To reach the next developmental stage of welding technologies, i.e. the implementation of the Industry 4.0 concept and the Internet of Things (IOT) in welding, it is crucial to understand and provide the welding responsible for technological development with necessary data; the objective being the facilitated obtainment of necessary machine data in future. The foregoing necessitates the development and adaptation of modern welding equipment to needs of the smart factory as well as to collect and evaluate a considerable amount of data relevant to welding processes. This paper presents a short overview of already available possibilities and ideas enabling the adaptation of today’s solutions to the needs of Industry 4.0. in future.

doi: 10.17729/ebis.2018.5/11