Cladding & Hardfacing Made Easy
1. What is the Surfacing Feature?
The Surfacing feature in SmoothTool is designed to automate one of the most physically demanding and repetitive welding tasks: cladding and hardfacing. Whether you’re applying a corrosion-resistant layer or building up worn parts to extend their life, Surfacing helps you program these complex welding patterns with ease—directly from the teach pendant.
SmoothTool gives you full control over the number of welds, layer direction, surface type, and more—making it ideal for flat or curved parts. And best of all: the cobot handles the grind, while your team stays safe and productive.
2. Core Functionality
🛡️ Cladding Workflow:
- Select the Surfacing template
- Choose surface type: Flat or Curved
- For curved surfaces, pick weld direction: Along or Across
- Teach the first pass and the offset direction
- Enter the number of passes and adjust parameters
🔨 Hardfacing Workflow:
- Select the Surfacing template
- Choose Flat or Curved surface
- For flat: teach the outline and define weld direction
- Select whether to weld the outline and enter number of infill welds
- Fine-tune your surfacing parameters and power source settings
✅ Works with any power source—just like the rest of SmoothTool
3. Key Benefits
- ⚙️ Enhanced Productivity – High arc-on time, consistent layer build-up, and faster job completion
- 🧯 Improved Worker Safety – Reduces exposure to toxic fumes, extreme heat, and repetitive strain
- 💰 Reduced Costs – Lower labor requirements and less material waste
- 🎯 Reliable Quality – Program precise, uniform passes for consistent results
- 🧠 Simple Programming – Easy to set up complex surface patterns without offline software
4. Use Case Example
A repair shop receives excavator buckets for refurbishment. Traditionally, hardfacing these large parts is a tough, dirty job involving hours of manual welding. With SmoothTool’s Surfacing feature, the operator teaches the outline of the wear area and sets the number of infill welds. The cobot takes over from there—laying down even, consistent beads across the surface, while the welder focuses on prepping the next part. The result? A safer, faster, and much more scalable workflow.
5. Pro Tips & Best Practices
- For cladding, curved surfaces often benefit from choosing “Along” weld direction for smoother transitions
- When hardfacing, enable outline weld for stronger edge reinforcement
- If you’re cladding with high-nickel alloys, always ensure proper ventilation—and let the cobot handle the fumes
- Combine with the 3D Universe for an instant overview of your coverage area
- Don’t hesitate to tweak your offset direction to minimize overlaps or gaps
6. How to Access This Feature in SmoothTool
The Surfacing feature is available as a dedicated template when adding a new weld node in SmoothTool. Simply select “Surfacing” during node setup, and follow the guided workflow to define your surface, offsets, passes, and weld parameters.
7. Why It Matters
Whether you’re protecting parts from corrosion or rebuilding worn components, manual surfacing is a grind—physically, mentally, and economically. SmoothTool’s Surfacing feature changes that. It gives you the flexibility to program complex surface welds with just a few inputs, while the cobot handles the repetition and risk.
👉 Ready to take the pain out of cladding and hardfacing? Let us show you how with a live demo of SmoothTool in action.
