Beacon Pro vs. Beacon Basic: Should You Upgrade Your Cobot Software?

Imagine having a tool that makes your cobot as easy to use as your smartphone. That’s exactly what the right software can do for your welding cobots—turn them from complex systems into intuitive, easy-to-manage team members.

Cobot software is the key to simplifying programming, minimizing downtime, and helping you get the most out of your automation investment.

Beacon (available on the AppStore, Google Play, and web) has quickly become a favorite among manufacturers using cobots for this very reason, offering a user-friendly platform that makes teaching and managing cobots straightforward and efficient.

But with two versions—Beacon Basic and Beacon Pro—each packed with its own set of powerful features, how do you decide which one is right for your operation? Let's explore what each version offers to help you find the best fit for your needs.

Beacon Basic – An Essential Tool for Effective Cobot Teaching

Beacon Basic is perfect for mid-sized shops. It provides an easy entry point into cobot automation, offering essential features that help you get started quickly.

Key Features:

• Simple Cobot Teaching: Beacon Basic uses an intuitive interface with familiar terms like "playlist" to make the programming process feel more like navigating a music app than configuring a robot. This approach ensures that everyone, regardless of their tech skills, can easily teach and operate a cobot.
  
  
  
  
• Automated Point Creation: Make teaching even easier by automating key points, such as approach and exit positions, leaving the user to focus only on the application-specific points. This feature reduces setup time and minimizes errors, allowing for faster, smoother operation.
  
  
• Basic Data Visibility: Get access to essential data with 7-day chart history and part history tracking. This level of visibility is perfect for short-term monitoring and making quick adjustments, helping you maintain efficiency without overwhelming your team with data.
  
  
  
  
• User Roles: Beacon Basic offers three predefined user roles—viewer, editor, and manager—each with specific permissions to fit different operational needs.
  
  
  • Common Permissions: All users can view organizational details, robot data, parts, and playlists, edit their own information, set notification preferences, and chat within their team.
    
    
  • Viewer Permissions: Viewers can only view data and cannot make any changes, except to their own user information.
    
    
  • Editor Permissions: Editors have the ability to create, update, and manage robots, charts, parts, playlists, and part settings within their own team.
    
    
  • Manager Permissions: Managers have the most extensive permissions, including the ability to create, update, and delete robots, charts, parts, part settings, and playlists, as well as manage team settings.

Who Should Use Beacon Basic?
Beacon Basic is included at no cost and is ideal for smaller teams, high-mix, low-volume (HMLV) shops, or operations that require core programming tools without the need for advanced features. It's perfect for those who want a straightforward, easy-to-use solution that simplifies cobot programming and keeps production running smoothly.

Introducing Beacon Pro – Advanced Features for Greater Control

Beacon Pro is designed for larger teams and more complex operations that need advanced tools to optimize production efficiency and maintain greater control over their cobot welding systems.

With Beacon Pro, you can leverage powerful features that enhance your ability to fine-tune processes, manage data, and streamline workflows across your shop floor.

Why Upgrade to Beacon Pro?
Upgrading to Beacon Pro gives you more control over your cobot operations, has better data visibility, and seamless integrations that help you streamline workflows. These advanced features allow you to optimize production, minimize downtime, and ensure high-quality results with every weld.

Key Features of Beacon Pro

1. Fine-Tune Points: Adjust travel and work angles directly in the app, offering superior weld quality and consistency with finer adjustments than what is possible with the teach puck.
   • Benefit: Improves weld quality and productivity by allowing precise control over welding parameters.
     
     
2. Operator Role: Restricts access to critical functions, such as changing programs, while allowing operators to manage playlists and start positions.
   • Benefit: Enhances security by preventing unauthorized changes and ensures stable production processes.
     
     
3. Part Attachments: Upload photos, drawings, and visual instructions within the context of a part, helping operators set up and validate the cobot's welds accurately.
   • Benefit: Streamlines communication, minimizes errors, and ensures accurate setups without additional steps.
     
     
4. Enhanced Playlists: Autoplay between parts eliminates the need for operator interventions, reducing cycle time and improving productivity. Playlist features in Beacon Pro also allow you to save/load playlists and automate transitions between parts.
   • Benefit: Reduces the need for constant operator presence and improves workflow efficiency.
     
     
5. Password Login Support: Password-based logins, in addition to the Magic Link login, makes it easier to track multiple users who share the same device.
   • Benefit: Provides more secure and flexible user management options.
     
     
6. Increased Data Visibility: Extends data visibility from 7 to 30 days, allowing for deeper insights into production trends.
   • Benefit: Helps teams optimize long-term performance by analyzing data over an extended period of time.
     
     
7. Full-Screen Charts and Data Export: Monitor real-time data in full-screen mode for better visibility on the shop floor or in the office, and export data to CSV for detailed analysis.
   • Benefit: Improves monitoring capabilities and simplifies data management, making it easier to assess performance and identify areas for improvement.
     
     
8. Slack Integration: Enables real-time notifications of robot events via Slack, fostering quick communication and response times.
   • Benefit: Keeps teams informed and ensures rapid action in response to critical events, minimizing downtime.

By upgrading to Beacon Pro, you gain access to a suite of features that provide deeper insights, greater control, and improved efficiency, making it the ideal choice for larger, more complex welding operations.

Deciding if You Should Upgrade

When Beacon Basic is enough: If you run a smaller operation or a shop focused on core welding tasks, Beacon Basic provides the essential tools you need to simplify programming and boost efficiency without adding complexity to your workflows.

Why choose Beacon Pro: For larger teams or businesses that require advanced control, detailed data insights, and streamlined workflows, Beacon Pro delivers the premium features necessary to optimize production and minimize downtime.

Find the Right Fit for Your Cobot Welding Needs

Both Beacon Basic and Beacon Pro offer powerful solutions tailored to different operational needs. Whether you need a straightforward tool to simplify programming or advanced features for greater control and efficiency, Beacon has you covered.

Take advantage of our 30-day free trial to experience the full capabilities of Beacon Pro. After the trial, continue optimizing your cobot welding operations for just $80 per month per robot. You can easily subscribe directly through the Beacon app.

Have questions or need more information? Contact our team for a demo, we’re here to help you find the right solution for your shop’s unique needs. Optimize your welding operations today with Beacon Pro!