Structural welding for
heavy equipment fabrication.
Excavator booms, bucket arms, upper and lower frames, crane structural components — high-volume thick-section fabrication where weld quality, distortion control, and multi-variant flexibility determine production viability. This is where AGR began. It remains our deepest area of engineering experience.
What makes thick-section structural
welding difficult to automate correctly.
Construction machinery components involve heavy sections, complex geometries, and high production volumes across multiple product variants. Each of these factors creates specific requirements that generic automation cannot reliably address.
The Challenges
- Incoming part inconsistency — cutting and forming tolerance variation shifts joint position beyond fixed-program compensation range
- Weld surface quality requirements — consistent bead geometry across multi-pass thick-section joints
- Welding defects from incorrect heat input sequencing — porosity, lack of fusion, cracking in thick sections
- Extended commissioning cycles — systems not designed for the weld process require repeated rework at startup
- Multi-variant production — frequent fixture and program changeover without throughput loss
- Distortion accumulation across long structural members
AGR's Engineering Response
- Laser seam tracking and 2D/3D vision to compensate for part-to-part joint variation in real time
- Weld sequence and heat input designed from process analysis — not default parameters
- AGR-manufactured hydraulic and pneumatic fixtures — engineered for your component geometry and cycle time requirement
- Internal validation on equivalent components before client site commissioning — reducing startup time significantly
- Offline programming for multi-variant switching without robot downtime
- Positioner geometry designed for distortion control, not just component access
The system we built for ourselves
is running in our own facility.
AGR's structural fabrication facility operates a fully automated excavator boom welding line — designed, integrated, and validated by our own engineering team. This is not a demonstration setup. It runs in production daily.
Automation scope: Full material flow from incoming part to finished weld, without manual intervention.
QR code identification: Camera scans component QR code on arrival — workpiece type, variant, and weld program selected automatically.
Automatic loading: Handling robot picks component and loads onto positioner. Hydraulic clamping locks automatically to fixture position.
Welding: Correct program called automatically based on identified component. No operator input required between variants.
Unloading: Post-weld component transferred automatically to AGV for downstream handling.
Status: Currently in production operation. Available for qualified buyer site visits.
AGR internal excavator boom welding line. QR identification, automatic loading, hydraulic clamping, program selection, AGV unloading — fully automated.
QR code identification. Component type and weld program selected automatically on arrival.
Hydraulic clamping fixture. Automatic lock on load. Designed and manufactured by AGR.
15-robot crane leg bracket line.
8 months from contract to production.
For a leading Chinese construction machinery manufacturer, AGR designed and integrated a multi-station automated welding line for crane leg bracket fabrication — one of the most complex thick-section structural welding projects we have completed.
Application: Crane leg structural bracket — thick-section, multi-joint, high structural integrity requirement
System scale: 15 industrial robots across multiple stations
Complexity: Multi-robot coordination, incoming part consistency control, cross-supplier integration, strict client acceptance criteria
Integration period: 8+ months from contract to production acceptance
Contract value: RMB 80 million
Client: Major construction machinery OEM (confidential)
Working on a structural welding application?
Tell us the component, material thickness, production volume, and cycle time requirement. We will assess whether our systems and engineering approach are the right fit.
Precision welding for
wind turbine structures.
Stators, rotors, and structural components for wind turbine fabrication — large-diameter, heavy-section welds where dimensional accuracy, ultrasonic testing pass rate, and weld formation consistency are non-negotiable production requirements.
Wind turbine components demand
the highest weld integrity standards.
Stator and rotor fabrication combines large component scale with extreme precision requirements. Weld failure in a deployed turbine is not a production problem — it is a structural failure. Inspection standards reflect that reality.
