Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) announced that it has developed the industry's first "laser high-speed welding robot," which has dramatically improved the speed for welding membrane panels in the cargo holds of LNG carriers. As the new laser high-speed welding robot performs up to five times faster than the existing plasma arc welding (PAW) method, it is expected to significantly increase the production efficiency of LNG carriers.
 

The building process of LNG cargo hold is mainly composed of installation of the insulation materials and the construction of the membrane. Here, the complex process of the membrane panel construction, which involves direct contact with cryogenic liquefied natural gas, is difficult and time-consuming due to the complex skills required for the welding work.
 

The industry has been facing difficulties in securing skilled welding capacity, while PAW has reached a limit in productivity enhancement. Thus, the industry was in big demand for new welding technologies. In response, the Production Technology Research Center of Samsung Heavy Industries has been developing a high-speed welding robot optimized for membrane cargo holds by applying the technical characteristics of laser welding since 2021.

As of last month, Samsung Heavy Industries successfully completed its laser high-speed welding robot test on a Korean LNG carrier (KC-2C). It further plans to test the robot on a LNG carrier (MK-Ⅲ) of the French company GTT within this year and obtain end-use approval. Once approved, the company plans to start its full production. ​