I. Upgrading of Welding Technology: Intelligent Welding Robots as the Core Direction
(1) Welding Technology: The Cornerstone of Modern Industry
Welding technology achieves atomic-level bonding of materials through high temperature or pressure, and is widely applied in core sectors such as automotive, aerospace, and construction. Its precision and efficiency directly determine the structural strength and production costs of products. Classified by heat source and process, it falls into three categories: fusion welding, pressure welding, and brazing. In recent years, new technologies including laser welding and electron beam welding have broken through the limitations of traditional methods, catering to the demands of high-end manufacturing.
Welding robots consist of the main body (with six-axis robotic arms as the core) and supporting welding equipment. Integrating multidisciplinary technologies, they enable high-precision automated welding. Classified by process, they include spot welding robots, arc welding robots, laser welding robots, etc. Among these, spot welding and arc welding robots account for 90% of the market share, dominating thin-plate welding in the automotive industry and the production of auto-motorcycle parts, 3C electronics, respectively. New technologies such as laser welding are accelerating their penetration into the new energy vehicle and aerospace sectors.
(2) Maturing Technology of Intelligent Welding Robots
In contrast to the fixed “teach-and-repeat” mode of traditional teach pendant robots, intelligent welding robots integrate vision/laser sensors and artificial intelligence algorithms to achieve real-time weld seam recognition, automatic path generation, and dynamic optimization. This significantly reduces reliance on manual labor and enhances operational flexibility, making them particularly suitable for non-standard fields such as precision electronics and lightweight automotive components, as well as for high-mix low-volume production scenarios.
A complete intelligent welding robot system comprises an intelligent control system, a vision sensing and tracking module, an offline programming platform, and the robot main body. Its core advantages lie in shortening commissioning cycles through virtual environment modeling and simulation, realizing real-time optimization of welding strategies via deep learning, and ensuring millimeter-level positioning stability with high-precision sensors. At present, key breakthroughs such as 3D vision-guided teachless operation have been achieved. The technology is evolving from “semi-autonomous” to “fully autonomous” mode, and will realize cross-platform collaboration and cloud-based knowledge sharing in the future relying on 5G and edge computing.
II. Prominent Shortage of Welders: Expansive Market Space for Intelligent Welding
(1) Combined Drivers of Welder Shortage and Policies Fueling Replacement Demand
China is facing a severe shortage of welders. In 2024, the overall demand-supply gap reached 3.49 million, with a shortage of 400,000 senior welders. Additionally, the age structure is aging, with post-60s and post-70s accounting for over 60% of the workforce, while post-90s make up only 13%, resulting in a prominent “generational gap” issue. Coupled with the harsh working environment and high health risks of welding positions, young people are increasingly reluctant to take up such jobs, creating an urgent demand for robot replacement. Based on the calculation that one robot can replace 2.5 welders, the potential market demand amounts to 1.4 million units.
The state has continuously issued policies to promote the popularization of intelligent welding. From the 13th Five-Year Plan for Intelligent Manufacturing Development to the 2024 Implementation Plan for Promoting Equipment Renewal in the Industrial Sector, a consistent policy support system has been formed, clarifying technical specifications, driving equipment upgrades, and laying a solid foundation for the development of the industry.
(2) Steady Market Growth and Significant Economic Advantages
The global welding robot market is expanding steadily. From 2016 to 2024, sales volume increased from 64,200 units to 102,000 units, with year-on-year growth rates projected to reach 6% and 8% in 2025 and 2026 respectively. Intelligent welding robots offer outstanding cost-effectiveness, with a welding speed of 50–160 cm/min outperforming manual welding speed of 40–60 cm/min. They deliver high return on investment (ROI) across various replacement scenarios: in the worst-case scenario (replacing 1 welder), the investment can be recovered within 4 years, with cumulative savings of 10.5 million yuan over a decade; in the best-case scenario (replacing 2.5 welders), the investment can be recouped in the first year, with total savings of 27 million yuan in ten years. Moreover, these robots can operate continuously 24 hours a day to improve efficiency.
(3) Urgent Demand for Non-Standard Scenarios: Accelerated Penetration in Steel Structure and Shipbuilding Sectors
- Steel Structure Industry: In 2023, the national steel structure processing volume reached 112 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 10.5%. However, the industry suffers from low automation and high reliance on manual labor. According to estimates, 60% of steel structure processing requires intelligent welding solutions. When the output is expected to reach 135 million tons in 2025, it will generate demand for 12,200 sets of equipment, pushing the market scale beyond 3 billion yuan.
- Shipbuilding Industry: In 2024, China ranked first globally in three core indicators: ship completion volume, new order intake, and order backlog, accounting for over 50% of the global total in each category. Nevertheless, the industry faces challenges such as complex weld seams and small-batch customization, which traditional welding methods struggle to address. In 2024, there were approximately 187,800 certified welders in China. Based on a 15% penetration rate, the demand for intelligent welding robots reaches 18,800 units, corresponding to a market size of 5.634 billion yuan. If the penetration rate rises to 30%, the market scale will exceed 10 billion yuan.
III. Industrial Chain Structure of Intelligent Welding Robots
The industrial chain consists of upstream component supply, midstream system integration, and downstream industry application, integrating technologies from multiple fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine vision. Among these, the robot main body and vision/laser system together account for over 60% of the total cost.
The upstream segment supplies key components including robot main bodies, intelligent control systems, and weld seam tracking systems, which determine the performance stability of the equipment. Domestic welding power supply manufacturers have taken a leading position, while local enterprises in the 3D vision and offline programming software sectors are breaking the monopoly of foreign capital. Midstream integrators integrate equipment to form scenario-specific solutions, catering to the workstation and production line needs of industries such as steel structure and shipbuilding. Local manufacturers focus on intelligent path planning to serve non-standard manufacturing. The downstream segment sees traditional applications concentrated in steel structure and shipbuilding, and is gradually penetrating high-end fields such as automotive, new energy, and aerospace, emerging as core equipment for enterprises to improve efficiency and reduce risks.
Post time: Dec-23-2025
