Samsung Heavy Industries Develops Laser High-speed Welding Robot For LNG Vessels

On Thursday local time, South Korean shipbuilding giant Samsung Heavy Industries (Samsung Heavy Industries) announced that the company has developed a laser high-speed welding robot applied to the field of marine, aimed at significantly improving the productivity of the construction of liquefied natural gas ships ("LNG ships").
It is reported that this new technology is specifically designed to quickly weld the hull membrane plates used in the cargo hold of LNG carriers. These membranes are made of thin layers of stainless steel and are in direct contact with ultra-low temperature liquid natural gas.
Comparative tests have shown that conventional plasma arc welding (PAW) methods take about five minutes to weld a two-meter-long membrane plate, while the new laser welding robot can complete the task in just one minute.
Developed by Samsung's Production Technology Research Center, the laser high-speed welding robot employs an oscillating welding method that rotates the laser beam at precise intervals and speeds. The technology also features an out-of-focus function to adjust the focal point and a laser displacement sensor to automatically locate the bent welding position.
The integration of this advanced welding technology is expected to significantly improve the shipbuilder's efficiency in building LNG vessels.
The company plans to begin full-scale production using the technology after completing application tests with French engineering firm GTT's LNG cargo tank (MK-III) and obtaining final customer approval later this year.
Choi Du-Jin, head of Samsung Heavy Industries' Production Technology Research Center, said, "The laser high-speed welding robot will be the core technology that maintains overwhelming competitiveness in the critical process of building cargo tanks for LNG carriers. In the future, we plan to apply it to high-speed welding of cargo tanks of ultra-low-temperature liquid hydrogen carriers."
Samsung Heavy Industries maintains a global leadership position in high-tech shipbuilding, holding a 1/3 share of the market for drillships, LNG carriers and FPSOs, according to official information. The company developed and built the world's first Arctic shuttle tanker and LNG fpso, and has opened up new markets by developing innovative products such as LNG fsru, various ships for polar regions, Arctic icebreakers and container ships. In the field of offshore installations, it also successfully delivered the world's largest semi-submersible offshore drilling rig. If this laser high-speed welding robot can be used on a large scale by Samsung Heavy Industries in the future, this technology is expected to accelerate the penetration of the shipbuilding industry.