TPT November 2013

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Welding technology
November 2013 103
Robot welding technology
in pipe shops
THE production of pipe spools for
shipbuilding is a complex and time-
consuming process. Weld quality and
dealing with tolerances are just a few
of the critical factors for effective and
efficient production in pipe shops.
Kranendonk ‘Smart robotics’ has
introduced a solution that automates
pipe spool production: a flange assembly
cell. This robot production system takes
care of assembly and welding of flanges
to tubes, with high quality results.
The flange assembly cell, already
in use at shipyards in Holland and
Singapore, extracts the information
it needs directly from the end user’s
3D CAD system. As a result, manual
programming of the production line
is not needed. This makes the cell
highly flexible and capable of handling
continuously changing designs.
Production tasks are centrally controlled
which means that the system can be run
by just one operator.
The development of the robotic pipe
shop is a result of a thorough analysis of
pipe spool production. Results indicated
that by welding flanges before bending
pipes, 90 per cent less rework was
needed for pipe fitting. This resulted in
a change in production flow. The robotic
pipe shop thus brings a significant
competitive advantage over traditional
pipe spool production.
For highly accurate flange assembly,
Kranendonk developed a robot vision
system. Vision technology enables
robots to recognise flange and tube
location, size, centre point and bolt
holes. This ensures smooth assembly
in the correct orientation for any pipe
length. After picking and placing flanges,
two of the four robots perform tack
welding on both sides of the pipe.
Final MIG/MAG welding is done by
four robots simultaneously at the inner
and outer side of the flange. A clamping
unit rotates the tube at welding speed.
Welding settings such as voltage are
automatically applied by the central
control system. Process data can be
monitored as well as logged for quality
purposes. Thanks to integrated seam
tracking in the ESAB welding equipment,
the system compensates for product
tolerances (ie unroundness) to ensure
accurate end products.
The system can be integrated in a
fully automated pipe shop to achieve
a highly efficient production flow. This
includes transport buffers, a high-
rise storage for 300 pipes, saw and
grinding tool. Smart logistics software
monitors each pipe individually to finish
a pipe every four minutes. In this way
production time and cost per pipe spool
is drastically reduced while weld quality
is increased.
Kranendonk – The Netherlands
Website: