[INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, January 14, 2026—] THG Automation is pleased to announce that one of its customers, West Coast Manufacturing (WCM), has been featured in a new Automation World article titled “How Robotic Laser Welding Delivered 400% Productivity Gains Over Manual TIG at West Coast Manufacturing.” The article highlights how WCM partnered with THG Automation to rethink its welding process and implement a collaborative robotic laser welding system that dramatically improved throughput, quality, and labor efficiency.
West Coast Manufacturing, a CNC machine shop serving the commercial dishwasher industry across the U.S. and Canada, transitioned from manual GTAW (TIG) welding to a dual-station collaborative robotic laser welding solution designed and integrated by THG Automation. The feature details how this shift enabled WCM to increase production from 10–30 parts per hour to 45–60 parts per hour, while also eliminating warping issues and post-weld straightening on thin-wall stainless steel components.
The system combines an IPG Photonics LightWELD fiber laser welding power source with a Universal Robots collaborative robot, supported by precision fixturing and a rotary positioner to ensure repeatability across high-mix parts. By re-evaluating not only automation, but the welding process itself, WCM was able to address long-standing labor, quality, and scalability challenges in a single solution.
Rather than simply automating its existing TIG process, WCM worked with THG Automation to implement a more suitable welding technology (laser welding) paired with a dual-station collaborative layout. This approach allowed operators to load parts on one table while the cobot welded on the other, enabling continuous production and significantly reducing downtime.
The Automation World feature underscores a key principle behind THG Automation’s methodology: meaningful gains come from strategically rethinking the entire welding workflow, including fixturing, part geometry, weld sequencing, and process selection – not just adding a robot to an existing manual process.
Read the full article:
How Robotic Laser Welding Delivered 400% Productivity Gains Over Manual TIG at West Coast Manufacturing here.
About THG Automation
THG Automation, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, designs and builds collaborative robotic welding systems that bridge the gap between skilled labor and advanced automation. As an authorized Fronius Integrator and Universal Robots Certified System Integrator, THG provides modular, easy-to-use robotic welding solutions for industries ranging from heavy manufacturing and agriculture to shipbuilding and beyond.
To learn more, visit www.thgautomation.com or follow THG Automation on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for updates and demonstrations.
For more information about THG Automation at the 2025 International WorkBoat Show, please contact PR Manager Zenobia Weigel at [email protected].
