Spool Welding Robot (SWR) by Novarc Technologies: status and timeline

Milestones

No announced next step

Novarc founded to build autonomous welding cobots2013Complete.
Series A funding from Caterpillar Venture CapitalAug 2023Complete.
Series B funding of $50M from EDC and partnersMar 2025Complete.
NovAI Autonomy available for summer 2025 releaseJun 2025Complete.
SWR installed at TWI Cambridge, UKJul 2026Complete.

Most important updates

Current obstacles

Exotic alloy certificationExpanding beyond carbon and stainless steel to titanium, nickel superalloys and other aerospace/subsea materials requires re-tuning and re-certification.
Complex joint geometryT-joints, Y-junctions and intersecting pipes are harder to detect and weld consistently; human oversight is still often needed.

Physics limits

One weld type per setupSWR is optimized for circumferential welding; linear seams, lap joints and other geometries need different robots or human welders.
Hole-fill speed vs. hand weldingWhile SWR is 3-5x faster than manual, it still must travel the seam length once; very long circumferences can take hours.

How it works

3 parts

Pipe positioning

Cobot finds the seam

The robot uses NovAI vision to locate the circumferential seam on a pipe of any diameter in its range. No manual marking or pre-programming required.

Continuous welding

One pass, top quality

SWR rotates around the pipe while welding, maintaining a consistent torch angle and travel speed. AI adjusts dynamically for geometry changes.

Validation

On-board quality check

The cobot logs weld parameters (current, voltage, travel speed) in real time and can flag anomalies; post-weld X-ray inspection confirms integrity.

Spec sheet

Spec	Spool Welding Robot (SWR)
Speed vs. manual welding	3-5x faster^R (reported)
Repair rate (defect rate)	<1%^R (reported)
Cumulative arc hours (operational)	850,000+^R (reported)
Total piping welded (circumferential)	1,000+ km^R (reported)
Installation footprint	4' x 4'^R (reported)
Pipe diameter range (carbon/stainless)	2 to 60 inches^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

2 updates

Jul 2026

Major: Spool Welding Robot installed at TWI Cambridge for collaborative researchPressPartnership

Jun 2025

Major: Novarc releases NovAI Autonomy, autonomous seam tracking for SWRPressSoftware

About Novarc Technologies

The team behind Spool Welding Robot (SWR)

Novarc Technologies

Spool welding robot, pipe welding cobot, NovAI welding vision

Novarc Technologies is a Vancouver-based robotics company specializing in collaborative robots and AI-driven vision systems for autonomous pipe and circumferential welding. Its Spool Welding Robot (SWR) is deployed across oil, gas, aerospace and industrial sectors.

SWR robots have logged 850,000+ arc hours; 3-5x faster than manual welding with <1% repair rate.
$50M Series B in March 2025 from EDC and Graham Partners. Total $53M+ raised.
SWR installed at TWI Cambridge (July 2026) strengthens UK and European market presence.

novarctech.com (opens novarctech.com)Company profile →

Founded: 201313 yrs
Headquarters: Canada
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Raised: $73M3 rounds
Last round: Series B · $50MMar 2025
Works in: ManufacturingRobotic forming & welding
Coverage: 1 program · 4 updateslatest 1 Jul 2026checked 10 Oct
Lead investors: Export Development CanadaGraham PartnersBDC Capital
Partners: TWI Cambridge (opens twi-global.com)
Investors: Caterpillar Venture Capital (opens caterpillar.com)
People: Soroush Karimzadeh (opens linkedin.com)CEO & Co-founder

Spec

Spool Welding Robot (SWR)

Speed vs. manual welding

3-5x faster^R (reported)

Repair rate (defect rate)

<1%^R (reported)

Cumulative arc hours (operational)

850,000+^R (reported)

Total piping welded (circumferential)

1,000+ km^R (reported)

Installation footprint

4' x 4'^R (reported)

Pipe diameter range (carbon/stainless)

2 to 60 inches^R (reported)