HD Hyundai to install robotic welding equipment at HII

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are set to install mechanised welding equipment at HII Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi, to reduce reliance on increasingly scarce expertise in manual welding. The equipment captures process data which can then be used for quality control, and incrementally improve welding accuracy over repeated operations. The two shipyard companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year.

The integration of cutting-edge welding equipment at HII is expected to improve circumstances in US naval shipbuilding and maintenance, thought to be in the doldrums recently with schedule slippage and a still-diminishing workforce.

The shortage of skilled welders is not limited to the US. Robotic welding machines can now produce joints and ‘beads’ to compete with some of the most highly-sought human welders, creating smoother joints connections more effectively, with less wasted metal.

“HII operates one of the most advanced automated production lines in the US shipbuilding industrial base”, said Brian Blanchette, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. He added: “Investments in technology and automation range from large-scale automated panel lines and material handling, to robotic bulkhead fabrication, to numerous other digital and advanced manufacturing tools. This pilot extends that automation footprint further into the production process, and to a greater share of the workforce. Working with HHI allows us to expand targeted automation functions, and integrate shared best practices as we continue delivering the most capable ships to the US Navy.”