The Swedish heating and sanitation industry is growing. This has put pressure on the production line at AB Furhoffs Rostfria, the leading manufacturer of components in stainless steel to heating and sanitation businesses in Sweden. Consequently, the company recently invested in the collaborative welding robot CoWelder with TIG welding technology from Migatronic to help automate Furhoffs’ production.
Founded in 1899 in the Swedish town Skövde, AB Furhoffs Rostfria is considered one of Sweden’s leading specialist manufacturers of stainless steel components and specialised parts. Still headquartered in Skövde, the family-owned company designs and manufactures its own heating and sanitation brand, but also services some of Sweden’s largest industrial companies.
Over the recent years, Furhoffs has experienced a growing demand for its products and components, which has led the company to invest in automation:
"We accommodate the increasing demand for our products and services by recruiting new employees and optimizing our production line. That is also why we have invested in several welding robots," Lars Ryefalk, Market Director at AB Furhoffs Rostfria, says.
"Our products are made of stainless steel, which is why 90% of our components are TIG-welded. That is a challenge when it comes to automation because the most common TIG automation technologies and robots on the market do not live up to our requirements."
With a view to meeting the demand for automation in the global welding industry, Danish welding machine manufacturer Migatronic recently introduced TIG welding technology for its collaborative welding robot, the CoWelder. Furhoffs is the first company to invest in the CoWelder with TIG welding technology and even though the innovative welding robot has only been part of the company’s production for two months, it has already made a good impression on its new colleagues.
"For many years, we have focused on automating processes in our production line. So, when we heard of the CoWelder with TIG from Migatronic we started considering how the welding concept could benefit our company and, in the end, we decided to invest. So far, we have found a number of products where the welding robot can increase our productivity," Lars Ryefalk explains.
"With the CoWelder, our employees only need to fix the workpieces to the welding robot, which is equipped with a Cold Wire Feeder that automatically feeds filler rod into the weld pool. We have optimised our TIG production remarkably because of the CoWelder’s spectacular efficiency and high welding quality."
Lars Ryefalk, market director at AB Furhoffs Rostfria: "The CoWelder is immensely flexible; it is so easy to operate and adjust to all kinds of products that we have started to use the welding robot for smaller series and specialised items as well."
Furhoffs usually manufactures series of up to 2,000 items but also handles more specialised series of two or three items. Previously, the welding robots at Furhoffs were only intended for larger batches but with the company’s new CoWelder, even the production of specialised items can now be automated.
According to Patrik Karlsson, technical sales engineer at Migatronic in Sweden, the welding industry– especially companies like Furhoffs that manufactures stainless steel components - has been asking for new technology to help automate the TIG welding process for many years.
"It has been a challenge to develop an optimal automated solution for TIG welding because it is a rather complicated process. But we believe that the CoWelder with TIG technology meets the high demands of the welding industry."
"We see great potential in our solution, which is especially relevant to companies that primarily manufacture products in stainless steel or sheet metal. The efficiency and high welding performance of the collaborative robot can significantly optimise a company’s production," Patrik Karlsson says.
Furhoffs is the first company to invest in the CoWelder with TIG welding technology.
The employees only need to fix the workpieces to the welding robot, which is equipped with a Cold Wire Feeder that automatically feeds filler rod into the weld pool.
"On the current market, we are forced to automate our production to stay competitive. With our new versatile CoWelder, we see great potential in automating our production even further, increase our capacity and grow our business. That is why we plan on adding more CoWelders to our production line, as the welding robot has exceeded our expectations with its efficiency, welding quality and flexibility", Lars Ryefalk concludes.
Complete welding solution with a PI 350 AC/DC power source and a cold wire feeder. Available with a UR5 or UR10 robot. The setup is quick, all parts supplied, ready to install in an existing production. Ideal for welding simple workpieces, no matter the quantity and frequency.
Easy and intuitive programming, even for inexperienced robot operators. Highly efficient and cost-effective automated welding solution for all types of production companies.
User-friendly, adaptable and flexible solution that can be moved around easily. The solution is CE-certified and does not require a safety guard.