ogrammed Robot for Welding in Shipyards

Automating the welding process for the shipbuilding industry is very challenging and important, as this industry relies heavily on quality welds. Conventional robotic welding systems are seldom used because the welding tasks in shipyards are characterised by non-standardised workpieces which are large but small in batch sizes. Furthermore, geometries and locations of the workpieces are uncertain. To tackle the problem, a Ship Welding Robot System (SWERS) has been developed for the welding process. Main features of the SWERS include a special teaching procedure that allows the human user to teach the robot welding paths at a much easier and faster pace. In addition, operation of the system is made easier through custom designed man-machine interface. Through this interface, only a few buttons need to be pressed to command the robot into different modes. Optimised welding parameters can be selected from a large database though a Graphical User Interface system. INTRODUCTION In today’s demanding and competitive ship building and repair industry, new technology is very much needed and automation plays a key role to improving the productivity and quality of shipyards. Welding is fundamental task in shipyards and marine/offshore companies. It is used in building and repairing structures. Fig 1 shows a typical panel consisting of a steel plate (base) and a number of vertically mounted stiffeners and webs. The webs are welded perpendicularly across the stiffeners, after the stiffeners are welded onto the panel. Welding of the stiffeners vertically onto