Answer from AI Robotics Australasia. .
The arm is not the weld cell
Price the power source, torch, wire feed, seam finding or tracking if you need it, the positioner, the fixture, fume extraction, guarding, and the time to program and qualify the procedure. On a real fabrication job the fixture and the positioner regularly cost as much as the robot.
A cobot welding package with a simple table is a different product from an industrial cell running a positioner all shift. Comparing those two prices as if they were the same machine is how the cheap option becomes the second purchase.
What changes the number
Joint access, part weight, the number of weldments that share a fixture, and how much the fit-up varies. Variation means more sensing and more programming. A part that needs two setups needs either a positioner that presents both, or handling time you thought you had eliminated.
Low volume with high mix keeps the number down only if you accept a simpler cell and a person nearby. Chasing full unattended welding on a chaotic fit-up is how the number climbs without the arc-on time to pay for it.
Get a band before you get a design
A drawing, the weld specification, the annual volume, and a sample of the fit-up variation are enough for a budgetary band. They are not enough for a fixed price. The fixture concept has to exist before anyone should pretend the number is final.
We scope welding cells from the joint and the volume. Bring the repeat work, not the one-off that will never be fixtured.
Related questions
How much does a robotic welding cell cost?
A basic single-station package can start in the mid-to-high five figures. A production cell with positioner, fixture, fume control, and safety is commonly six figures. The fixture and positioner are often as large as the robot in that total.
Are cobot welders cheaper?
The package price is often lower, and the cell is also less capable. Use one for simpler joints and modest volume. Do not expect a tabletop cobot welder to replace a positioned industrial cell.
What is the expensive part of a welding robot?
Usually the things around the arm: positioner, fixture, fume extraction, safety, and programming time. A quote that is only a robot and a torch is incomplete.
Does the price include programming our parts?
Only if the scope lists those parts. Programming and weld procedure qualification for your weldments should be a line you can see. 'Training' is not the same thing.