We're excited to announce a new update for Beacon users focused on enhancing your cobot welder's response to welding arc failures. With this change, you'll be able to resume welding from the current step in the part, leading to a smoother workflow and quicker recovery.
Current Behavior
When the weld arc fails to start (often due to issues with wire feed or grounding), the program execution is stopped and a message appears on the teach pendant, alerting you to the problem.
Once you've fixed the issue, however, you must update the “Start From” step in Beacon to resume from the correct point. If this step is missed, the part execution will restart from the beginning of the part (or previously set “Start From” step) when you hit Play—an inconvenience that takes valuable time and effort to correct.
New, Streamlined Behavior
To make it easier to recover from arc failures and stay on track, we've updated Beacon to retry welding from the step it failed on:
Wait for Operator Response: The cobot welder will display an alert on the teach pendant indicating a failure to start the arc. After resolving the issue, simply press the blinking blue operator button on the operator button box to retry welding at the step where the arc failed. This removes the need to adjust the “Start From” index manually in the Beacon App.
Freedrive Flexibility: If needed while resolving the arc start issue, the operator can put the arm into freedrive mode to move it safely out of the way. Once the blue operator button is pressed, the robot will automatically and smoothly return to the correct start position, ensuring precise alignment for the continuation of the weld.
Benefits to You
This streamlined recovery avoids unnecessary restarts and the hassle of updating the “Start From” step index. With this improved behavior, your cobot welder pauses, allows you to clear the issue, and then moves right back to the exact point to resume, ensuring an efficient and intuitive workflow.
We’re committed to making your welding experience smoother and more efficient—let us know how this improvement enhances your setup!