ArcNC, a Belgic spin-off from Oqton, has forged a strong development partnership with Valk Welding, automating the process of offline programming for welding robots. This collaboration has introduced ‘ArcNC for Panasonic’, a user-friendly software tool that takes the programming ease of a cobot and combines it with the longevity, accuracy, and repeatability of Panasonic robots. James de Villiers, robot programming specialist at Valk Welding, puts it simply: ‘‘This means that everyone can now program a welding robot, even without previous experience.’’
Traditionally, robot programming has followed two primary paths: online programming using a teach pendant and offline programming using software like DTPS. Valk Welding’s involvement with ArcNC has been instrumental in advancing the latter approach. ‘‘We are in contact with the developers almost every day,’’ de Villiers notes, ‘‘and together we do a lot of testing and development for the software, specifically for Panasonic.’’ The result is an advanced programming tool that automatically analyses CAD-files, identifies welds, and recommends welding positions and sequences, integrated with our reliable hardware.