Basic Components of Arc Welding Robots

2017-2025 China Overall Market Size and Forecast for Arc Welding Robots (Units)

2021 China Arc Welding Robot Market Landscape (Taiwan)

Leading overseas industrial robot companies have, on the one hand, established strong cooperative partnerships with major domestic and international digital welding machine manufacturers such as Fronius, Lincoln, Megmeet, OTC, and KELDA. On the other hand, they have stepped up their efforts in developing application technologies for arc-welding robots, including laser-based positioning and 3D vision systems. They are particularly active in markets with high customer concentration, such as the automotive parts, construction machinery, container, and construction equipment industries, thereby securing a substantial market share.

In addition, some overseas manufacturers not only offer arc-welding robot bodies themselves but also produce their own-brand welding power sources, wire-feed mechanisms, and welding torches that are perfectly matched with their robots. As a result, these systems exhibit excellent stability and coordination, and are relatively easy to debug. Thanks to their superior product performance and early-mover advantage, they are widely used in the automotive parts and general industrial sectors.

Domestic manufacturers are mainly represented by STEP, and their downstream industries are primarily concentrated in metalworking markets such as two- and three-wheeled vehicles, fitness equipment, and hardware and furniture. After years of technological accumulation, the product performance of domestic arc-welding robots and their peripheral equipment manufacturers has significantly improved, while costs have also dropped substantially. As a result, these products have gained considerable market recognition in the civil industrial sector, and small- and medium-sized enterprises are increasingly adopting domestic arc-welding robots on a trial basis. Moreover, in recent years, thanks to the rapid development of new-energy vehicles, the production of components such as battery packs and motors has accelerated the adoption of arc-welding robots, further expanding the application market for these robots. With the advancement of smart manufacturing and the rapid growth of the new-energy industry, small- and medium-sized enterprises are showing greater demand for domestically branded arc-welding robots that offer high cost-performance ratios. It is expected that in the coming years, the market share of domestic brands will continue to grow steadily.

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In the fields of medium- and thick-plate applications—including construction machinery, steel structures, rail transit, and shipbuilding—there are not only stringent requirements for the precision and stability of welding robot systems provided by robot manufacturers themselves, but also demands on related peripheral technologies such as torque sensing, multi-layer multi-pass welding, laser guidance, weld seam inspection, and grinding functions integrated into welding packages. Foreign brands benefit from the backing of globally renowned manufacturers—for instance, Sairong Laser Guidance and Isra 3D Vision—giving them access to cutting-edge overall technology. Therefore, MIR Rui Industry believes that domestic manufacturers, in the future, should not only increase their investment in products and develop more process packages, but also engage in multilateral collaborations with a greater number of peripheral suppliers to break through technological barriers.

In the field of thick-plate welding, STEP is one of the domestic brands that started deploying its presence relatively early and has achieved relatively strong development. Its continuously optimized suite of welding features has already taken the lead over many domestic brands in terms of both the completeness and maturity of its capabilities for thick-plate welding, and has been thoroughly validated in numerous real-world projects. For example, the tank robot welding solution launched by STEP in the construction machinery industry leverages a variety of advanced features—including dual-robot collaborative welding, laser tracking, and coordinated use of positioners—to significantly enhance welding efficiency and quality. Moreover, its independently developed robotic control system supports collaborative welding with up to 12 axes, setting a new benchmark for domestically produced robots.

In the mid-to-high-end sectors such as automobiles and automotive components—particularly in the traditional internal-combustion-engine vehicle market—the price factor carries relatively little weight when selecting equipment. Instead, automakers place greater emphasis on equipment stability, precision, and efficiency. Currently, the “Big Four” foreign-funded companies virtually monopolize this market, leaving domestic brands with significantly weaker competitiveness. Therefore, MIR Rui Industry believes that the next opportunity for domestically produced arc welding robots to enter the automotive industry lies in new-energy vehicles, especially commercial vehicles. First, the manufacturing of new-energy commercial vehicles does not demand the same level of precision as passenger cars, nor do they require the same high production capacity. This presents a key opportunity for domestic arc welding robots to break through and refine their equipment. Second, China is the primary battleground for new-energy vehicles, and domestic automakers such as Great Wall, Changan, Baojun, and Wuling are likely to provide even stronger support for domestically produced robots.

Take, for example, the SA series welding robots from STEP. Paired with a three-axis positioner and a low-splash welding system, these robots enable welds that require no secondary processing after completion, boosting efficiency by more than 1.5 times. In a closed welding workshop equipped with single-robot dual-station and dual-robot dual-station setups, the automotive seat brackets produced have been widely adopted across various models of SAIC Roewe vehicles.