Recently, Yangzhou COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry officially launched five intelligent short straight pipe production lines that cover the full diameter range (large, medium, and small). Among them, the fully automated medium-diameter (DN65-DN125) production line—a national first—stands out as a highlight, elevating China’s ship pipe processing industry to the forefront of intelligent manufacturing and marking a new chapter in the company’s “digital transformation and intelligent upgrade” strategy.
The five newly operational intelligent production lines represent a fundamental shift from the long-standing reliance on manual labor in ship pipe processing. The medium-diameter automatic flange welding line, a breakthrough example, has successfully established China’s first fully unmanned system covering the entire process from cutting, rust removal, marking, assembly, and welding to logistics. This system achieves seamless automation from precise pipe length measurement and automatic marking to double-end beveling, intelligent flange matching and assembly, and high-precision robotic welding. This innovation completely resolves core industry challenges such as excessive manual intervention, unstable processing precision, and low production efficiency in traditional methods.
The outstanding performance of the medium-diameter production line stems from its integrated core intelligent technologies. Two high-precision 6-axis welding robots work in tandem to complete precise inner and outer seam welding of flanges, reducing single-operation time to just 3.5 minutes—four times more efficient than manual welding. Its adaptive assembly system combines advanced 3D vision scanning and force-control feedback to automatically identify and precisely match flanges and pipes of varying specifications, enabling rapid and flexible production switching for the full DN65-DN125 pipe diameter range. The laser rust removal and automatic marking system conducts automatic inspection and comparison for each pipe before performing laser rust removal and marking, saving millions in annual surface treatment costs compared to current industry solutions. Additionally, the workshop has established an efficient smart logistics network where AGVs and powered chain conveyor systems work together to automate workpiece transfer between processing stations (cutting, assembly, welding), reducing manual handling time by over 70%.
Yangzhou COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry’s intelligent upgrade is a systematic project to achieve full-process automation in ship pipe processing. All five intelligent production lines and key supporting equipment—such as elbow welding machines and pipe benders—are connected to a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) jointly developed with universities. This “central nervous system” for workshop production management, combined with digital twin technology (creating a virtual model synchronized with the real workshop), enables real-time collection and analysis of vast equipment operation and production progress data. Engineers can use the system for remote monitoring, process optimization, and predictive maintenance, significantly enhancing workshop management intelligence and response efficiency.
The successful launch of the intelligent production lines has delivered comprehensive, quantifiable benefits. Production efficiency has seen a leap: the medium-diameter line can stably complete welding for 120 double-end flanges per shift—a 200% increase. Workshop monthly capacity is projected to double by the end of 2027 compared to traditional production lines. Processing precision has achieved a qualitative breakthrough: laser cutting precision remains stable at ±1mm, robotic welding first-pass qualification rates exceed 99%, and manual rework demand and related costs have dropped by over 50%. Human resource allocation is now more scientific and efficient: the workshop requires 33 fewer operators than traditional methods, with a single production line needing only 5 operators instead of the previous 20. By optimizing “human-machine collaboration,” employees can focus on higher-value tasks.
The successful operation of the five intelligent production lines marks a major milestone in Yangzhou COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry’s journey toward becoming a digital model shipyard. Building on this foundation, the company is planning its next phase of development: integrating three-dimensional warehousing systems with existing intelligent production lines to establish a deeper unmanned, streamlined operation system from material storage to production delivery. While China’s shipbuilding industry is still exploring intelligent transformation paths, the company has already taken the lead through continuous independent innovation, accelerating the evolution of ship pipe processing toward intelligent and high-end manufacturing. This provides a crucial blueprint for its unwavering commitment to building a “domestically leading, world-class” digital model shipyard.
