Robotic beam and column welding

Robotic Welding for Steel Beams and Columns

H-beams (I-beams), columns and crane runway beams carry dozens of stiffeners, end plates, corbels and cleats — short welds in every direction that are slow and tiring to weld by hand. Our rail-mounted robot welds them straight from your 3D model.

Get a Free Part Evaluation Book a Factory Tour

Why Beams and Columns Suit a Robot

Every member is different

No programming per member

Import the model and the software plans every weld. One-off members weld as easily as repeat ones.

Many short welds per member

The robot travels, the welds follow

The robot moves along the rail and welds stiffeners, end plates, corbels and cleats along the member.

Skilled welders are scarce

One operator, 3–6 stations

Each robot welds 70–120 m per day shift, and operators learn to run the station in 1–5 days.

Beams and Columns We Weld

H-section columns
Roof beams
Crane runway beams
Curved beams
Cross columns
Box beams and columns
Corbels and brackets

Welding robot on a rail welding along the flange of a long H-beam. — H-beam

Rail-mounted welding robot welding a box column, with the welding power source beside it. — Box column

Orange rail-mounted robot welding a curved steel beam, with more stations behind. — Curved beam

Robot welding a steel bracket assembly. — Bracket

H-beam on a welding station with purlin cleats welded along the flange. — Purlin cleats

Long steel beam with a row of short intermittent fillet welds beside the rail. — Intermittent welds

Typical Welds on Beams and Columns

What the 7-axis robot welds on a typical member.

Close view of a robotic fillet weld on steel plate. — A robotic fillet weld.

Torch access decides what is reachable: flat welds between stiffeners need about 150 mm of clearance for a standard torch.

Weld	Where you find it	Robot
Straight fillet welds	Stiffeners, end plates, web-to-flange	Flat (PA) and horizontal (PB)
Vertical fillet welds	Stiffeners and end plates	Vertical down (PG)
Polyline and curved welds	Corbels, brackets, curved beams	Yes
Wrap-around welds	Stiffener ends	Yes
Lap welds	Cleats and lapped plates	Yes
Intermittent welds	Long secondary seams	On straight seams
Large fillets (leg over 10 mm)	Heavy members	Several passes

How the 7-Axis Robot Welds a Member

Load the member beside the rail and scan the QR code on its label to open the model.
Locate: a laser line scan finds the member on the station; welding can typically start 2–3 minutes after loading.
Weld: the robot travels along the rail, scans each seam and welds it with arc tracking.
Record: the welded length is logged for each member.
Long members: two robots can share one rail.

See the 7-axis rail-mounted robot Welding PEB columns, rafters and fittings Gantry welder and robot in an H-beam line

Two orange welding robots on ground rails welding a steel member, with bright arcs and sparks. — Twin robots welding a member on one rail.

What to Send for a Free Evaluation

Helpful to include

Drawings or a 3D model (STEP or IFC) of a typical member.
Member sizes: length, width and height.
Weld sizes and weld symbols.
Photos of assembled members, especially crowded joints.

Also useful

The member types you weld most, and rough monthly volume.
Your workshop location and the space available.
Anything that is hard to weld today.

Is your part suitable? Checklist

Get a Free Evaluation for Your Parts

Tell us what you weld. Drawings and models are welcome but not required to start.

What happens next

We reply within one business day.
Our engineers review your parts for free and recommend a station.
See the robot on a live video tour, or visit our factory.
You receive a factory-direct quotation.

Prefer email? sales@steelweldingrobot.com

Free part evaluation · Factory-direct pricing · Reply within one business day

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Your name *

Company *

Email *

Country or region *

Product interest *

Phone (optional)

Include the international dialing code.

What would you like to weld? *

Describe the parts, sizes and welds you want to automate, or the visit you would like to arrange.

Do you have drawings or 3D models? * Yes Not yet

Files are optional. You can email drawings, photos or models to sales@steelweldingrobot.com at any time.

Beam and Column Welding Questions

Common questions about robotic beam and column welding.

Operators working at a rail-mounted welding robot station. — Operators at a rail-mounted station.

All welding robot FAQs

What sizes of beams and columns can the robot weld?

Members up to 1,500 mm wide. The standard rail is 12 m long with 10.63 m of effective travel; tell us your longest members and we check the layout.

Isn’t an H-beam welding machine enough?

An H-beam welding machine welds the long flange-to-web seams of straight beams. The robot welds what is fitted afterwards: stiffeners, end plates, corbels and cleats.

Can it weld box columns?

Yes, the rail-mounted robot welds box beams and columns with gas-shielded welding. For full-penetration seams on box columns we also offer a submerged arc station.

Submerged arc welding robot

Do stiffeners get in the way?

Sometimes. Flat welds between stiffeners need about 150 mm of clearance for a standard torch. The free evaluation shows which welds the robot takes and which stay manual.

Can it weld without a 3D model?

Flat web plates with stiffeners can be scanned at the station. Other members need a STEP or IFC model, which Tekla and most detailing software can export.

Get a Free Evaluation of Your Beams and Columns

Send a drawing, model or photo of a typical member. Our engineers check which welds the robot can take and recommend a station — free of charge. We reply within one business day.