In 2026, Valk Welding takes an important step towards the future of fully autonomous production. The company is introducing a new, groundbreaking development within its Automatic Robot Programming (ARP) software: AI driven product recognition, also known as AI Driven Similarities.

This innovation shifts welding automation from traditional automation to intelligent, self-thinking welding processes. The new functionality makes it possible to automatically recognise product geometries and immediately link them to the most optimal, database-based "best practice" welding parameters. As a result, the time-consuming process of manual programming is virtually eliminated.

With AI Driven Similarities, Valk Welding says it is creating a technology that:

• eliminates the need for programming, allowing robots to be deployed immediately;
• delivers consistent welding results based on years of collected and validated quality data;
• makes complex or variable production processes easily scalable, without additional programming or personnel costs;
• contributes to higher output, predictability and production continuity, even in high-mix, low-volume environments.

This step aligns with Valk Welding's vision of developing solutions that enable customers to produce flexibly, efficiently and future-proof, despite increasing work complexity and the growing demand for skilled professionals in the industry.

In 2026, Valk Welding will present AI Driven Similarities at several major international trade fairs. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience how the technology "thinks and acts like a master welder," setting what the company describes as a new standard for autonomous welding.

With AI Driven Similarities, Valk Welding aims to bring the industry closer to a production environment in which robots not only perform tasks, but also think along, learn and optimise.