Italian company to use robotic welders to speed up construction of US Navy frigates
Fincantieri will use robots to design combat frigates for the US Navy.
This was reported by Defense News.
The Italian shipbuilding company has decided to focus on automation to accelerate its pace and build two frigates a year. Now the shipyard is building three frigates in two years.
“Welding is one of the skills that is hard to find, and the robotic welding we plan to implement triples productivity and improves quality,” said Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri.
It is noted that Fincantieri bought out the American Marinette Marine 16 years ago. It is building the first Constellation-class frigate for the US Navy. The pilot ship is due to be completed in 2026. The program envisages the construction of 20 ships based on the FREMM frigate.
The MR4Weld welding robot was developed jointly with the Italians from Comau. The MR4Weld welding robot was developed jointly with the Italians from Comau. The robot can detect welding joints on its own or receive instructions from a human on where to weld. The main reason why manufacturers have taken this step is the shortage of specialists in the United States.
