Mesh Welding Machines: Smart Manufacturing in the Age of Automation

From special-purpose engineering to intelligent production lines 

What sets today's mesh welding machines apart from earlier generations is the intelligence behind how this principle is implemented. Fully automatic height and diameter adjustment during ongoing production, automatic switching between top and bottom chord wire as well as diagonal wire, and just-in-time production even for small batch sizes are demonstrated by Progress Maschinen & Automation (PMA). The VGA Versa thus shows what modern lattice girder welding systems can achieve. Fully automatic adaptation to changing product geometries directly from the coil eliminates time-consuming changeover procedures – a decisive advantage in an industry where customer requirements are becoming ever more individual and delivery times ever shorter.

EVG, the Austrian manufacturer of reinforcement welding systems, also covers the spectrum on a segment-specific basis. Reinforcing mesh, fencing and industrial mesh, grating, and lattice girders are each addressed with dedicated machine series. The range is complemented by the digital platform WIRE UP, which allows machine data to be captured and evaluated across systems. 

Flexibility as a design principle: mbk's DualWeld concept 

An interesting technical approach comes from mbk Maschinenbau: the so-called DualWeld process, which combines resistance welding and gas-shielded welding in a single system. The background is a practical problem: in resistance welding, conventional systems reach physical limits with longitudinal wire diameters above 25 mm, because the required amount of energy cannot be delivered within the short welding sequence. Gas-shielded welding, by contrast, allows for the joining of significantly thicker wires – but is slower with thinner cross-sections. DualWeld switches fluidly between the two processes as needed, even within the same production step. This enables a usable diameter range, as well as significantly higher production speeds for small wire diameters compared with the classic gas-shielded welding process alone. 

Quality from the first mesh: Schlatter MG950 

With the MG950 system, Schlatter Industries AG focuses on fast format changes without compromising quality. The system achieves cycle rates of up to 200 cross wires per minute; two independent medium-frequency DC circuits allow complex mesh configurations to be processed without performance-reducing cascading. The operating software automatically determines the welding parameters after a format change, so that the required quality values are already achieved with the first mesh produced. The compact welding groups, with a width of under 50 mm, are designed for tight mesh spacing and small batch sizes – an application area that is harder to cover with systems designed for mass production. 

Market dynamics: automation as a growth driver 

The technological development of these systems is reflected in market growth. According to an analysis by market research firm Future Market Insights, the global market for mesh welding machines is set to grow from around USD 2.14 billion in 2026 to over USD 4.45 billion by 2036 – an annual growth rate of 7.6 percent. This is being driven above all by growing demand for prefabricated concrete components and rising labor cost pressure, which makes investment in automation economically attractive. Fully automatic mesh welding lines already account for nearly 52 percent of total demand. Buyers do not base their decisions on purchase price alone: reliability, global service coverage, and compatibility with existing production formats all play a central role. 

Industry 4.0 in practice: IoT, data, connectivity 

The mesh welding machine is a node in a digital manufacturing network. Integration into Industry 4.0 environments via IoT interfaces enables real-time monitoring of process parameters, predictive maintenance planning, and automated quality documentation. Providers such as EVG are responding with dedicated digital platforms that bring together and evaluate machine data across sites. For operators, this means fewer unplanned downtimes, better plannability of maintenance intervals, and seamless process documentation. At the same time, growing connectivity raises the demands on cybersecurity: anyone feeding production data into networks must ensure that this infrastructure is protected against unauthorized access. 

Sustainability: efficiency is no side issue 

Growing energy awareness in industry has not bypassed mesh welding technology either. Modern systems are designed to minimize energy consumption during the welding process, since energy costs represent a substantial cost factor in series production. Advances in medium-frequency welding technology, the recovery of braking energy in drive systems, and the optimized design of welding electrodes all help to continuously reduce the specific energy input per meter of mesh produced. The fact that mbk's DualWeld machines also require less floor space than two separate systems and can save on bracing rings is a further efficiency gain.

Outlook: the smart machine as a system component 

Anyone purchasing a mesh welding system today rarely buys just a machine. Modern systems integrate into existing production environments, feed data to higher-level control systems, and adapt to changing product requirements. Modular series cover the range from small-batch to high-performance lines, while digital platforms enable the evaluation of machine data across multiple sites. Whether this actually translates into efficiency gains, however, depends on how consistently operators align their processes accordingly. 

For more on current technologies and innovations in the wire and tube industry, as well as further industry and product information, visit www.wire-tradefair.com and www.tube.de.