Elevating Weld Quality: How the Skelex 360-welding is Changing the Game for Welders
- 5 hours ago
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The welding profession is notoriously demanding, posing exceptionally high physical stress due to constrained body positions and the heavy weight of welding equipment. Over time, this physical strain especially when working with elevated arms can lead to severe muscular fatigue. But this fatigue doesn't just impact the worker's well-being; working with elevated arms over prolonged periods has been shown to result in a decrease in the quality of the weld seam itself.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) sought to understand exactly how passive shoulder exoskeletons impact weld quality.
The findings present a compelling case for the adoption of exoskeleton technology in industrial welding environments.
The Fraunhofer Study: Putting the Skelex 360-welding to the Test
To evaluate the impact of exoskeletons, researchers observed 15 healthy young professional trainees with welding experience. The study utilized a one-hour workflow that abstracted MAG (metal active gas) welding and grinding tasks based on the DIN EN ISO 9606-1 standard.
Participants were tested in two highly constrained, physically taxing positions:
PF Position (Vertical Uphill): The workpiece is located in front of the body, with the end position slightly below eye level.
PE Position (Overhead): The workpiece is positioned above the head, approximately 300 mm in front of the eyes.
The participants completed the grueling workflow twice in a randomized order: once without an exoskeleton, and once wearing a passive shoulder exoskeleton. The Skelex 360 XFR was one of the upper-body exoskeletons chosen for this study because it provides targeted support for workflows performed in front of the upper body and overhead.
The Results: Slower is Better, and Support Makes It Possible
Using augmented reality welding simulators, the study evaluated several core parameters that determine a weld's permissibility, including work angle, travel angle, contact to work distance (CTWD), aim, and crucially, travel speed. Travel speed the speed at which the welding gun is moved along the workpiece has a high influence on the overall quality and acceptance of the weld seam.
The results were highly significant:
Front-of-Body (PF) Welding: When using an exoskeleton, the quality score of the travel speed increased by 5.80%.
Overhead (PE) Welding: The results were even more dramatic during overhead work, where the quality score of the travel speed surged by 28.87% when using an exoskeleton.
Why does the exoskeleton have such a profound impact on travel speed?
The research points directly to fatigue reduction. According to the study, maintaining an optimal, constant welding speed produces fewer errors. However, without a supporting exoskeleton, researchers observed an accelerated work process. As shoulder and neck muscles fatigued earlier, welders rushed to increase their working speed simply to finish the task and rest their arms. This rushing ultimately resulted in a deterioration of weld seam quality.
The data backed this up: trials completed with an exoskeleton actually took longer an average of 10.77% longer in the PF position and 11.63% longer in the PE position. Because the welders were physically supported, they did not feel the need to rush, allowing them to maintain the ideal travel speed and produce a higher-quality weld.
Uninterrupted Performance
Perhaps the most telling observation from the study was the point of physical failure. During the trials without an exoskeleton, multiple subjects experienced such intense, uncomfortable shoulder and neck muscle fatigue that they had to completely interrupt their activity to take a break.
In contrast, no subject had to interrupt the task when wearing an exoskeleton.
Conclusion: Investing in the Welder is Investing in the Weld
The Fraunhofer study provides clear evidence that using an exoskeleton for continuous welding activities in forced postures is highly beneficial. By delaying the onset of fatigue, devices like the Skelex 360 XFR allow welders to work comfortably at the optimal pace, directly translating to a statistically significant increase in weld quality.
For modern fabrication and manufacturing facilities, the adoption of exoskeleton technology is no longer just a matter of worker comfort it is a measurable driver of product excellence.
A Special Thanks to the Researchers
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the dedicated research team behind this pivotal study: Marco Schalk, Ines Schalk, Thomas Bauernhansl, Jörg Siegert, Alexander Esin, and Urs Schneider.
Their rigorous methodology and testing at the Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung, the Universität Stuttgart, and the Wilhelm-Maybach-Schule have provided invaluable, concrete data regarding the influence of exoskeleton use on welding quality. By successfully quantifying the relationship between reduced physical fatigue and improved travel speed precision, their work is instrumental in driving the manufacturing industry forward. Thank you for shedding light on how investing in worker well-being directly translates to operational excellence.
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