This is an excerpt from an article published on Manufacturing Today Pg. 122
Amid industry challenges, Novarc Technologies is redefining the future of welding
As global manufacturers face growing pressure from labor shortages and rising production demands, one Canadian firm is transforming an age-old trade with the precision of robotics and the intelligence of AI.
Pioneers in autonomous welding, Novarc Technologies (Novarc) provides cutting-edge cobots, robots, and AI-driven solutions that redefine industrial capabilities. As a globally trusted leader in welding automation across multiple sectors, Novarc’s technologies have been proven to maximize productivity and promote a new era of manufacturing. With significant skilled labour shortages facing several industries including welding, many manufacturers are tasked with finding solutions to automate processes where possible with the aim of driving greater efficiency and extending the existing labour force.
A Welding Breakthrough
The SWR, first prototyped in 2015 and officially launched at FABTECH in 2017, was the first collaborative robot purpose-built for pipe welding. The technology didn’t just automate welding, it redefined the process. Customers report up to a 12-fold productivity increase in stainless steel welding and three- to five-fold gains in carbon steel, with repair rates below 1% – a metric that exceeds industry norms.
The company was founded in 2013, with Novarc’s first Spool Welding Robot (SWR™) prototype established in 2015, which was the world’s first of its kind in pipe welding applications. Following design tweaks, the first SWR was installed in Ontario, Canada, in 2016, but it was officially launched at FABTECH in Chicago in 2017. Having since grown its presence to four continents (North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia), Novarc’s technologies are streamlining operations across the globe.
Soroush Karimzadeh, CEO and co-founder of Novarc, joins us to elaborate on the company’s journey so far. “Novarc focuses on solving tough welding automation challenges that have not previously been addressed by the industry,” he opens. “Our SWR is an advanced welding cobot designed to increase productivity and improve weld quality in pipe and roll welding applications. Companies using the SWR have achieved significant results, including increasing productivity by up to 12 times in stainless steel pipe welding productivity and three-to-five times in carbon steel.
“Precision is another key advantage, with less than one percent repair rates, which far surpasses industry standards and ensures adherence to rigorous testing requirements. The SWR also has the smallest footprint in the industry, and when combined with our Welding Vision System with insights from NovData, it offers an unparalleled, world-class solution. The robot can be customized to specific customer needs, with options for single torch, dual torch, and SWR-F, as well as positioner and BIM software integrations.”