A robotic welding cell is priced by its scope, not just the robot: the arm and welding package are typically only 40–50% of the project. The rest is fixturing, positioners, safety enclosure, fume extraction, programming, and commissioning. Entry-level single-robot MIG cells start at the lower end of the range; cells with dual-station positioners, custom fixtures, and seam tracking scale up from there. A feasibility study with cycle-time simulation is the reliable way to get a real number for your parts.
"What will it cost?" is the first question in every welding automation enquiry, and any single number quoted before the parts have been studied is a guess. What can be laid out honestly is the cost structure — what you are actually paying for, and which decisions move the total the most.
What you are actually buying
A production welding cell contains far more than the robot. Typical scope: the robot and controller, welding power source and torch package, torch cleaner and wire supply, a positioner or turntable if parts need rotating, part-specific fixtures, safety enclosure with arc screens and interlocks, fume extraction, the PLC and operator interface, and finally programming, documentation, and commissioning on your floor.
Fixturing is the item buyers most often underestimate. A fixture must locate the part repeatably to a millimetre or better, resist weld distortion, and allow fast loading — and it is engineered per part family. On high-mix work, fixturing and programming can rival the robot's own cost.
What moves the price up or down
The biggest levers are: number of stations (a dual-station positioner keeps the arc burning while the operator loads, roughly doubling output for far less than double the cost), seam-tracking and touch-sensing options for parts with variable fit-up, the part mix (every additional part family adds fixtures and programs), and duty expectations (single shift versus 24/7 changes component selection).
Robot brand matters less than buyers expect. ABB, KUKA, FANUC, and Yaskawa all build excellent welding robots; the right choice is usually driven by local service coverage, your team's existing experience, and package pricing at the time of purchase.
How to get a real number
Send your integrator drawings of the two or three parts that dominate your welding hours, current cycle times, and monthly volumes. A serious integrator will run reach and cycle-time simulation before quoting — that study converts the price from a guess into an engineering estimate, and it usually costs nothing but the drawings.