You may have parts that require repeated passes over the same section. This guide will walk you through the use of the Multipass feature to accomplish the task with ease.

What you'll learn:

✅ Why Execute Pass verification eliminates guesswork

✅ How Guided Teach works better than manual calculations

✅ Step-by-step setup from root pass to complete sequence

✅ Pro tips for Post Actions and heat management

Ready to get started?

→ Subscribe to Beacon Multipass ($100/month per robot)

→ Convert your first weld to multipass in 3 clicks

→ Use Execute Pass to verify before continuing

Traditional robotic multipass programming typically involves:

Beacon changes this by organizing everything into a clear workflow while keeping your welding expertise central to every decision.

You’re still making all the same welding decisions:

Beacon just gives you better tools to implement those decisions without the manual calculations and program juggling.

Multipass welding is a welding technique which involves depositing multiple layers (passes) of weld metal to build up a stronger, thicker weld. It is used when a single weld pass is not sufficient to fill a joint or achieve the required weld strength, especially in thick materials or high-stress applications.

With Beacon, leveraging multipass welding becomes a remarkably flexible and powerful process. Beacon's intuitive tools simplify the setup of complex multipass procedures while providing granular control over each pass, empowering you to achieve high-quality, robust welds efficiently.

Faster Programming for Complex Welds: Significantly reduce programming time for multipass jobs. Beacon's interface makes it easy to teach the root pass, add fill, cap passes, and individually customize weld settings for each.

Full Edibility and Granular Control: Retain complete flexibility even after converting to a multipass sequence. You can still individually edit the position and weld settings for any point within any pass. Plus, easily use the "Start Here" feature on any specific point in the multipass sequence to begin program execution exactly where you need.

Better Heat Management: Achieve better heat management across multiple passes by adding interpass cooling actions or alternating weld directions between layers, all within the Beacon interface.

Improved Consistency: Ensure consistent multipass welds from part to part, with the precision and repeatability you've come to expect from your Hirebotics cobot.

First, program the initial weld path as you normally would by adding weld items in Beacon. This path will serve as the root pass for your multipass weld.

Ensure the root pass weld settings and torch angles are accurate.

Click the three horizontal dots (...) next to the weld item you want to convert (this must be the first item of a weld path):

From the dropdown menu, click "Convert to Multipass".

A "Multipass Settings" window will show up:

Enter the required Additional Passes (excluding the root pass).

Select the end weld sequence. This is the last weld that will be included in the multipass. By default, it ends on the same weld that is selected.

Select the Travel/Work Angle Mode

Beacon offers a Table-based approach to enter the path offset values for subsequent passes as well as a Guided Teach option (recommended for ease).

Why Guided Teach Works Better: Instead of manual calculations, you show the robot exactly where each pass should go and verify it works before continuing.

For a detailed explanation of what each offset setting means and how it affects the torch path, please click the Info button.

The Verification Process:

Detailed Steps:

Use the Teach button on any pass to enter Guided Teach.

When teaching the multipass, you can use the Teach Offsets button to freedrive the robot to the correct location or modify the offsets manually.

After clicking the Teach Offsets button, move the torch to the desired location and press the blue button on the the puck to save the offsets.

Click Cancel to stop teaching:

After capturing the point, the offsets will be populated and you will have an option to Execute Pass.

Pass Navigation: Use the navigation buttons at the bottom to switch between passes.

Click Done or the close icon in the top left to exit Guided Teaching.

You can select custom Weld Libraries (pre-saved settings) for each individual pass.

If no specific weld library is selected for a subsequent pass, Beacon will default to using the root pass weld settings for that pass.

Your Control: You make all parameter decisions - current, voltage, travel speed. Beacon just organizes them clearly for each pass.

Post actions are non-weld points that can be added to the end of each pass. These give you complete control over heat management and positioning between passes.

Improve heat management or automate steps between passes by adding Post Actions.

Available Post Actions:

Advanced Sequencing Examples:

Click the Actions link under the Post Action column:

Click the Add Post Action button:

Select the action type and additional required inputs:

Click the plus icon in the top right to add more actions.

To remove a single post action, swipe the action to the left then click the Delete button.

Click the copy icon in the top right of the screen:

Select the passes you want to copy the actions to:

Click the Copy to (x) button:

Once you have reviewed and confirmed all your settings within the "Multipass Settings" window (number of passes, angle modes, offsets, weld settings, and any interpass actions), click the "Convert to Multipass" button.

Your original weld path will now be converted into a multipass sequence according to your configurations.

Click the settings icon to display the Multipass actions:

Click Edit Multipass

The Multipass Settings window will open, allowing you to change any value.

After updating, click Replace Multipass:

Undoing a multipass will restore the originally taught points. However, they will retain their updated weld settings.

Click Undo Multipass:

Confirm the action to revert to the original weld items:

Click Delete All.

Confirm that you want to discard the whole multipass section.

Why This Matters: Save and share validated multipass procedures across your team or organization. No more recreating proven setups.

When you have a valid schedule, click Save Schedule:

Select the Save as New option:

Give the Schedule a name:

Select where you want the Schedule to be accessed from:

Click Save to complete the edit:

The schedule name will now appear on the Schedule field:

Click the Schedule input to open the Schedule Library:

Select your Schedule from the list.

Select Use this schedule:

Click Confirm to confirm your selection:

When Multipass Settings are linked to a schedule you may save any change to that schedule.

Click the Save Schedule button and you will see Update Schedule as an option. Click it to update.

Then click the Save button to finalize the edit:

Click the x icon next to the linked schedule to unlink it from the settings.

Beacon Multipass doesn't guess, optimize, or automate away your welding decisions. You bring the expertise — Beacon gives you the tools to apply it faster, easier, and with fewer mistakes.

The key difference: Instead of juggling separate programs and manual calculations, you get an organized workflow that lets you build multipass sequences step-by-step with real verification at each stage.

Multipass Welding is just the beginning. Our team is hard at work developing more innovative features to solve your toughest welding challenges. Bookmark this page — new advanced features are always in development.

Access Multipass Welding with the Multipass subscription.

Billing managers can subscribe directly within the Beacon application. Organization admins can designate one or more users to be a billing manager. We use Stripe to securely process your payment information.

As a Billing manager, navigate to the Subscription page from the left navigation bar. If on a mobile device swipe to the right from the left side or click the avatar icon at the top left to show the menu.

The Advanced Weld features will be displayed individually on the page.

Billing managers can cancel at anytime within the Beacon application. When cancelled, all of the plan's features remain active until the end of the billing cycle. Once the subscription has fully ended then the features will be disabled for your organization.