Question 1

Who is cobot welding for?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder is built for fabrication shops, contract manufacturers, and OEMs that need reliable welding output without the cost and complexity of traditional robotic welding cells. If you’re struggling to find skilled welders, dealing with inconsistent manual weld quality, or turning down work because you can’t keep up with demand, cobot welding fills the gap. It’s especially effective for shops running a mix of short-run and repeat jobs—reprogram in minutes, not days.

Question 2

What kind of ROI can the Cobot Welder provide to my shop?

Accepted Answer

Depending on your production factors, cobots can 2–10X your fabrication productivity. Most shops see 2–4X the production output, saving them significant labor hours and freeing their staff to work manually on tasks that matter the most.

See our customer stories to get a better idea of just how powerful cobots can be.

Question 3

Can I weld aluminum with the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can! Just like you would MIG weld aluminum manually, with a few settings and accessory adjustments, you can produce high-quality aluminum welds with the Cobot Welder.

Question 4

Will the Cobot Welder weld my parts?

Accepted Answer

Our Cobot Welder can complete most repetitive welding tasks, but part suitability depends on the part size, material type, and more. The best way to know for sure is to reach out to us for a demo so we can best assess your application needs.

Question 5

How fast can I weld with a Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

The cobot’s maximum speed is approximately 39 inches per second (1 meter). When welding, the Cobot Welder can weld up to 90 inches per minute. This is extremely fast—far faster than a human can weld, giving you extremely low heat input and maximum productivity.

Question 6

Can I replace manual TIG welding with the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Hirebotics customers have achieved TIG-quality welds with the Cobot Welder using MIG processes. One client sped up their TIG welding from 2–5 inches per minute up to 20 inches per minute, enabling them to clear their backlog in just a few weeks.

Learn more about their experience

Question 7

What type of support does Hirebotics offer?

Accepted Answer

Hirebotics provides in-app chat support built right into the Beacon interface. On average, the support team responds in 2 minutes directly in your Beacon app. Support is available to help with setup, programming, troubleshooting, and optimizing your weld jobs.

Question 8

Do I need to buy the Cobot Welder to see if my fab shop will benefit from it?

Accepted Answer

No, you don’t need to buy upfront. After a demonstration, you can enter Hirebotics’ rent-to-own program and fully commit once you are ready. This lets you validate the cobot’s performance in your shop before making a full purchase.

Question 9

What is the lead time for getting the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

Generally, Hirebotics’ lead time is approximately two weeks from receiving your purchase order. Reach out anytime about current lead times if you need a system sooner.

Question 10

What do I need to know about safety when cobot welding?

Accepted Answer

While cobots have numerous safety features built in and do not require safety cages like traditional automation, there are important safety items to keep in mind. Most importantly, your welders need proper PPE just like manual welding. You’ll also want arc flash protection for nearby workers, and fume extraction is essential.

Question 11

How long does it take to set up the Hirebotics Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder is designed for rapid deployment. Most shops unbox, mount, and run their first weld within an hour. There is no complex integration and no facility modifications required. Your team handles the setup, and you can optionally have a Hirebotics Certified Weld Specialist come out to support your installation. With Beacon Pro, you can also save weld jobs as playlists on one cobot and share them instantly with your entire fleet, making multi-unit deployment even faster.

Question 12

Do I need a robotics engineer to operate the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

No. The Cobot Welder is controlled through the Beacon app on a smartphone or tablet. Your welders use the Smart Puck at the end of the cobot arm to physically move the arm and save weld points—linear, stitch, multipass, radial, and more—instantly in the app. With Beacon Pro, they can fine-tune torch angles like Travel Angle and Work Angle directly from the app without manually adjusting the robot arm. You can also use a teach pendant running PSX if preferred, which provides the same interface and works offline. Any welder on your team can learn to operate it in minutes.

Question 13

How do I program a weld job on the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

Programming uses Hirebotics’ tap-to-teach method. You use the Smart Puck at the end of the cobot arm to physically guide the arm and save weld points—linear, stitch, multipass, radial, and more—instantly in the Beacon app. Set your welding parameters (wire feed speed, voltage, travel speed) in the app and press start. With Beacon Pro, you can fine-tune weld points by controlling torch angles like Travel Angle and Work Angle directly from the app, eliminating the need for manual robot arm adjustments. Jobs are saved and can be organized into playlists that are shared instantly across your entire cobot fleet.

