What’s Next in Welding Monitoring (2026 and Beyond)

2. AI and Machine Vision

Academic and industry research confirm machine vision isn’t just capturing images — it’s becoming an intelligent sensor suite. Welding monitoring studies show:

• Machine-vision-based image processing can identify welding status and morphology in real time, boosting productivity and precision (Li & Zhang, 2021). When these algorithms are fed with high-fidelity visual data, like the kind captured by Xiris cameras, their accuracy and responsiveness dramatically improve.
• High-speed imaging combined with intelligent filters allows engineers to observe molten-pool transitions and spatter, giving deeper insights into weld behavior under dynamic conditions (Quality Magazine, 2024).
• Vision systems enhanced with deep learning analyze time-series and multi-sensor data to detect defects or predict outcomes (Kim et al., 2024).

In fact, Xiris cameras are already being used in machine vision applications where deep learning models analyze the weld pool, monitor arc stability, and measure heat distribution. With the Xiris WeldStudio™ software, engineers can overlay real-time data, apply blob analysis, or segment the weld pool for AI interpretation, effectively teaching machines how to see weld quality. This transition from visualization to intelligent monitoring is a cornerstone of the next generation of automated welding systems.

In other words, weld cameras aren’t just seeing the process, they’re interpreting it and making the data actionable. This trend will accelerate as edge computing and GPU-based analytics become more accessible (Quality Magazine, 2024).

3. AI-Driven Quality Control and Predictive Systems

AI’s role in welding monitoring is rapidly expanding — from parameter adjustment to predictive analytics.

Using data captured by thermal and optical cameras, manufacturers are building digital twins of their welding processes, simulating outcomes before they happen (Wikipedia, 2025).

The Xiris XIR-1800 SWIR thermal camera, for instance, provides precise temperature mapping of weld pools and heat-affected zones (HAZ), allowing researchers and engineers to measure cooling rates, inter-pass temperatures, and thermal stability during multi-pass welding or additive manufacturing.

These insights power predictive quality control, enabling operators to anticipate defects rather than react to them.

4. Robotics + Vision = Smarter Automation

Robotic welding is one of the fastest-growing areas where vision monitoring plays a central role:

• Modern robots (such as cobots) now rely on real-time weld feedback loops, where camera systems continuously guide torch positioning and arc parameters (Motoman, 2025) and feedback that information to the robot. The combination of AI-powered Xiris cameras and robotic arms creates a powerful synergy: robots that can see and adapt to their environment instantly.
• AI-enabled robotic welding can detect defects and adjust welding behavior autonomously, reducing rework and boosting throughput (Machine Design, 2025).

For example, manufacturers using Xiris HDR cameras in robotic cells report more consistent bead profiles, reduced spatter, and fewer costly reworks. When combined with thermal monitoring, this technology offers a complete visual and thermal understanding of the welding process, something that was almost impossible just a few years ago.

The future of welding is automated but adaptable, human expertise guided by real-time data and machine learning.

5. Education, Research, and Skill Growth

Monitoring technologies are also shaping how welders are trained. The new generation of welders is being trained not just in torch control, but in data literacy.

Training centers and universities are adopting Xiris camera systems to give students a clearer view of the weld pool dynamics and teach them how to interpret digital data in real time. High-speed, high-contrast video analysis enables instructors to explain key principles of heat distribution, metal transfer, and defect formation in ways that traditional observation never could.

Research and industry programs are integrating:

• Real-time visual feedback into training simulators
• Data analytics tools into curricula
• AI-augmented diagnostics into lab work

As welding evolves into a data-intensive profession, knowledge of digital monitoring tools is becoming as fundamental as manual technique (PTT Institute, 2025).

The future of welding monitoring is multi-layered and multidisciplinary:

✔ Real-time systems are becoming standard, not optional (Market Growth Reports, 2025).
✔ Machine vision + AI are advancing from observation to interpretation (Li & Zhang, 2021).
✔ Predictive, adaptive control based on thermal and optical data is imminent (RSI, 2025).
✔ Robotics + monitoring will redefine precision and repeatability (Motoman, 2025).
✔ Training and research are embracing machine vision as a core skill (PTT Institute, 2025).

And driving much of this evolution are companies like Xiris, whose technologies make the invisible visible, turning welding into a measurable, controllable, and improvable process.

References

Kim, J., Park, H., & Choi, S. (2024). Deep-learning-based defect detection in real-time welding monitoring. Journal of Welding and Joining, 42(3), 145–158. https://www.e-jwj.org/journal/view.php?number=2032344

Li, Y., & Zhang, P. (2021). Research and prospect of welding monitoring technology based on machine vision. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352328960

Machine Design. (2025). Robotic welding technologies: What’s possible now and what’s ahead. https://www.machinedesign.com/markets/robotics/article/55288120

Market Growth Reports. (2025). Real-time welding monitoring system market report 2025–2035. https://www.marketgrowthreports.com/market-reports/real-time-welding-monitoring-system-market-104369

Motoman. (2025). Top 5 unique trends to watch in robotic welding. https://www.motoman.com/en-us/about/blog/top-5-unique-trends-to-watch-in-robotic-welding

Polish Academy of Sciences. (2024). Hybrid monitoring systems in intelligent welding processes. Archives of Metallurgy and Materials, 69(2), 233–242. https://journals.pan.pl/Content/133809

PTT Institute. (2025). The future of welding courses: Technologies to watch in 2025. https://ptt.edu/the-future-of-welding-courses-technologies-to-watch-in-2025

Quality Magazine. (2024). Application of high-speed machine vision in industrial inspection: Capabilities and future trends. https://www.qualitymag.com/articles/98719

RSI (The Refrigeration School). (2025). The potential of AI in welding in 2025 and beyond. https://www.rsi.edu/blog/welding/the-potential-of-ai-in-welding-in-2025-and-beyond

Wikipedia. (2025). Digital twin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_twin