As a typical heavy-industry sector, shipbuilding has long faced challenges such as complex welding processes, high workpiece variability, and frequent demands for small-batch production. Traditional welding robots, which rely on fixed programming, struggle to adapt to dynamic environments, resulting in both efficiency bottlenecks and a continued reliance on manual labor.

Against this backdrop, STEP Shanghai Xia'ao Company (SKE) and STEP Robot Company (STEP ROBOT), together with their partners, have launched an intelligent welding robot solution centered on the “robotics + AI” strategy. This solution helps shipbuilding shift from “experience-driven” to “data-driven” manufacturing, ushering in a new chapter of intelligent and flexible production.

Intelligent Leap: From “Program Execution” to “Scenario Adaptation”

Based on the Smart Robot universal technology platform, STEP deeply integrates environmental perception, dynamic decision-making, and precise execution capabilities to create an intelligent welding system with autonomous decision-making abilities.

Intelligent sensing

Global: Rapid reconstruction of models based on 3D vision—no models required for typical components in ship assembly groups, enabling real-time feature reconstruction.

Local: An intelligent weld seam recognition and positioning system that quickly and accurately identifies weld seam features and, specifically for shipbuilding components, outputs tailored process characteristics to meet the adaptive requirements of trajectory and welding processes.

Intelligent Path Generation and Trajectory Planning

Based on vision- or model-based autonomous task planning, motion path planning, and welding process planning, this approach enables rapid generation of optimal welding paths by combining global path planning with local precise identification, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional teach-and-play programming. It meets the demands of supporting complex and variable welding scenarios.

Implement autonomous task allocation, collaboration, sequencing, and obstacle-avoidance trajectory planning for multiple robots, thereby enhancing the overall welding efficiency of the robotic system.

Precise execution

Based on STEP Robot’s motion control technology, it precisely executes various welding motion commands, meeting the stringent requirements of shipbuilding for high precision and high strength.

Simplify the end-to-end application

From planning and integration to operation and maintenance, STEP ROBOT adopts the “Five Easies” philosophy (easy planning, easy integration, easy operation, easy maintenance, and easy adaptation) to lower the barrier to automation, making intelligent welding truly “within reach.”

Industry Implementation | Welding Practices for Intelligent Shipbuilding

On April 25, 2025, the completion ceremony and strategic cooperation signing for the “Smart First Group Robotics” project—organized jointly by SKE, STEP ROBOT, their partner Yizhi Intelligence, and leading shipbuilding enterprises—was held with great solemnity at the factory in Yushan Town, Kunshan. This event marks the official completion of the next-generation intelligent welding robot system and ushers in a new chapter of deepened collaboration among multiple parties in the field of intelligent manufacturing.

This demonstration highlights the system’s multi-scenario adaptability. Powered by a self-developed software platform, the system can flexibly address the characteristics of shipbuilding components—multiple varieties, small batch sizes, and high levels of differentiation. Building on this foundation, STEP is accelerating the development of a flexible manufacturing platform for intelligent arc welding robots and is achieving three major upgrades: By deeply integrating environmental sensing, dynamic decision-making, and precise execution capabilities, the system ensures intelligent decision-making and accurate execution even in complex environments; it enables full-process data traceability, leverages cloud-based big data analytics to optimize process parameters, and predicts equipment maintenance needs, thereby reducing the risk of downtime; and it fosters an open ecosystem of collaboration, working closely with partners across the industrial chain to cover the entire value chain—from welding process design and equipment integration to after-sales service, providing customers with end-to-end solutions.

The robot automatically completed multiple high-standard welds on-site.

Several industry leaders attended the event, including Lu Dandong, Executive Director of Dongfang Chuangfu; Zhan Jinfeng, Managing Director of Tianhai Defense; Liu Yongjiang, General Manager of Yizhi Intelligence; Wang Junfu, General Manager of Jiamai Ocean; Zhang Zhijun, Vice President of Runbang Shares; and Tian Yongxin, General Manager of STEP Robotics Division (and Chairman of Xia'ao Industrial).

Under the wave of Industry 4.0, STEP takes technological innovation as its driving force and puts customer scenarios at the center, continuously promoting the evolution of robots from “tools” to “partners.” In the future, we will continue to deepen our expertise in vertical sectors and work closely with industry partners to ensure that intelligent welding is no longer a “high-barrier technology,” but rather a “standard competitive edge” for every manufacturing enterprise.

STEP: Smart manufacturing unlocks limitless possibilities, welding the light of tomorrow.

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