The Challenges
- 100% UT inspection requirement — every weld, every component, no exceptions
- Third-party inspection personnel on-site — external verification of every production batch
- Large-diameter components with multi-pass thick-section joints — heat accumulation and distortion control critical
- Weld formation requirements — bead geometry and surface consistency specified to tolerance
- Multi-specification production — 4X through 10X series components on the same system
- Single-side welding with double-side formation required — no back gouging permitted
AGR's Engineering Response
- CLOOS arc control system — precision heat input management for thick-section multi-pass joints
- TOFD flaw detection integrated — real-time weld integrity monitoring
- Dual-axis L-type positioner — dynamic component positioning for full joint access without repositioning
- Pulse MIG process with copper backing — full penetration, no back gouging
- Quick-lock clamping fixtures with HMI — fast spec changeover, reduced downtime
- 3-axis gantry robot configuration — covers full weld length on large-diameter components
Systems integrated for the structural
fabrication supplier to a global wind OEM.
AGR has designed and commissioned all robotic welding systems in a structural fabrication facility that supplies components to one of the world's largest wind turbine manufacturers — a client operating under the most stringent weld quality requirements in the industry.
Robot: CLOOS QRH-405 on 3-axis gantry — full coverage of large-diameter seam lengths
Positioner: Dual-axis L-type, 5-ton rated, ±0.1mm repeatability
Process: Pulse MIG with copper backing plate — single-side weld, double-side formation
Inspection: TOFD flaw detection integrated + third-party UT verification
Output: 4 rotors + 2 stators per 8-hour shift
Inspection standard: Client-specified (world-leading wind turbine OEM)
Gantry robot system for stator/rotor welding. Dual-axis positioner, CLOOS arc control, TOFD inspection integrated.
TOFD flaw detection. Real-time weld integrity monitoring. Third-party UT verification on every component.
Weld formation on wind turbine structural component. Multi-pass, bead geometry within specified tolerance.
Wind turbine structural welding application?
Stators, rotors, structural frames — if your application involves large-diameter thick-section components with UT inspection requirements, we can discuss what a validated system looks like for your production.
Structural welding for
combustion and process equipment.
Burner housings, pressure vessel components, and structural frames for oil and gas process equipment — thick-wall cylindrical fabrication across multiple diameter specifications, where weld consistency and inspection compliance are production-critical requirements.
Combustion equipment fabrication
demands consistent weld integrity.
Burner housings and process equipment components are thick-wall cylindrical structures produced across a range of diameter specifications. Weld quality directly affects equipment performance and safety compliance in demanding operating environments.
The Challenges
- Multi-diameter production — same system must handle various shell sizes without extended changeover
- Thick-wall cylindrical joints — circumferential welds requiring consistent penetration and formation
- Weld quality traceability — international project requirements demand documented inspection records
- Consistent output across high production volumes — manual welding introduces operator-dependent variation
- Safety-critical application — weld failures in combustion equipment are not acceptable
AGR's Engineering Response
- Rotary positioner with clearly defined safe loading zone — continuous operation without production interruption
- Pulse-controlled welding source — stable arc, low spatter, consistent bead across all specified diameters
- Rapid program switching — multi-diameter capability without robot downtime between variants
- Light curtain protection — full process automation with operator safety maintained
- AGR-manufactured fixtures — hydraulic or pneumatic clamping designed for cylindrical component geometry
- Full weld parameter logging — traceability documentation per component
Systems ordered by a global leader
in combustion equipment.
AGR has supplied robotic welding systems for burner housing fabrication to one of the world's leading combustion and environmental systems manufacturers, headquartered in Oklahoma, USA — with installations across North America.
Client: Global leader in combustion and environmental systems, headquartered in Oklahoma, USA. Operations in 25+ countries, 60,000+ projects executed.
Application: Burner housing fabrication — thick-wall cylindrical structural components, multiple diameter specifications
Systems supplied: 3 robotic welding systems for North America manufacturing facilities
Entry point: Client's China facility was an existing long-term AGR installation. North America expansion followed performance verification.
Status: Systems delivered, installation phase in progress.
Burner housing robotic welding. Rotary positioner, pulse MIG process, multi-diameter program switching.
Multi-diameter burner housing capability. Rapid program switching — no robot downtime between specifications.
Oil and gas equipment welding application?
Burner housings, pressure vessel components, structural frames — if you are evaluating robotic welding for thick-wall cylindrical or structural fabrication, describe your production requirements and we will give you a direct technical assessment.