Development of Welding Robot for Corner-piece in LNG Ship

Abstract

Generally, angle pieces at the corners of cargo tank of membrane type LNG carrier ship are manually welded, due to their various shapes and positions. In this study, a GTA welding robot system was developed in order to improve productivity, which consists of a 7-axis manipulator, a system controller, a GTA welding power source, and peripheral devices. The welding system is characterized by capabilities of welding corrugated work pieces as well as 90/135 degree linear work pieces, and controlling the entire weld cycle automatically. The developed system was field tested on actual work pieces and its performance was proven to be successful.