Question 14

What is the Beacon app and how does it work with the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

Beacon is Hirebotics’ proprietary cloud-based software platform that controls the Cobot Welder from any smartphone or tablet. It provides tap-to-teach job programming via the Smart Puck, real-time weld monitoring, production analytics (cycle times, gas consumption, parts produced), and in-app support with 2-minute average response times. Beacon Pro adds AI-powered weld recommendations that provide instant good-better-best settings for travel speed, wire feed speed, and arc length trained on thousands of proven welds, plus fine-tune weld point control and fleet-wide playlist sharing. For environments that require offline operation—such as defense or field work—you can also run the same interface on a teach pendant using PSX.

Question 15

Can I use the Cobot Welder offline or in the field?

Accepted Answer

Yes. While the Beacon app provides cloud connectivity, data management, and instant software updates, the Cobot Welder can also operate offline using a teach pendant running PSX. This provides the same interface as the Beacon app but without requiring an internet connection. This is particularly valuable for defense applications, field deployments, or environments with restricted network access. Hirebotics customers have taken the Cobot Welder into the field for emergency welding work outside of the shop.

Question 16

Can I move the Cobot Welder between workstations or take it into the field?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Cobot Welder comes on a mobile cart workstation (48 inches by 32 inches) that can be rolled between stations. It can also be mounted on a variety of surfaces using the optional magnetic base, including unconventional positions—one customer even mounted theirs upside down. Hirebotics customers have taken the Cobot Welder into the field for emergency work outside of the shop. The Beacon app makes it so easy to operate that even less experienced welders can run it while managing other tasks.

Question 17

What is the reach of the Hirebotics Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder uses a Universal Robots UR8 Long collaborative robot arm with a 68.9-inch (1750mm) reach. This extended reach allows the cobot to access large parts and weld in positions that would be difficult or ergonomically challenging for manual welders.

Question 18

What welding power source does the Cobot Welder use?

Accepted Answer

The standard Cobot Welder package includes a Miller Auto Deltaweld 350 power source. Optional upgrades include the OTC P 400-L or Miller Deltaweld 500 for higher-amperage applications. The power source is pre-integrated and ready to weld out of the box.

Question 19

What types of welding can the Cobot Welder perform?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder primarily performs MIG (GMAW) welding, including short circuit, spray transfer, and pulse welding modes. It can weld carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. The Beacon app includes a Multipass feature for large welds requiring multiple passes. Customers have also achieved TIG-quality results using advanced MIG techniques, effectively replacing slower manual TIG processes.

Question 20

What materials can the Cobot Welder handle?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder can weld carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Material thickness ranges from thin gauge sheet metal up to thick structural plate, depending on your power source configuration and welding parameters. For large weldments, the Multipass and Seam Tracking add-ons enable the cobot to handle multi-pass welds on heavy plate and structural steel. Contact Hirebotics for specific thickness recommendations for your application.

Question 21

Can the Cobot Welder handle both short runs and high-volume production?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Cobot Welder is designed for flexibility. Jobs are saved in the Beacon app and can be organized into playlists that are recalled instantly for repeat orders. With Beacon Pro, playlists can be shared across your entire cobot fleet instantly. Reprogramming a new job takes minutes using the Smart Puck tap-to-teach method, and the cobot can run continuously for high-volume orders with an operator loading parts.

Question 22

What weld quality can I expect from the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder delivers consistent, repeatable welds every cycle. Once a path is taught, the cobot reproduces it with the same speed, angle, and wire feed every time, reducing rework and scrap. Beacon Pro includes AI-powered weld recommendations that provide instant good-better-best settings for travel speed, wire feed speed, and arc length—trained on thousands of proven welds. This helps you tune your process with confidence, reduce guesswork, and lock in consistency from the first run. Shops using Hirebotics report rework rates dropping from 25% to nearly zero.

Question 23

How much does the Hirebotics Cobot Welder cost?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder Core Package starts at $105,000. This includes the Universal Robots UR8 Long collaborative robot, Miller welding power source, air-cooled MIG torch, operator panel, mobile cart workstation, Beacon standard software, Smart Puck for tap-to-teach programming, and a consumables starter kit. Optional upgrades include Beacon Pro, Beacon Care, Multipass, Seam Tracking, a water-cooled MIG torch, and upgraded power sources (OTC P 400-L or Deltaweld 500).

