A welding cobot developed by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co.
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) said Monday it has developed a collaborative robot, or cobot, in an effort to boost productivity.
The world’s fourth-largest shipbuilder by order backlog said the newly developed cobot has recently been put into service for the welding job of a vessel’s plumbing.
A cobot is a robot designed for direct human-robot interaction within a shared space, or where humans and robots collaborate in close proximity.
DSME said unlike other industrial robots, the cobot can carry out welding work in close proximity with welders without a safety fence.
To that end, DSME has obtained a certificate for a safe cobot workplace from the Korea Robot User Association, the shipyard said.
DSME said the cobot is expected to improve productivity by reducing preparatory work by around 60 percent and making workers less tired, adding that it will ramp up efforts to develop more related technologies.
Workers had to conduct welding work by carrying and adjusting the location of a torch worktable weighing more than 30 kilograms.
In mid-December, Hanwha Group, the No. 7 conglomerate in South Korea, signed a deal with DSME to acquire a 49.3 percent stake in the shipbuilder, paving the way for a smooth privatization after multiple unsuccessful bids, which began in the late 1990s following the collapse of DSME’s parent firm, Daewoo Group.
(Yonhap)
