Welding automation
Welding Automation Systems Built for Real Fabricators
Deploy a cobot welder in hours, not months. No programming. No robotics expertise. Just consistent, high-quality welds from day one.
Capabilities
Smarter Automated Welding Machines — Controlled from Your Phone
Most welding automation systems are designed for high-volume production lines with dedicated robotics teams. That doesn’t match reality for the majority of fabrication shops, where jobs change daily, batch sizes are small, and there’s no one on staff who speaks robot.
Hirebotics built a different kind of automated welding machine. Our Cobot Welders are powered by the Beacon platform — an app your team controls from a phone or tablet. There’s no teach pendant, no G-code, and no six-month integration timeline. Your welders set up jobs using a drag-and-drop interface they can learn in a single shift.
The result is welding automation that actually works for high-mix, low-volume shops: fast changeovers, consistent weld quality, and the flexibility to switch between jobs without calling in a programmer.
is this right for you?
Welding Automation that Fits Your Shop — Not the Other Way Around
You can’t find enough welders
The skilled labor shortage isn’t going away. A cobot welder lets your existing team handle more work without adding headcount — your best welder teaches the cobot, and it runs the same quality weld every time.
Your jobs change constantly
Traditional robotic welding cells are optimized for one part, over and over. Our system is built for shops running 5, 10, or 50 different parts a week. Changeover takes minutes, not days.
You’ve been burned by automation before
Maybe you bought a system that sat in the corner collecting dust because it was too complex to program. Beacon is different — if your team can use a smartphone, they can run a cobot welder.
You need to quote more competitively
Automated welding lets you reduce labor cost per part without sacrificing quality, so you can win bids you’d normally pass on.
COBOT WELDING SOLUTIONS
Choose the Right Welding Automation System for Your Team
Not every cobot solution is created equal. Here’s how Hirebotics’s approach compares to traditional options.
DIY Cobot Solution
Build-it-yourself systems can seem flexible, but they often come with hidden costs, slow deployment, and the need for outside expertise.
App-based, no-code control
Long customization process
Requires in-house resources
Hirebotics Cobot Solution
Hirebotics offers a proven, app-based platform that makes automation fast, easy, and scalable for any team, without coding or complexity.
App-based, no-code control
Proven design
Fast integration
Custom Integrator Solution
Custom integrators can create specialized systems, but the process is often expensive, slow, and tied to rigid programming phases.
Expensive custom build
Longer timelines
Complex programming
The biggest difference comes down to time-to-production and total cost of ownership. DIY cobot builds can take months of trial and error, and custom integrator projects often run $200K+ before you weld your first production part. With Hirebotics, you’re welding production parts in hours — and the system pays for itself through labor savings and increased throughput within months, not years.
Results That Matter
The Real ROI of Accessible Welding Automation
Traditional welding automation promises big returns — but high setup costs, long lead times, and expensive programming can delay your return on investment by a year or more.
Beacon’s app-based cobot welders eliminate those barriers. You start faster, adapt easier, and see productivity gains from day one without relying on specialists or major capital outlays.
The result is faster payback, lower risk, and a clear path to growing your operation.
WHY Welding Cobots
Boost the Welding Output of Low-Volume, High-Mix Parts
Maximize productivity
Run your cobot welder alongside manual welders to double your shop’s output without doubling headcount. Cobots don’t take breaks, don’t call in sick, and maintain the same weld quality on part #500 as part #1.
Ensure Quality Output
Every weld follows the exact same parameters — travel speed, wire feed, voltage — eliminating the variability that comes with manual welding. The result is fewer rejects, less rework, and parts that pass inspection the first time.
Reduce Waste & Rework
Consistent automated welds mean less filler material wasted on overwelding and fewer parts scrapped due to defects. Shops using Hirebotics cobots report significant reductions in consumable costs and virtually zero weld-related rework.
Enhance Workplace Safety
Built-in human detection and collaborative safety features let your team work near the cobot without cages or barriers. Reduce arc flash exposure and repetitive strain injuries by letting the cobot handle the most physically demanding welds.
HOW IT WORKS
Production-Ready Welding Automation in Hours
01
Schedule a Demo
See the platform in action with a Beacon specialist. We’ll walk through your specific parts and applications to show exactly how the system handles your work.
02
Get Set Up
Simple onboarding to get your team up and running. Your cobot welder arrives pre-mounted, pre-wired, and ready to weld — no third-party integrators, no waiting weeks for installation.
03
Teach Paths and Deploy
Use the Beacon app to teach weld paths by physically guiding the cobot or tapping waypoints on your screen. Save jobs and deploy them in minutes. Your team can create new programs for different parts without any coding knowledge.
04
Track and Optimize
Start tracking and optimizing performance right away. Beacon’s built-in analytics show you arc-on time, cycle counts, and quality metrics so you can identify bottlenecks and continuously improve throughput.
Customer results
Welding in < 4 Hours
18-Person Shop; Zero Programmers
Backlog Cleared in Weeks
“We went from having to literally not take orders or cancel orders because we couldn’t keep up, to catching up with that backlog and working ahead.“
Ryan Hansen
President of Iron Supports
FAQs
Welding Automation: Common Questions
Is welding automation worth it for small shops?
Absolutely. Welding automation used to require six-figure custom integrations that only made sense for high-volume production. Cobot welders changed that equation. With Hirebotics, shops running as few as 2–3 welders can see meaningful ROI through increased throughput and reduced labor dependency. Our system is specifically designed for high-mix, low-volume work — the kind most small and mid-sized fabricators handle every day.
How is a cobot welder different from a traditional robotic welding cell?
Traditional robotic welding cells are large, expensive, and require dedicated programming expertise. They’re optimized for running thousands of identical parts. A cobot welder is collaborative — it works alongside your team, requires no safety caging in many applications, and is programmed through an intuitive app instead of a teach pendant or offline software. This makes it ideal for shops that need to switch between parts frequently.
How much does welding automation cost?
Hirebotics Cobot Welder packages start at $105,000, which includes the collaborative robot, welding power source, torch, table, and Beacon software. Financing options are available. Compared to custom-integrated robotic welding cells, which typically start at $150,000–$250,000+ and require additional programming and installation costs, the total cost of ownership is significantly lower.
Is welding automation worth it for small shops?
Absolutely. Welding automation used to require six-figure custom integrations that only made sense for high-volume production. Cobot welders changed that equation. With Hirebotics, shops running as few as 2–3 welders can see meaningful ROI through increased throughput and reduced labor dependency. Our system is specifically designed for high-mix, low-volume work — the kind most small and mid-sized fabricators handle every day.
Do my welders need robotics experience to use a cobot?
No. The Beacon app is designed so that anyone who can use a smartphone can program and operate the cobot welder. Your experienced welders bring the welding knowledge — travel speed, wire feed, gas flow — and the app handles the robotics. Most teams are comfortable running production jobs within their first day.
What types of welding can a cobot automate?
Hirebotics Cobot Welder customers access many types of welding, including MIG welding (GMAW) out of the box and can produce TIG-quality welds using advanced MIG processes. They handle carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum across a range of thicknesses. Whether you’re running fillet welds, butt joints, or complex multi-pass welds, the system is built to deliver consistent results.
How long does it take to set up a new welding job?
Most new jobs can be programmed and running in under 30 minutes using the Beacon app’s tap-to-teach interface. For repeat jobs, you simply load a saved program and the cobot is ready to weld in seconds. This fast changeover is what makes cobot welding practical for shops with high part variety.
