How AAI Transformed Laser Welding with Blaze™ Cobots
Associated American Industries (AAI), a 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 Associated American Industries
Associated American Industries (AAI) 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.
TRANSCRIPT: AAI Case Study: Consistent, Clean Laser Welding with Blaze
DESCRIPTION: AAI produces sheet metal parts for 15 different divisions and relies on TIG welding in their shop—but consistency in laser welding was the challenge. With Blaze, they now achieve clean, precise, customer-facing welds with smooth, professional lines.
TRANSCRIPT:
Introduction to AAI Operations
Hi. I'm Doug Hornbeck, vice president of Operations GM for AAI.
We manufacture sheet metal parts and components for fifteen different divisions.
The name of the game, make the quality parts on time.
Overview of Metal Fabrication Processes
My name is Alberto Romero. I'm plant manager here in Associate American Industries. We develop metal fabrication parts for our industry, for our corporate. We handle somewhere from thirteen gauge to twenty four gauge, and we do all all sort of manufactured parts and light assemblies.
These parts normally goes to the laser weld, So we have, like, a part. In this operation, we need the TIG welding. We used to TIG weld the corners, the four corners. After that, we put this to the laser welder, and we are able to weld this pretty quick with a better quality because this part is gonna be exposed to the customers.
This is a laser weld and just polishing the the corners. We reduce the amount of time on the polishing process, because the laser weld was much better than TIG weld in this particular case.
If we compare any other weld with the laser welds, these are a lot cleaner, will give us consistent welds, and it will give you efficiencies not only on the welding timing or on the welding operation by itself. It will travel on into polishing, blending, cleaning since it will be consistent, it will be really clean since the beginning, so you will have productivity increases on secondary operations as well.
Chapter
Quality Management in Welding
I'm Alejandro Gutierrez. I'm the quality manager of the plant.
Once you have a good setup, you can be using the same setup for a hundred parts, thousand of parts.
Every day, every week, and every month because the program will be the same for all the parts.
Chapter
Simplifying Welding with Laser Technology
Laser welding is not complex at all. It's actually the totally opposite. We have found that we have needed to train welders for TIG or MIG or any other type of welding through a sort of period of time. Now that we have the experience with laser welder, anybody could be a welder. It's actually really easy to operate. When you have the good conditions, you'll have really good straight lines, clean lines, clean welds, so it's anybody could be your welder.
Chapter
The Role of Robotics in Welding
Being able to rely on having a robot always available for us or for you, it it does provide an impact.
Who is welding is a robot.
Yes. We can have a a more continuous flow regardless of the employees that did show up or the experienced employees that did show or did not show that day.
Before move this part, you will see some of the TIG welders, TIG weldings in the corners.
Just like that.
And it's missing all the weld that goes in that side and in that side and all the this front area. So that part is gonna be made by the cobot with the laser weld.
Chapter
Challenges in Welding Quality
So regarding quality, we expect to deliver the best quality to our customers.
One of the challenges that we have is having clean welds, consistent welds, and we have the challenge of heat distortion in our metals.
Now with new technologies that we can go to laser welds and the which provide us less heat, less distortion, so that obviously increases productivity and will help us to speed up and our our process and provide quality to our customers.
With a TIG welding all all the way long to here and make the parts sometime tweak a little bit because excessive kit. And, also, it's gonna be kind of difficult for the operator.
Chapter
Transitioning to Collaborative Robots
Now we move our operation to the Cobot, and the at the same, we're still using the TIG welding just to put those two little tacks here. And then in one step, the cobot take the laser weld and seams this completely in one step.
Much much faster and better quality at the end.
Chapter
Benefits of Laser Welding with Robotics
Adding the robot to our laser welding gave us consistent welds, a consistent heat spread throughout our metal, and the ability to get same quality really repeatable for our customers.