Question 24

What is the typical payback period for the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

Most fabrication shops see a payback period of 18 months or less. The ROI comes from increased throughput (2–4X typical), reduced rework, lower labor costs, and the ability to take on jobs you’d otherwise turn down. Some customers see even faster returns—DeAngelo Marine paid for their Cobot Welder with a single order. Shops that were previously turning down work due to capacity constraints often see the fastest payback.

Question 25

Does Hirebotics offer financing or rent-to-own for the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Hirebotics offers both financing and a rent-to-own program. The rent-to-own option lets you deploy the Cobot Welder in your shop and validate its performance on your own parts before committing to a full purchase. Financing options are also available to help spread the investment over time. This reduces the risk and lets you see real production results before buying.

Question 26

How does the Cobot Welder compare in cost to hiring a welder?

Accepted Answer

A single Cobot Welder can do the work of 2–3 manual welders per shift. Compared to the fully loaded cost of hiring, training, and retaining skilled welders—which continues to rise due to the nationwide welder shortage—the cobot typically pays for itself within 12–18 months. Some customers like DeAngelo Marine have paid for the system with a single order. The cobot also provides consistent output without overtime, benefits, turnover, or training costs.

Question 27

How is the Hirebotics Cobot Welder different from traditional welding robots?

Accepted Answer

Traditional robotic welding cells require safety caging, offline programming by specialists, dedicated floor space, and months of integration time. The Hirebotics Cobot Welder requires none of that. It deploys in hours, is programmed by your existing welders using the Smart Puck and Beacon app on their smartphone, operates safely alongside people without caging, and can be moved between workstations. It works both online with cloud connectivity and offline using a teach pendant running PSX. It’s designed for the flexibility that job shops and small-to-mid-size manufacturers need.

Question 28

How does the Cobot Welder compare to other cobot welding systems?

Accepted Answer

Unlike other cobot welding solutions that rely solely on a teach pendant, Hirebotics uses the Beacon app on any smartphone or tablet for programming, monitoring, and support. Competing systems require a technician to visit your site for software updates and additional hardware to add features like Multipass. With Beacon, updates are delivered instantly over the cloud and new capabilities are enabled through software—no site visit required. Beacon Pro adds AI weld recommendations, fleet-wide playlist sharing, and fine-tune weld point control. For environments requiring offline operation, the same Beacon interface runs on a teach pendant via PSX.

Question 29

Can the Cobot Welder replace a manual welder?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder is designed to augment your welding team, not replace it. It handles repetitive, high-volume welding tasks so your skilled welders can focus on complex, high-value assemblies that require human judgment. One cobot does the repetitive output of 2–3 welders per shift, effectively multiplying your shop’s capacity without adding headcount. An operator is still needed to load parts and monitor the cobot during welding.

Question 30

What fixtures or tooling do I need for the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder works with standard welding fixtures and can be adapted to your existing tooling. It comes on a mobile cart with a work surface, but can also be mounted to a custom table, attached to surfaces with the optional magnetic base, or even mounted upside down—one customer does exactly that. Hirebotics can advise on fixturing best practices for your specific parts during the demo process.

Question 31

Can the Cobot Welder work with my existing welding wire and gas?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder uses standard MIG welding wire and shielding gas—the same products you already use for manual MIG welding. The included consumables starter kit gets you running immediately. Some consumables like contact tips may differ from what you use for manual welding depending on your torch configuration, so check with Hirebotics during setup to confirm compatibility with your existing inventory.

Question 32

Does the Cobot Welder require a full-time operator?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the Cobot Welder requires an operator present during operation. The cobot can run unattended for periods—for example, while welding a large part or working through a batch of fixtured parts on the table—but someone needs to be available to load new parts, monitor quality, and manage the workflow. It is not a lights-out, set-it-and-forget-it system. The Beacon app’s production data (parts run, gas usage, cycle times) helps operators track what’s happening, but it does not replace the need for a person on the shop floor.

