APPLETON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 27, 2026--
Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, a leading manufacturer of arc welding equipment, today announced the launch of the Copilot Builder with Blue iQ, powered by NovAI™. Developed in collaboration with Novarc Technologies, the welding system is designed to help fabricators bring robotic welding to applications that have traditionally been difficult to automate due to part variation, fit-up inconsistencies, tack welds and the challenges associated with large, complex fabrications.
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Many fabrication jobs remain beyond the reach of conventional automation because weld conditions are not always predictable. Copilot Builder with Blue iQ uses adaptive intelligence to continuously respond to weld variation in real time, helping fabricators take on more applications without extensive reprogramming or expensive fixtures.
“The value of automation is well established, but many fabrication applications have remained difficult to address with conventional systems where conditions aren’t always predictable,” said Sam Harvey, business unit director, Miller Electric. “Fabricators need solutions that fit the realities of their operations, where part fit-up, joint conditions and production demands can change from one job to the next. With Copilot Builder with Blue iQ, the system can adapt to variation as it occurs, helping manufacturers automate a broader range of welding applications, improve productivity and make better use of their skilled workforce while maintaining the flexibility their operations demand.”
“Fabricators supplying data centers, shipbuilding, energy infrastructure and heavy equipment are facing a growing shortage of skilled welders, programmers and challenges related to part variability in their robotic welding operations. Harnessing our vast amount of welding data, we are excited to bring our Physical AI platform to the Copilot Builder to solve these robotic welding challenges. NovAI™, our AI-powered computer vision solution, performs real-time adaptive welding with no prior joint scanning. Through our partnership, welding automation can now be achieved across a broader range of welding applications," said Soroush Karimzadeh, CEO and co-founder of Novarc Technologies.
The Copilot Builder with Blue iQ, powered by NovAI™, will be integrated with NovHub™, Novarc’s centralized Enterprise Welding Intelligence platform that brings visibility to robotic and mechanized welding operations by connecting weld data, video, process parameters, and production records. This extends the system's capabilities by converting production data into actionable insights.
Key technologies within Copilot Builder with Blue iQ, powered by NovAI™, include:
The system can be mounted on horizontal, vertical and inverted surfaces to accommodate different workspaces and part geometries and to better integrate into existing workflows. Remote operation helps improve safety by allowing operators to work farther from heat and fumes, while integrated data supports continuous process improvement over time.
To learn more about how Copilot Builder with Blue iQ helps fabricators address weld variation and expand the range of applications suitable for robotic welding, visit www.millerwelds.com/en-us/automation/welding-automation-systems/copilot.
About Miller
Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, is a leading worldwide manufacturer of Miller ® brand arc welding products and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW). For more information, visit MillerWelds.com, call 1-800-4-A-Miller (800-426-4553), email info@millerwelds.com, fax 877-327-8132, or write to Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, P.O. Box 100, Lithonia, GA 30058.
About Novarc Technologies Inc.
Novarc Technologies is the industrial Physical AI company reinventing welding automation for the global fabrication industry by pioneering enterprise welding intelligence. Novarc activates arc welding robots with perception and cognition. With no visual intelligence these industrial robots currently make costly errors that lead to rework, scrap, rebuilds and downtime. Novarc’s Physical AI platform combines real-time computer vision, adaptive control and welding intelligence, with over-the-air software updates to transform robotic welding systems into continuously improving Physical AI endpoints. For more information, visit www.novarc.ai.
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Copilot Builder with Blue iQ
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged with shooting a man and lying about it during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis was released from a Texas jail on Thursday after a judge refused to order his return to Minnesota.
Christian Castro was released at the break of dawn from a detention center in Brownsville. He motioned his hand toward a few camera operators and a reporter crowding around him and quickly got into an SUV that drove off.
A day earlier, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. wrote that he couldn't prevent a county sheriff from releasing Castro, nor could he order Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign his extradition warrant.
Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
Castro allegedly fired through the front door of a Minneapolis home, wounding Sosa-Celis in the leg. Prosecutors say Castro also falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.
After a Minnesota judge issued a nationwide warrant for Castro's arrest in May, authorities, including Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, arrested Castro in Cameron County on May 29. Minnesota authorities then sought his extradition as he remained in custody in Brownsville, a city bordering Mexico.
Texas law required him to be released after 90 days if he was not extradited, which Abbott has so far refused to allow.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison had sought a temporary restraining order to block Castro’s release, warning that he could flee to Mexico. Minnesota's filing cited calls Castro made from jail to a woman in Mexico, talking “about marrying her and buying a house in Mexico when he is released."
The judge conceded in Wednesday's order that Castro could flee the country but said “the threat of injury by itself does not create an issue ripe for adjudication.”
Texas attorneys on Tuesday argued the judge could not rule on a decision that’s still pending. Abbott has not denied the extradition. Instead he is waiting for the outcome of an internal state investigation considering whether Castro was legally a “fugitive” under the Extradition Clause, the lawyers said.
“The Court concludes that it lacks subject matter jurisdiction because the case is not ripe for adjudication,” the judge's order read. “Minnesota cannot premise its causes of action on the allegation that Governor Abbott may violate those authorities in the future; it must prove that a violation has already occurred.”
The judge said in his order that the extradition laws do not outline how long the Texas governor can take to make that decision.
Abbott said last week he would not respond to the extradition request, citing the ongoing investigation into fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota, which President Donald Trump used to justify his immigration crackdown there.
After the judge's decision, Ellison posted online that the Texas governor had an obligation to extradite Castro — and that instead, “Greg Abbott is turning Texas into a sanctuary state for violent criminals.”
Abbott responded to Ellison online as well.
“You guys are such bad lawyers. You showed up unprepared, uninformed & unpersuasive,” Abbott wrote online. “You don’t know the law & it showed.”
The Texas governor accused Minnesota of refusing to enforce immigration laws and threatened to send immigrants in the future to their state as he did with New York City, when thousands were released into Texas under President Joe Biden's administration.
A message seeking reaction from Ellison was sent to his office Thursday.
Valerie Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas. Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this story.
The Carrizalez-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro was held, is shown in Brownsville, Texas on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Gonzalez)
Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Treviño speaks during a news conference outside of the Carrizalez-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center shortly after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro was released in Brownsville, Texas on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Gonzalez)
A vehicle waits outside of the Carrizalez-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center for the release of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro in Brownsville, Texas on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Gonzalez)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro gets into a car surrounded by news reporters moments after being released from the Carrizalez-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center in Brownsville, Texas on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Gonzalez)
FILE - Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty holds up a document containing charges against ICE agent Christian Castro during a news conference at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, on Monday, May 18, 2026. (Renée Jones Schneider/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP,File)
