The Hidden Cost of Robot Motion Quality in Automated Welding

The opportunity

Robotic welding is one of the most established automation applications, yet rework rates remain stubbornly persistent. Industry data shows welding rework costs $35–$180 per joint — 3–10× the original welding cost, and up to 15–25× when indirect impacts (scrap, schedule delays, inspection) are included.

The conventional response targets welding parameters: wire feed, gas flow, voltage, travel speed. But in many installations, the root cause isn't the welding process — it's the robot's motion quality. Torch vibration at corners and start points, and positional drift along the seam, create defects that no amount of parameter tuning can eliminate.

This is a software problem with a software solution. Vibration and accuracy compensation improve the robot's motion quality at the control level, reducing defects at their source.

What this enables

For manufacturers with existing welding cells: Rework cost reduction without changing welding equipment, fixtures, or torch systems. The improvement targets the robot's motion, not the welding process.
For system integrators building welding cells: Higher first-pass quality as a deliverable. Software-based motion improvement adds a layer of weld quality assurance that differentiates a proposal from competitors who only optimize welding parameters.
For robot OEMs: Software that improves weld quality expands the range of welding applications a platform can serve — particularly for arms being positioned in the high-growth cobot welding segment.

What it is

Software-based motion compensation improves the robot's path-following and settling behavior during welding. Vibration compensation reduces torch oscillation at corners and direction changes. Accuracy compensation keeps the torch on the programmed seam path, compensating for kinematic errors and thermal drift.

Reforge Robotics' control software has demonstrated more than 80% vibration reduction and up to 5.7x TCP accuracy improvement on collaborative robot platforms. The software works through the robot's existing command interface — no mechanical changes to the robot or welding system.

Why this matters now

Welding is facing a dual pressure: a persistent shortage of skilled welders (the American Welding Society projects a deficit of 360,000 welders by 2027) and growing demand for automated welding in reshoring and infrastructure applications. As manufacturers deploy more welding robots — including cobots, which are inherently less rigid — the motion quality problem grows. Software that improves robot motion quality addresses a constraint that hardware selection alone cannot fully solve.

Platform and deployment

Reforge currently supports Standard Bots, UFACTORY, Trossen, and Denso platforms. The software layer integrates between the trajectory planner and the robot SDK, alongside existing seam tracking and welding control systems. Verticals: automotive (body-in-white, chassis), aerospace, heavy equipment, structural steel, pressure vessels.