Question 33

Does the Cobot Welder track production data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Beacon platform provides real-time production data including cycle times, parts produced, gas consumption, and arc-on time. This data is accessible from any device through the Beacon app. Beyond day-to-day monitoring, the production data helps shops plan financials with accuracy—justifying new hires, additional equipment, or reinvestment in the business. It’s operational data (how many parts, how much gas, cycle times), not visual monitoring like a camera feed.

Question 34

Can the Cobot Welder be used in a job shop environment?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. The Cobot Welder is particularly well-suited for job shops because it can be reprogrammed in minutes for new parts using the Smart Puck tap-to-teach method. Jobs are saved in the Beacon app as playlists and can be recalled instantly for repeat orders. With Beacon Pro, playlists can be shared across your entire cobot fleet. The mobile cart makes it easy to move between workstations, and the intuitive programming means any welder can set up a new job without waiting for engineering support.

Question 35

Is the Cobot Welder suitable for structural steel and heavy fabrication?

Accepted Answer

Yes. With the UR8 Long’s 68.9-inch reach and optional Deltaweld 500 power source, the Cobot Welder handles structural steel, heavy plate, and large weldments. The Multipass add-on enables multi-pass welds directly through the Beacon app, and Seam Tracking keeps the torch on the joint for long welds on large assemblies. The extended reach allows access to joints that would be ergonomically challenging for manual welders.

Question 36

Can the Cobot Welder help with the welder shortage?

Accepted Answer

Yes—this is one of the primary reasons shops adopt the Cobot Welder. The American Welding Society projects a shortage of over 300,000 welders. The Cobot Welder lets your existing team produce 2–4X more output without hiring additional welders. It requires no welding certification to operate—the Beacon app makes it so easy that even less experienced team members can run the cobot while your certified welders handle complex manual work.

Question 37

What industries use the Hirebotics Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

Hirebotics Cobot Welders are used across metal fabrication, data center infrastructure, HVAC, automotive, agriculture, construction, furniture manufacturing, defense, shipbuilding, and medical supplies. Over 600 fabrication shops use Hirebotics cobots for applications ranging from small-batch custom work to high-volume production runs.

Question 38

What maintenance does the Cobot Welder require?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder requires minimal maintenance. Standard upkeep includes replacing MIG consumables (contact tips, nozzles, and diffusers) and periodic cleaning of the torch. The Universal Robots arm itself is designed for years of maintenance-free operation. Beacon provides remote diagnostics and the support team can troubleshoot most issues through the app. Even outside of warranty, Beacon Care provides loaner equipment, discounted parts, and priority support with 2-minute average response times.

Question 39

What is Beacon Care?

Accepted Answer

Beacon Care is Hirebotics’ support and maintenance package. It provides priority support with 2-minute average response times, loaner equipment if your system needs service, discounted replacement parts, and access to Beacon software updates. Beacon Care is available even for systems that are out of warranty and is designed to keep your Cobot Welder running at peak performance with minimal unplanned downtime.

Question 40

What is the warranty on the Cobot Welder?

Accepted Answer

The Cobot Welder includes a standard warranty covering the robot arm, welding equipment, and Beacon hardware. For continued coverage beyond the warranty period, Beacon Care provides loaner equipment, discounted parts, and priority support. The Hirebotics support team responds within 2 minutes on average through the Beacon app. Contact Hirebotics for specific warranty terms and coverage details.

Question 41

What is Beacon Pro?

Accepted Answer

Beacon Pro is Hirebotics’ advanced software tier. It includes AI-powered weld recommendations that provide instant good-better-best settings for travel speed, wire feed speed, and arc length—trained on thousands of proven welds. Beacon Pro also adds fine-tune weld point control, letting you adjust torch angles like Travel Angle and Work Angle directly from the app without manually repositioning the robot arm. You can save weld jobs as playlists and share them instantly across your entire cobot fleet. Beacon Pro is designed for shops that want to maximize performance, ensure consistency, and scale their cobot operations.

Cobot Welder

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Cobot Welder: Purpose-built robotic welding for your shop floor

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Fast setup

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No programming

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What is included in the Cobot Welder package?

Core Package

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Power

Welding Torch (Air-Cooled)

Operator Panel

Table

Software

Accessories

Program the Cobot Welder with your phone or tablet

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MIG Welding

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