Hirebotics, a provider of collaborative robot solutions for the metal fabrication industry, has announced that data center infrastructure company Tate, has deployed a fleet of 58 Hirebotics Cobot Welder systems across manufacturing facilities in Arkansas, Virginia and Kentucky.
According to a new Hirebotics case study, Tate has achieved a 12x increase in per-welder throughput on critical structural assemblies while simultaneously expanding its team of certified welders.
As a 120-year-old supplier of structural ceilings, containment systems and airflow management products for large data centers, Tate faces intense demand and tight project timelines with zero tolerance for manufacturing errors.
To scale production without losing precision, Tate decided in 2024 to transition from traditional hand-welding to an agile, cloud-connected automation network powered by Hirebotics and its cloud-based, no-code Beacon Pro control platform.
Beacon Pro enables the company to program, run and monitor the Cobot Welders from any smartphone or tablet.
Matthew Bush, co-founder and CEO of Hirebotics, says: “With Beacon Pro, Tate can manage its entire multi-plant network of Cobot Welders from a single smart device without ever needing to touch a traditional robot teach pendant.
“This means Tate was able to quickly delegate highly repetitive work to a full fleet of Cobot Welders, boosting throughput and improving shop floor conditions.
“With the improved working conditions, the company was able to recruit more certified welders to focus on work that demands certification as well as the high-judgment and hands-on craftsmanship the company is known for.”
Jonathan Cook, a cobot welding programmer from Tate, learned to manipulate to be “exactly how it’s supposed to be as by spec every single time. And that truly is a marvel within itself”.
Hirebotics’ Beacon Pro-based Cobot Welders enabled Tate to:
- Train welders without prior robotics experience in 10-20 minutes
- Eliminate costly rework caused by manual welder-to-welder variability
- Encode precision discipline directly into the Beacon Pro software. Certified programmers dial in exact torch angles and travel speeds, which enables floor operators to execute perfect welds with confidence.
- Operate as a single, unified ecosystem, sharing weld programs, parameters and enhanced playlists across company facilities in real time. This guarantees consistent production standards nationwide.
Jonathon Cook, cobot welding programmer, Tate, says: “It was a fantastic process to learn to manipulate not only the movements of the welder themselves, but to control the amperage, the heat and travel speed.
“We can manipulate and curate every single weld that we make here for Tate to be exactly how it’s supposed to be as by spec every single time. And that truly is a marvel within itself.”
In addition to traditional welding projects within all three facilities, Tate has pioneered a unique workflow in its Arkansas plant where the cobot systems handle the upstream precision step of tacking and pre-assembling parts to feed downstream industrial robots. This helps to keep production moving at a steady pace.
Having worked with the Cobot Welder for two years across these three facilities, Tate also has become one of the first operations to deploy Hirebotics’ new Cobot Painter. This new solution uses the same platform, role-based access and operators with a new cobot also powered by the Beacon Pro platform.
Hirebotics will showcase its full cobot lineup, including the Cobot Welder, Cobot Painter and Cobot Cutter, at IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show) September 14-19 in Chicago, Booth 236341 (Hall North Level 3).
