In terms of business, what kind of value would you place on peace of mind? We can all relate to how much the gift of hindsight plays a part in every day decision making. When it comes to providing the kind of value that foresight brings, the expert team at Smenco understand the importance. That is why they have developed a testing system for all your robotic welding application needs. As the sole representative of Fronius welding equipment in Australia, Smenco have a number one goal…to provide a quality service and products. Adrian Shore of Smenco agrees telling us, “Our factory in Thomastown is a complete one stop shop. Our sales, demonstration, and repair all under one roof. We employ over 30 nationwide including 13 staff locally, half of which are welding trades people, so our customers can have the confidence in our ability to solve their welding problems.” The company have taken that one step further with the creation of a weld trial facility, complete with one and soon to be two industrial welding robots. The aim of doing a weld trial is to assist businesses in finding the right type of robotic welding technology, be it choosing the right power source, weld settings or figuring out how to set up your tooling to ensure robot access. The weld trials can prove if a robot can do the job, the cycle times and, of course, the quality of the finished product. But here’s the clincher, this can all happen well before you’ve invested anything in equipment! Already the Smenco weld trials have proven to be an invaluable service to businesses looking at installing a robotic welding application. Especially for those more complicated applications involving dificult to weld applications including different elements, treated metals or thin sheets of metal. The team also pride themselves on their specialty welding Aluminium with the Fronius range of welding equipment. But what exactly are the benefits for your business? Backed by their quality expertise and equipment from Fronius, a Smenco weld trial will be able to tell you the following: • Cycle Times – a robotic weld trial can discover how long a robot takes to complete an application and therefore validate the number of robots required to meet your production demands. • Technology – with an infinite array of companies all touting that they have the “latest” robotic and welding technology; it can be quite daunting knowing what to choose. Before you spend a cent, a Smenco weld trial will show you which type of welding solution is going to suit your application and give you the best results. • Settings and Types – in addition to knowing what type of welder your application requires. Imagine knowing exactly which weld settings and wire types will give you the best outcome. More reliable than a crystal ball and less expensive than running your own individual testing…after investing in a product! • Last and by no means least, what will the final outcome look like? This is where you get to decide if the level of quality is up to scratch. In a recent article we featured about Drake Trailers, Smenco partnered with Drake to develop a weld quality that exceeded the customer’s requirements so much that Drake Trailers GM, Greg Allison was quoted as saying, "The finish doesn’t just have to be strong, it has to appear to be better.” “While the ABB robot will give us a weld that is actually stronger and tougher, they can look so perfect that the buyer might not trust it – they’re perfect. So we try to maintain the look of the weld when in fact we could use even smaller welds we know would be just as reliable.” The bottom line for Smenco is that until you’re completely satisfied with your entire welding process, from the parts right through to the end result, they will continue to be of service. But, if truth be told, with their team of industry specialists, a host of award-winning Fronius welding equipment and some of the worlds’ leading innovative technology at their disposal, the guys at Smenco feel like they have pretty much got you covered! Contact Smenco to find out more about their exclusive weld trials. Talk to a welding expert today by phoning 1300 731 873 or visit www.froniuswelding.com.au