How AAI Transformed Laser Welding with Blaze™ Cobots
American Associated Industries (AAI), a California-based manufacturer of foodservice equipment and stainless steel components, has long been known for precision and reliability. But when production volumes increased and customer delivery expectations rose, AAI began searching for a way to boost productivity and consistency, without sacrificing craftsmanship.
The answer: Blaze laser welding cobots from Productive Robotics.
Background of American Associated Industries
American Associated Industries (AAI), based in Chino, California, has been producing precision stainless steel parts and assemblies for the foodservice equipment industry for over 60 years. Their customers demand spotless, polished finishes — every weld, corner, and seam visible to the end user must be perfect.
“The name of the game is to make quality parts on time,” says Doug Hornbeck, Vice President of Operations at AAI.
For years, AAI’s skilled welders relied on TIG and MIG processes to produce high-quality work. But as production volumes grew and designs became more complex, traditional welding methods limited speed and consistency, especially on long, thin stainless parts that were prone to heat distortion.
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The Challenge: Quality, Heat, and Throughput
AAI’s parts are primarily 16- to 22-gauge stainless steel grades 304 and 430, used in everything from custom kitchen fixtures to industrial foodservice equipment. These assemblies require tight tolerances, clean seams, and visually flawless finishes.
Despite the team’s expertise, manual TIG welding made it difficult to maintain uniform weld aesthetics and prevent heat-related warping. Each part required significant post-weld finishing and polishing, which slows production and increases labor time.
“One of the challenges that we had was having clean, consistent welds — and managing heat distortion in our metals,” explained Hornbeck.
The company needed a faster, more repeatable solution that could handle both aesthetic and structural welds — all while maintaining AAI’s high quality standards.
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The Solution: Blaze Laser Welding from Productive Robotics
AAI adopted the Blaze laser welding cobot, from Productive Robotics, to introduce
automation without losing precision or control. The Blaze compact, easy-to-use laser system with 7-axis cobot flexibility, allows the team to weld stainless components continuously with minimal setup or supervision.
“We used to TIG weld corners manually. Now Blaze completes the same welds faster and with cleaner results.”
— Adalberto Romero, Plant Manager at AAI.
With pre-programmed recipes for common weld materials and patterns, Blaze made it possible for AAI to automate complex weld sequences with no coding or programming required. Operators could easily adjust settings, run parts in batches, and repeat the same setup across hundreds or thousands of pieces.
“Once you have a good setup, you can use it for 100 parts, 1,000 parts — every day, every week, every month,” added Alejandro Gutierrez, Quality Manager.
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A New Standard for Quality
With Blaze, AAI achieved exactly what it set out to do: improve quality, reduce distortion, and simplify production. The system gave the team the freedom to focus on higher-level work, while the cobot handled repetitive tasks reliably and efficiently.
Blaze provides AAI complete control over every detail of the weld. "It’s been a positive transition that’s improved productivity and helped us meet our customers’ expectations, ” said Hornbeck.
AAI’s investment in laser welding automation didn’t just enhance product quality — it reshaped their manufacturing flow for the future.