7-Axis Cobots Shaping the Future of Welding Automation
October 29, 2025Comments
A flexible seven-axis cobot arm streamlines the deposition of complex welds with previously unmatched speed, consistency and safety.
Kassow Robots, founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, and now a part of Bosch Rexroth, provides unique seven-axis lightweight collaborative robots (cobots) for industrial applications. Bosch Rexroth acquired a majority stake in Kassow Robots in 2022 to expand its factory-automation portfolio. Now it aims to integrate the cobots into Bosch Rexroth’s broader range of factory-automation and motion-control technologies to provide comprehensive solutions for complex production challenges.
One recent application: Teo Fabrications Inc., a Vernon Township, NJ-based production fabrication shop and racecar manufacturer. Thanks to the efforts of automation integrator Spartan Robotics, a division of BlueBay Automation, Nashville, TN, who exclusively integrates Kassow Robots’ cobots into its pre-engineered and custom welding cells, Teo Fabrications now leverages its cobot arm to streamline the deposition of complex welds with previously unmatched speed, consistency and safety.
Matching a Human’s Dexterity
As explained by Teo vice president Matt Hearn, while the firm had some previous experience with a conventional six-axis welding robot, it sought the type of additional support that Spartan Robotics offers, notably remote troubleshooting to keep production moving, and guidance on best practices for developing weld fixtures, and on setting weld-torch angles to optimize weld speed and quality.
At the same time, Hearn and his operations team sought a more robust welding system that could match a human welder’s flexibility and could handle long shifts. They also believed that the seventh axis of the Kassow cobot would help drive productivity. And they certainly were right, as Hearn reports that the new cobot has doubled welding speed compared to manual welding, and tripled overall productivity. One operator runs the cobot cell, replacing three manual welders who have been reassigned to performing higher-value custom work.
The firm builds racecar chassis and high-mix production parts, and while, as previously mentioned, it had already been using a rented robotic-welding cell, it ran into three roadblocks:
- Limited reach for completing complex weld joints
- Weld-cell components that were wearing prematurely
- Slow and uneven support from its vendor.
Reaching Into Tight Spaces
Now the team finds that the seventh axis of its new cobot provides the dexterity needed to integrate seamlessly into tight spaces and automate repetitive welding tasks, all while working safely alongside human operators.
As described by Pierre de Giorgio, president of Spartan Robotics:
“The seventh axis acts as an elbow that rotates down like a human arm, increasing dexterity. That action greatly improves the cobot’s ability to reach into tight and difficult-to-reach weld joints and perform more work within the same work envelope than a traditional six-axis robot.”
Included in Teo’s weld cell is a Fronius 400-A arc-welding power supply, which also boasts some unique characteristics. Among them: a touchscreen display with menu navigation available in multiple languages; and embedded technology designed to stabilize weld penetration and arc length. Teo finds that the power supply minimizes spatter and produces high-quality welds.
