BAE Systems Australia – Maritime Robotics & Automation Lead, Tom, is working with a team of manufacturing engineers to further improve robotic welding processes that are delivering improved outcomes while also saving time, measured in weeks, rather than minutes.
Below, Tom provides insight into why the world’s most advanced digital naval shipyard is the envy of shipbuilders around the world.
What is the manufacturing engineering team responsible for?
The manufacturing engineering team works alongside a number of supporting functions across the Hunter Class Frigate Program, including engineering, quality, supply chain, and facilities. From helping determine the build strategy and developing procedures for operating the automated welding equipment, to defining a paint strategy and which paint we use, the team’s mission is to enhance product quality and increase build efficiency in the safest way possible.
Enabling production to ‘turn art into part’ – this was a phrase I heard one of our Maritime leaders use, and I couldn’t agree more. Put simply, this means we support production to turn the digital warship model into a physical product.
Throughout the life of the Hunter program, we are committed to continuously improving our manufacturing processes and ultimately delivering to the Royal Australian Navy the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare frigates.
Why is the automated technology of the robot welders so good, and how is manufacturing engineering improving the technologies and outputs?
In a world where shipbuilding traditionally involves a high volume of manual labour, it would have been easy to feel uncertain about the introduction of robotics.
I think it’s clear now though that the weld quality and repeatability that we achieve from the robots is exceptional. We have been able to use the Hunter program’s prototyping phase to fine-tune the automated equipment, for example, increasing the cutting accuracy while lowering welding heat input of every machine. The improvements we have made, in collaboration with equipment manufacturer PEMA, have helped us to improve our robotics capability, achieving high dimensional accuracy while maximising the efficiency of our build process.
We also worked closely with PEMA to develop the ability to program welds offline. This means that rather than the production team waiting for product to arrive at a workstation before programming a weld, we have enhanced the system to allow us to program welds from a computer anywhere in the shipyard. This can be done months in advance, and means we can virtually weld panels multiple times to optimise the process before the actual weld occurs. This not only delivers improved quality outcomes, but also ensures we are working as efficiently as possible.
Can you reflect on how technology has improved shipbuilding processes?
I’ve been in shipbuilding for three years, but have worked within for BAE Systems’ manufacturing sector for 13 years. While I don’t have the benefit of experiencing traditional shipbuilding practices, I have worked with plenty of people who did. There’s no doubt the introduction of digital advancements within the industry has allowed it to evolve dramatically. Just in the past three years, we have advanced our technology further from when it was delivered to us, and it’s important that we continue to embrace change and continue to evolve, to keep us competitive.
What do you love about your role?
There’s so much to love about it. I love knowing that each small improvement we make in the fabrication stage flows all the way through to the build stage, and eventually knowing we will deliver to the Navy a fleet of vessels that are built to the best standards possible.
I love working in a diverse team that features representatives from different business functions, as well as suppliers, some of whom are based on the other side of the world, all focused on a common goal.
And I am excited that since joining the shipbuilding team, I’ve been able to work on how we incorporate the use of robotics into shipbuilding. When showcasing the capability of the robots to my colleagues inside the production halls, they are blown away – and we’re only just getting started.
Some people think of shipbuilding as a dirty trade – what’s your view on that, and would you recommend shipbuilding as a career to others?
Big. Scary. Dirty. Loud. I think those are some of the traits people associate with shipbuilding, and I think it used to be like that. If I’m honest, I probably thought it was going to be a little bit like that before I joined the Hunter program. There’s no doubt the program, and the shipyard, are big. However, I think most people visiting the yard for the first time are surprised by how clean and organised it is.
I would absolutely recommend shipbuilding to anybody, particularly young engineers coming through university, who may not have thought about it as a career option. The world-leading work we are doing at Osborne will deliver a critical surface combatant capability that will help keep Australians safe for decades to come. I’m proud of that.