Welding the Future

Client Overview

• Client: Path Robotics
• Industry: Manufacturing, Robotics
• Mission: Path Robotics was founded to revolutionize manufacturing by creating truly autonomous robots that can perform welding tasks. Their vision: give manufacturers infinite flexibility and scalability while addressing the global shortage of skilled labor. By building AI-driven robots that are versatile, easy to operate, and highly adaptive, Path is setting a new standard for automation in industry.

The Challenge: Developer Inefficiencies & Slow Integration

As Path Robotics grew rapidly, new challenges emerged that slowed their progress:

• Slow Development & Build Times: Their existing CI system created bottlenecks, forcing developers to wait on builds and tests while also racking up high hardware costs.
• Inconsistent Developer Setups: Each developer’s environment took too long to configure and wasn’t always consistent, leading to wasted time and deployment errors.
• Long Welding Cell Integration: Bringing new welding cells online (AW2 and AW3) could take up to six weeks, delaying customer deliveries and innovation.

Path needed a partner who could help them streamline, scale, and modernize their operations.

Our Approach: Partnering for Efficiency and Innovation

At augustwenty, we approached the challenge with a focus on speed, scalability, and repeatability. Working closely with Path Robotics’ engineers, we identified and addressed key inefficiencies across the development and deployment pipeline.

Key Focus Areas:

1. Optimizing Continuous Integration

   • Recommended and implemented Buildkite for CI.
   • Leveraged autoscaling groups to reduce infrastructure costs by running jobs only when needed.
   • Allowed jobs to run on machines of varying sizes, speeding up build times.

2. Improving Developer Workflow

   • Introduced Docker for consistent development environments.
   • Created reusable scripts for builds, tests, and packaging across repositories.
   • Reduced onboarding and setup times for new developers.

3. Streamlining Welding Cell Integration (Bring Up)

   • Refined calibration routines and adjusted URDF models.
   • Improved documentation and created training materials for engineers.
   • Reduced welding cell bring-up time from 6 weeks to just 2 weeks.

Execution: Streamlining Operations and Reducing Costs

The collaboration between augustwenty and Path Robotics focused on both developer experience and operational efficiency.

• CI Transformation with Buildkite

  • Cut down build times.
  • Reduced infrastructure spend.
  • Freed engineers to focus on innovation instead of waiting on tests.

• Developer Consistency with Docker

  • Standardized environments across the team.
  • Enabled rapid onboarding.
  • Increased productivity and reduced errors in deployment.

• Welding Cell Bring-Up Improvements

  • Shortened setup time from 6 weeks to 2 weeks.
  • Supported successful deployment of AW3 welding cells.
  • Built a strong knowledge base for ongoing integration.

Results: Speed, Savings, and Scalability

By the end of the engagement, Path Robotics had transformed its processes and was positioned for rapid growth.

• Faster Welding Cell Integration: Time to customer-ready cells dropped by over 70%, from 3.5 months to just 2.5 weeks.
• Increased Developer Efficiency: Consistent environments and reusable scripts boosted productivity.
• Reduced CI Build Times & Costs: Buildkite’s autoscaling and flexible machine usage cut infrastructure expenses.
• Training & Documentation: Clear documentation and hands-on training ensured long-term success.

Technologies Used

• CI/CD: Buildkite
• Development Environments: Docker
• Languages & Frameworks: Python, Elixir, supporting libraries
• Robotics: URDF models, calibration systems, AW2 & AW3 welding cells
• Infrastructure: AWS (S3, Kafka)
• Data Streaming: Custom event streams
• Sensors: Specialized cameras & performance optimizations

Conclusion: Building for the Future

Through collaboration with augustwenty, Path Robotics achieved faster development cycles, leaner operations, and smoother product deployment. By tackling inefficiencies in CI, developer environments, and welding cell integration, we helped Path accelerate their mission: delivering autonomous, intelligent welding robots that are reshaping the future of manufacturing.

Key Takeaways:

• Scalable CI Infrastructure with Buildkite
• 70% Faster Welding Cell Integration
• Consistent Developer Environments through Docker
• Long-Term Growth Support with training & documentation