Tackling Welder Shortages with an 8-Axis Overhead Welding Robot

AT A GLANCE

CLIENT:

LOCATION:

Quebec, Canada

SECTOR:

Manufacturing

SUPPLIER:

Vention

TECHNOLOGY / PRODUCT USED:

8-Axis Overhead Welding Robot

TARGETED APPLICATION

Overhead Welding

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Increased Weld Quality, Efficiency and Employee Satisfaction with Robotic Welding

↑ 35%

In welding productivity

↑↑↑

Quality consistency

↑↑↑

Employee satisfaction

"None of the robotic or welding companies I approached were willing to take on a project of this scale. Vention was the only one that brought my vision of a large collaborative robotic welding cell to life. Their support was exceptional, from scoping to operation."

Louis-Philippe Boisvert, Technical Services Expert, Industries Rainville

The Challenge

Industries Rainville is an engineering and manufacturing company known for their innovation in machining, welding, and sheet metal services. Their ability to undertake welding of large parts for diverse industries such as aeronautical, energy, and rail sets them apart from the competition. One of the biggest challenges for Industries Rainville was finding skilled welders and retaining them—especially for repetitive, high-volume welding. Automating with a custom cobot welding cell presented the perfect solution to this challenge. However, finding the right custom solution for an operation this scale was difficult. Generic, small weld tables weren't a good fit and other custom integration solutions risked inflating the costs. Industries Rainville needed the right partner to deploy a large, collaborative robotic welding cell that can handle high-volume, large SKUs— without compromising on quality.

The Solution

Industries Rainville partnered with Vention to bring their vision of a large, collaborative robot welding cell to life. Vention's MachineBuilder™ platform and support from experts helped transform the initial concept for the cell into a fully functional 3D model. The platform also helped with the crucial validation of the robot reach, by importing the precise parts into the design. Once the design was finalized, streamlined procurement and intuitive programming using SmoothTool and URCap ensured the whole cell could be easily self-deployed by the Industries Rainville team. The entire cell was assembled in-house, including the structure, tooling, and safety enclosures. Throughout the design and deployment phase and beyond, Vention experts offered prompt support to ensure a smooth transition.

KEY FEATURES

Unique 10-Meter 7th Axis System:

The custom 10-meter Vention 7th Axis range extender provided the necessary reach and speed, enabling the automation of the entire operational footprint.

Seamless Integration and Speed:

The system's modular design and plug-and-play simplicity allowed for rapid assembly and operationalization in under two months, with top speeds of up to 2,500 mm/s.

Comprehensive Programming and Control:

The solution utilized the MachineLogic platform for streamlined programming, and Vention provided comprehensive step-by-step programming training for Acutec's FANUC system.

RESULTS

Since its deployment, the robotic welding cell has delivered measurable improvements across productivity, quality, and labor allocation for Industries Rainville. The new system improved efficiency by 30–35% on their high-volume SKU, expanding capacity and enabling faster throughput. Simultaneously, the welding robot ensured more consistent quality, particularly for repeat welds where maintaining accuracy becomes challenging during extended production runs.

The unique overhead design of the 8th Axis cell enables complex welds to be completed without repositioning requirements. A single operator working alongside the welding robot can now focus on value-added tasks like grinding and touch-ups while the cell handles repetitive operations.

Automating their high-volume SKU delivered another key advantage for Industries Rainville: the ability to reallocate skilled workers to high-mix welds that require greater adaptability and expertise, improving team morale and satisfaction in their roles.

Beyond day-to-day performance gains, the new cell has positioned Industries Rainville as an industry innovator, reinforcing their commitment to best-in-class equipment and superior quality results. What began as a solution to a labor challenge has evolved into a comprehensive asset—boosting productivity, enabling consistent quality, and symbolizing forward-thinking manufacturing capabilities.