To combat the shortage of skilled labor in the welding industry, Novarc Technologies, Inc. recently launched a real-time vision processing system: NovEye™ Autonomy (Gen 2), the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning program for welding. The system constantly improves weld quality based on data collection and model enhancement to maximize productivity and deliver the highest quality welds.
“We have developed the intelligence to fully automate the welding process” based on years of data collected through Novarc’s fleet of Spool Welding Robots™ at customer sites around the world, said Soroush Karimzadeh, Novarc CEO. NovEye Autonomy gets smarter with time by incorporating learning from a terabyte-scale library of welding videos, increasing precision and reliability.
NovEye Autonomy manages repetitive tasks, empowering skilled welders to focus on complex areas requiring judgment and expertise. The software is embedded in the control system of the cobot and controls the weld pool in exactly the same way a human welder would, allowing users to delegate the boring, repetitive welds to the robot. The autonomous welding process enables uninterrupted welding thanks to NovEye Autonomy’s multipass and multilayer autonomous welding system, which can handle real-world pipefitting inconsistencies like misalignment (a.k.a. hi-lo) and varying root gaps. NovEye Autonomy can immediately detect and adapt welding parameters to maintain weld integrity.
As an AI solution to automate the welding process, NovEye Autonomy is especially appealing to younger workers. “With NovEye Autonomy, the machine learning and vision system means workers can be trained in only one or two years, which typically would take 15–20 years to get to the same level of experience,” Karimzadeh pointed out. In addition, “We have welders who have been in the industry for a long time but want to extend their careers; they can use this technology to stay in the game,” said Karimzadeh.
Through methods like standardization and automated systems, NovEye Autonomy is helping to overcome the plateau in productivity that has burdened the entire mechanical contracting industry. Moreover, with NovEye Autonomy, operators can program the weld, then observe the weld away from the arc, reducing the risk of exposure to dangerous fumes and radiant heat and minimizing muscle fatigue. NovEye Autonomy delivers X-ray quality welds consistently, with zero operator intervention, and has undergone extensive internal and external testing to ensure that weld quality meets ASME standards.
For more information, visit www.novarctech.com.
