Plans for the steel product were first revealed in May 2021. A renewed letter of intent signed by the pair includes the development of new robotic products and high-technology solutions.
Use in Fincantieri shipyards
The robot is currently being tested with Fincantieri’s objective to use the innovation within its shipyards to autonomously weld steel structures which, according to the shipbuilder and Comau, could result in a possible threefold increase compared to a manual process.
Implementing automated solutions for highly repetitive and non-high value-added production activities represents one of the pillars of Fincantieri’s strategy.
MR4Weld
Outdoor solution MR4Weld – Mobile Robot for Welding – is built for improving quality, performance and well-being during labour-intensive welding activities. It consists of a high-payload, six-axis articulated robot fitted with a welding torch that is installed on a tracked undercarriage and equipped with an integrated vision system to autonomously identify welding joints. Significantly, it guarantees better welding quality while reducing ergonomic risks, helping the transformation of the shipbuilding production process by ensuring greater flexibility and improved safety in addition to lower overall costs.
MR4Weld can manoeuvre in any environment and collaborate with workers, and can be easily managed by a single operator during welding tasks. Plus, it employs digital tools to collect welding and production data that can be used to record the welded joints.
In full compliance with current safety regulations, MR4Weld can be used without fences on each of the multiple decks a vessel is composed of, and can be seamlessly integrated within Comau’s digital infrastructure to further safeguard the robotic system’s productivity and profitability.
Fincantieri and Comau have jointly filed a European patent application for specific MR4Weld technological features.
Automating manual processes
The first letter of intent was aimed at developing robotized steel welding solution prototypes and the resulting construction of a series of machines. Once production tests of the prototypes are successfully completed, the renewed agreement signed by Comau CEO Pietro Gorlier and Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero will see the companies endeavour to apply mobile robotic solutions to automate traditionally manual processes.
This will include processes characterised by vertical and non-linear surfaces as well as unstructured environments, in addition to the testing of Comau’s exoskeletons for further improving operators’ ergonomic conditions and well-being.
Fincantieri will also work with Comau to strengthen and upgrade the technical skills of its operators in terms of using and programming the robotized mobile systems, by adapting to the shipbuilding operators’ dedicated advanced training formats, which have already been developed by Comau.
'MR4Weld is a project that meets multiple directions of our development: automation and digitization, two driving forces of our business plan,’ explained Folgiero. He added that it also supports Fincantieri’s commitments on corporate-social responsibility, adhering to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, and supporting safety and training.
Gorlier said that alongside Fincantieri, it will ‘explore groundbreaking robotized mobile systems for unstructured environments,’ adding, ‘the extension of our collaboration reflects Comau’s determination to deliver cutting-edge, highly flexible solutions for complex production scenarios…’
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