Smed T. Kristiansen

For more than 85 years, Smed T. Kristiansen has assisted the global offshore industry. From its factory near Stavanger in Norway, the family-owned business manufactures customised pipe supports and parts in both small and large batches, while it also offers water and laser cutting services. 

Today, Smed T. Kristiansen services some of the largest companies in the offshore industry such as Statoil, Conoco Phillips, Fabricom and Exxon Mobil. The Norwegian company has experienced increasing demand for its products and services during recent years. This has challenged the company’s production capacity, which is why it recently decided to expand its production line by investing in the collaborative welding robot the CoWelder from Migatronic. 

- Recently, we have received an increasing number of large orders of pipe supports and other products. Welding larger batches manually is a very time consuming task, which is why it was necessary for us to invest in a flexible automated welding solution. We opted for the CoWelder from Migatronic because it is the leading collaborative welding robot on the market and the first of its kind in Norway, Svein W. Kristiansen, General Manager at Smed T. Kristiansen, says.

The Perfect Solution

According to Svein W. Kristiansen, the company’s water and laser cutting operations are already highly automated. But in terms of welding, Smed T. Kristiansen has not been able to find the right solution – until now. 

- We have searched for the best automated welding solution for quite some time, and we believe that we have found the right match. Migatronic’s CoWelder is the perfect fit for our production line as it meets all our requirements for an automated welding solution with its advanced technological features, spectacular efficiency, high flexibility and exceptional finish, Svein W. Kristiansen says. 

The CoWelder is comprised by a robot arm and a powerful Migatronic welding machine; Omega 300 or Sigma Select for MIG/MAG welding or Pi for TIG welding. After closely assessing the company’s production line, Smed T. Kristiansen opted for the CoWelder UR10 solution, which has a 1300 mm working radius. The welding robot has a Sigma Select 400 MIG/MAG and MMA inverter as welding power source. 

However, Smed T. Kristiansen did not only purchase the CoWelder to raise the efficiency of the company’s welding operations, but also with the intention of improving the working environment for the company’s experienced welders. 

- Welding can be hard work, especially when our welders are working on large batches. These assignments entail similar motions and static positions over long periods of time, which can be quite tough physically. With the CoWelder, our welders are relieved from this kind of work, which has remarkably improved their working environment, Svein W. Kristiansen said and added that the company can now allocate workers to more specialised welding tasks, which has raised Smed T. Kristiansen’s production capacity even further.

Education is Key to Success

After purchasing the CoWelder, Migatronic invited Smed T. Kristiansen’s robot operator to its headquarters in Fjerritslev, Denmark, to learn more about the collaborative welding robot. According to Svein W. Kristiansen, Migatronic’s training of the company’s operator has been essential to the CoWelder’s instant success: 

- In my opinion, an automated robot is not better than the human operating it. We are very pleased with the training our operator received from Migatronic, as it enables us to utilise the full potential of the CoWelder. Our operator now knows how to programme the robot to manufacture a broad range of highly sophisticated products, he says. 

Today, the welding specialists at Smed T. Kristiansen are still learning the many functions of the CoWelder and are continuously testing different products on the flexible robot. 

- The CoWelder has introduced a whole new way of welding to our company, and we need to get more familiar with the robot’s many features. We consider this an exciting challenge, as we learn something new every day, Svein W. Kristiansen explains. 

Spectacular Efficiency

According to Rune Andersen, General Manager at the Norwegian import business PM Services, the CoWelder’s efficiency makes it the ideal automated welding solution for Norwegian welding companies in general: 

- The CoWelder can weld highly advanced components for several hours, which makes it an immensely durable and efficient solution for mass production companies. It can also be used to manufacture smaller batches, as it is very easy to operate and adjust according to the design of any given part or product. That is why the CoWelder can add a new dimension of efficiency and flexibility to any production line, he said. 

PM Services is the preferred supplier of cutting-edge welding solutions to Smed T. Kristiansen, and it was also the Norwegian import business, which recommended the CoWelder to Smed T. Kristiansen. 

- We did not hesitate to recommend the CoWelder to Smed T. Kristiansen because of its spectacular efficiency and high flexibility. This makes the robots the ideal solution for a company like Smed T. Kristiansen, which manufactures customised parts and components in both small and large batches, Rune Andersen explains and adds: 

- Even though the CoWelder has only been part of Smed T. Kristiansen’s production line for a limited period of time, the employees have already noticed the robot’s huge potential in terms of efficiency and welding quality. I know Smed T. Kristiansen will also test the robot’s capabilities in welding smal batches, and I am confident it will prove its worth in those situations as well.

Facts about the CoWelder

• Complete welding solution with a MIG/MAG or TIG power source and UR robot from Universal Robots
• All parts supplied, ready to install in an existing production
• Optimises welding production of workpieces no matter the quantity and frequency
• Easy and intuitive programming even for inexperienced robot operators
• Highly efficient and cost-effective automated solution for all types of production companies
• User-friendly, adaptable and flexible automated welding solution that can be moved around easily
• Part of the team: operates side-by-side with its human colleagues with no need for safety guards
• The solution is CE-certified (including the Norwegian HMS-certification) and requires no fencing