Case Study: Great Lakes Stainless cuts weld cycle time by 95% with FANUC cobot welding from Serra Laser

Great Lakes Stainless cuts weld time by 95% with FANUC America Corporation

Great Lakes Stainless, a custom metal fabricator, faced challenges with a labor-intensive and time-consuming manual welding process for escalator parts. Their production was hindered by long cycle times and the need for extensive post-processing to achieve a high-quality surface finish. To address this, they worked with FANUC America Corporation and its authorized system integrator, Serra Laser, to implement an automated solution.

The solution implemented was a FANUC CRX collaborative robot equipped with a LightWELD laser welder. This automation from FANUC America reduced the welding time for the part from three hours to just 15 minutes, a 95% reduction in cycle time. The results included a smoother, higher-quality weld finish, increased throughput, and the ability to reallocate skilled welders to other tasks. The successful outcome has led Great Lakes Stainless to consider further FANUC robotic automation.

Great Lakes Stainless