Wolf Robotics to Outline New Welding Automation for NSRP
One goal is to automatically generate weld paths directly from CAD models to reduce the manual programming time currently required for robotic welding in shipyards.
Posted: February 9, 2015
The National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP), is defined as a collaboration of U.S. shipyards working together to reduce the cost of building, operating and repairing Navy ships by improving productivity and quality through advanced technology and processes. Though founded in 1971, NSRP’s goal has remained the same.
One of the program’s latest undertakings involves a collaboration of industry leaders with diverse and very specific expertise who will be working to make advancements in the area of Computer-Aided Robotics for Welding (CAR-W), a software technology that strives to take the manual welding typically found in shipbuilding and automate it through robotic systems.
Wolf Robotics, LLC (Fort Collins, CO) will present an outline for the CAR-W NSRP Project. This project will focus on developing the ability for a robotic system to automatically generate weld paths directly from CAD models, which will significantly reduce the large amount of manual programming time currently required for robotic systems that are utilized in “high-mix,” “low-volume” shipyard environments.
One of the goals of the project is to enable shipyards to implement robotics into their production processes with greater ease in order to help to reduce overall costs, improve weld quality, and aid in meeting accelerated schedule objectives. The project team, in addition to Wolf Robotics, includes Bollinger Shipyards, Ingalls Shipyards, ShipConstructor Software Inc., The Edison Welding Institute, Colorado State University, Purdue University, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, Longview Advisors, and Dr. Tony Maciejewski.
Wolf Robotics provides automated solutions for fabricators and currently has supplied over 8,500 robots worldwide for welding, cutting, press brakes and material removal.
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