The oil and gas industry in Alberta is a cornerstone of Canada’s economy. It offers employment opportunities, stimulates our economy, grows our GDP, and is the backbone of our nation’s revenue. However, a significant inefficiency persists in its fabrication shops: the lack of automation for spool welding. Currently, essential components like flanges and pipes are still joined manually using TIG/GTAW procedures.
But isn’t that inefficient?
In short, yes. Pipe welding is an exceptionally demanding, time-intensive process, consuming 30–50% of a shop’s total labour hours. Furthermore, all procedures must meet the stringent testing standards set by the Alberta Boilers Safety Association (ABSA), one of the most rigorous safety codes globally.
The Canadian Oil & Gas Fabrication Industry Right Now
Rejection Rates & ABSA Testing
The Alberta Boilers Safety Association (ABSA) is an administrative body that establishes the testing standards for pipe welding, often implementing one of the most stringent Safety Code Acts within the fabrication industry globally. A single imperfection in the spool welding process can lead to the rejection of the entire weldment.
It is widely acknowledged that human welders are not precision-engineered machines capable of executing the same process without variation. While human error is an inherent aspect of manual work, it can result in significant financial losses for a company when testing protocols are not successfully met.
💡Human error, paired with variable precision and repeatability, results in failed testing and losses for pipeline welding shops.
Multi-Pass Spool Welding Eats Up Time
Spool welding requires numerous, precise steps, such as:
- Cutting and beveling for the ideal groove angle
- Root weld that joins the pipe components
- Multiple fill deposition layers added by a skilled welder
- Grinding each layer to ensure proper joining
- Final cap
In addition to this extensive process, welders are required to perform a consistent side-to-side sweeping motion, known as "walking the cup." Spool welding is a task exclusively performed by the most highly skilled and certified welders, rendering it a costly undertaking if one seeks to avoid the risk of testing failures and incurring thousands of dollars in wasted materials.
Not only does this task necessitate highly-qualified personnel, but it is also time-intensive. For instance, completing a weld on a pipe with a 1-inch thickness and a 2-foot diameter can take up to 30 minutes when utilizing a pipe roller. This timely task may cause fatigue for welders who repeat the same movement for long durations. Fatigue leads to possible errors and failed testing, resulting in losses.
💡Manual spool welding consumes the majority of your welders’ time and limits them from performing critical tasks, resulting in poor resource optimization and workflow inefficiencies.
Skilled Labour is a Dwindling Supply
A huge concern that we hear over and over in Canada is the problems arising from our skilled labour shortage. As Canadian welding shops continue to navigate labour shortages and increasing pressure on productivity, traditional manual fabrication is no longer enough. Hiring and training a skilled welder is an investment, and no shop owner wants to lose their personnel to the next “highest bidder” who offers greater compensation.
Manual fabrication methods are unsustainable as the cost and difficulty of retaining certified, high-wage welders increase. When the supply of tradespeople is limited, Canadian fabricators must innovate.
💡Shops must invest in solutions that maximize the productivity of their existing workforce.
Traditional Robots Aren’t Flexible For Pipe Welding
The primary roadblock to automation has been the inflexibility of traditional industrial robots. These systems are designed for high-volume, repetitive assembly lines.
When it comes to custom fabrication and unique part geometries that are never similar, traditional manufacturing robots fall short. Typically, Alberta fabricators will invest in CNC machines and use them for the replicable parts, but can’t find good options in the market for adaptive robots that don’t require extensive programming. Traditional robots need automation engineers and hours of programming in order to execute custom fabrication. The time spent on robotic programming is often viewed as wasteful, especially for a one-off part that won’t be fabricated again.
In pipe welding, no two parts are identical. Discrepancies like high-low fit-up, variable groove angles, and taper problems are common. Traditional robots cannot adapt to these unique geometries. It is often faster and more economical for shops to rely on human labour than to endure the extensive downtime and specialist expertise required for complex robotic programming—a process that can take twice as long as the manual weld itself.
How is Elementiam Spool Welding Software Different?
Elementiam addresses the limitations found in traditional automation and gives industrial robots the “eyes and brain” needed for custom fabrication. By introducing 3D scanning vision and machine learning-assisted software, the flexibility is increased.
Using our technology, major robot brands can adapt to custom fabrication and be programmed in 70-80% less time. The system rapidly scans the part, plans the optimal weld paths, and generates the unique code sequence for the robotic welding cell in a matter of moments.
The system takes complex weld procedures and places them in the hands of a precise robotic arm that will carry out the fabrication with faults in mind. It can easily identify and account for discrepancies, including:
- High-low fit-up
- Misalignment
- Differing groove angles
- Gouges
- Taper problems
Our advanced manufacturing system allows fabrication shops to adopt industrial robots for spool welding. It removes the need for an automation engineer or complex programming that takes hours. We have successfully assisted pipe welding facilities in Alberta with the implementation of spool welding automation. For example, CAPE Manufacturing in Stettler, AB, was encountering difficulties in recruiting and retaining skilled welders due to the ongoing Canadian labour shortage. While searching for automation solutions, they were concerned that many options were engineered for high-volume production lines, which did not align with their operational needs.
This changed when CAPE Manufacturing found Elementiam. Our engineering team created a spool welding automation solution that made programming of their FANUC robot straightforward and quick. Element X and 3D vision enabled the industrial robot to adapt to part variations and execute multi-pass spool welding that successfully achieved ABSA certification.
Benefits of a Robotic Welding Cell Powered By Element X
Implementing Elementiam codeless robotic programming software has clear advantages for Canadian welding shops looking for spool welding automation:
- Increased Machine Uptime: Drastically reduced programming time means more time spent welding.
- Mitigating the Skilled Labour Shortage: The robotic welding cell can be operated by personnel with minimal training, reducing the reliance on high-wage, certified spool welding journeymen.
- Enhanced Competitiveness: Outpace competitors with superior productivity and throughput.
- Guaranteed Quality: Ensure consistent weld quality and significantly minimize rejection rates.
Robotic welders powered by Element X software are transformed from a basic tool into a smart teammate that adapts like any other human welder.