Wed, 01 July, 2026
At TWI we are pleased to announce a strategic collaboration with Novarc Technologies, helping to advance the robotic welding capabilities at our Cambridge headquarters through the installation of Novarc’s Spool Welding Robot (SWR) at TWI Cambridge.
The installation was undertaken in support of a future joint industry project (JIP). This collaboration between TWI and Novarc leverages physical AI in order to advance autonomous welding for fabrication. It will also allow Industrial Members across aerospace, nuclear, defence, marine, and oil and gas to evaluate robotic fabrication capabilities and see how automation can scale fabrication capacity while maintaining the required precision for complex engineering projects.
The SWR is a robotic welding cobot that is specifically designed to weld cylindrical components such as pipes, tubes and small pressure vessels continuously without needing any human intervention. Companies that are already using the SWR have reported significant increases in productivity (it can weld 3 to 5 times faster on steel and carbon compared to manual welding) and achieved consistently high-quality welds (achieving less than 1% repair rates, surpassing the industry standards and ensuring adherence to rigorous requirements), which has enhanced competitiveness in bidding and boosting margins on existing projects.
Being a cobot, the SWR is a collaborative robot that is engineered for simplicity, removing the hassle of pre-programming and built with safety at its core, enabling a harmonious human-robot partnership, free from restrictive safety barriers.
Novarc technologies are an AI-driven robotics company that designs and manufactures collaborative welding robots (cobots) for industrial applications, specialising in automated pipe and small pressure vessel welding, with their spool welding robot being their flagship product. They are a globally trusted company across multiple sectors, with their welding automation technologies being at the forefront of maximising productivity in manufacturing and tailored to meet the demands of various industries.
The system will be fully operational by WELDJOINEXPO26 on 7 July 2026. Following WELDJOINEXPO26, Novarc Technologies Inc. will be providing live welding demonstrations of the newly installed Novarc Spool Welding Robot (SWR) in the TWI arc welding lab on Wednesday 8 July. To secure your demonstration spot, please contact awe_dept@twi.co.uk.