.
Early adopters show that embracing collaborative welding helps shops scale production, empowers teams, and evolves the welder’s role for the better alongside rising automation.
Welding Automation in 2025