Creating a successful robotic solution is about getting the all parts to work together…right? But have you considered what happens before the shiny metal hits the manufacturing floor? For Fronius, making sure their projects are a guaranteed success is all about finding the right partnership. Technical Sales Support Consultant for Fronius, Adrian Shore explains, “We choose to collaborate with leading specialists, in other fields, so that our client reaps the benefits of having the best team of people working to create the most successful outcome for them.” As industry leaders in the manufacture and development of welding equipment and technology, Fronius has partnered up with some of our country’s leading robot integrators; a move that has seen innovation, achievement and ground-breaking originality. Some of the company’s most recent pairings have yielded world first results, as Adrian recalls, “We partnered with Robot Technologies Systems Australia on the ‘Robot on Robot’ project. Essentially RTA had the concept of taking a small welding robot and mounting it to the wrist of a larger robot; the end result meant that the robot had a greater ability to weld in intricate detail in areas that would normally have been hard to reach. Our welding expertise further enhanced RTA’s original idea and helped create this first-of-its-kind MIG welding facility.” Another recent Fronius collaboration was with Machinery Automation & Robotics (MAR). With the help of MAR’s robot knowledge and the specialised welding expertise from Fronius, the partnership yielded a T.I.M.E welding facility; which is a high deposition welding process and Linear Track system for Drake Trailers. Based in Brisbane, Drake Trailers is one of the country’s largest manufacturers of low-loader and specialist large-scale trailers. Adrian describes the memorable reaction of Drake’s GM, Greg Allison, “When the project was complete, Greg reportedly found that the welds produced by his new robotic welder were too good!” adding, “He decided that he would operate the weld settings at slightly less than optimum. The results appear a little wider and thicker but are just as strong. The only difference is that they don’t look too perfect; that way the buyer is likely trust the result.” The most recent endeavour that the Fronius team are diligently working on is for the automotive powerhouse, Ford. Fronius have teamed with Sincore Engineering to develop fixtures for a new robot installation primarily for use on Ford’s latest model vehicle. In this currently ongoing project, Fronius brought to the table the alternative welding process of MIG Brazing using a copper silicon wire…this is a first for Ford Australia. Contact the team at Fronius today on 1300 731 873 to talk to a welding expert or find out more about their exclusive partnerships.