IoT (Internet of Things) in Welding

The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies to connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet.

IoT in Welding

Why is the Internet of Things (IoT) so important

Over the past few years, IoT has become one of the most important technologies of the 21st century. Now that we can connect everyday objects—kitchen appliances, cars, thermostats, baby monitors—to the internet via embedded devices, seamless communication is possible between people, processes, and things.

Using low-cost computing, the cloud, big data, analytics, and mobile technologies, physical things can share and collect data with minimal human intervention. In this hyperconnected world, digital systems can record, monitor, and adjust each interaction between connected things. The physical world meets the digital world—and they cooperate.

How does IoT work?

A typical IoT system works through the real-time collection and exchange of data. An IoT system has three components:

Smart devices

This device, like a television, security camera, or exercise equipment, has been given computing capabilities. It collects data from its environment, user inputs, or usage patterns and communicates data over the internet to and from its IoT application.

IoT application

An IoT application is a collection of services and software that integrates data received from various IoT devices. It uses machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI) technology to analyze this data and make informed decisions. These decisions are communicated back to the IoT device and the IoT device then responds intelligently to inputs.

A graphical user interface

The IoT device or fleet of devices can be managed through a graphical user interface. Common examples include a mobile application or website that can be used to register and control smart devices.

IoT in Welding

One of the most exciting new developments in technology is the Internet of Things (IoT), or the connection of smart devices to the global network of the Internet. The possibilities of this sort of integration are staggering when applied to consumer devices. In industry, the possibilities are nearly limitless. IoT in welding, for example, could vastly improve the quality of welds, in turn improving the quality and reliability of sophisticated systems in the fields of power generation, manufacturing, and aviation. It holds the promise of making the replication of qualified welding parameters far simpler.

The adoption of IoT in welding is far from simple, though. Welding across many industries continues to be dominated by legacy processes and legacy systems. While the technology to enable IoT in welding exists, it is relatively rare for welding systems to be equipped with the needed networking technology. The cloud-based systems needed to collect and share data are only recently available. The advantages of IoT in welding, however, are such that even in its current fledgling state, projects that make full use of the technology stand to gain considerable advantages that will only grow as capacity increases.

The Advantages of IoT in Welding

Welding is a relatively simple process, with many complex factors that must be weighed and balanced before welding begins. One of the major advantages of IoT in welding is that it allows the data generated during welding to be captured and reviewed. This helps to establish a baseline for evaluating the quality of a weld against the weld parameters provided. It provides a concrete basis against which to weigh the factors that go into welding parameters and establish the results of changing them. IoT also allows this data to be saved for later review, so this refinement is an ongoing process that continuously improves over time.

The Advantages of IoT in Welding

  • Improved Processes: The ability to capture data offers insight into efficiencies and inefficiencies in the welding process. This forms the basis for procedural improvements that can maximize the performance of welding machines to Improve Welding Productivity and weld quality.
  • Performance Insights: There are factors in any human endeavour that are only clear when they are repeated, and the results are compared across a significant period. By enabling the capture and comparison of data across welds, IoT in welding offers insights into system performance that can lead to improvements in product design, ultimately translating to a better welding machine.
  • Machine Management: The most concrete advantage of IoT not just in welding, but in the industries where it has been previously adopted, is that it allows practices to be easily adopted across the entire network of machines. If a new supplier of materials is used, the setting changes needed to optimize welding with that material can be deployed across a whole fleet of machines.
  • Predictive Maintenance: The collection and analysis of data can lead to early detection of wearing or degrading parts. Mechanical faults and regular maintenance can be anticipated and performed before a critical problem arises, and fixed before they can do widespread damage. 
  • Evidence:IoT offers Another concrete advantage is the ability to produce a record that all welds were performed correctly and as specified by welding procedures. This can ease the path through final inspection and approval of a project, and, if archived, these records provide hard evidence that insulates contractors from liability if something goes wrong with the project.

These advantages are already apparent in industries where the Internet of Things has been widely adopted, and where IoT in welding is already in use. Over time, the greater accumulation of welding data will allow the use of new analytical tools like artificial intelligence to identify areas and processes in welding that can be improved upon. In the future, IoT is set to bring the changes that are already occurring in the virtual sphere of data and information to the very concrete world of welding and construction.