from automation at swan hunter improves quality and efficiency
TRANSCRIPT
AUTOMATION AT SWAN HUNTERIMPROVES QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY
Reprinted and Amended From
Welding Design & FabricationSeptember 2003
production processes and identifyareas where automation could beutilized.
During this process, weld prep andautomated welding/cutting equip-ment manufactured by GullcoInternational was selected for sev-eral areas of production on theirships. Gullco is known throughoutthe world as a leader in the designand manufacture of reliable, costreducing welding and cuttingequipment.
The highly versatile KAT travelcarriage system was selected for a variety of applications includingpositional cutting. It was foundthat, in this application, the KATwas able to produce cuts equal tothose preformed on “groundbased” equipment. The benefit ofthe Gullco KAT is that it allowsthese quality cuts to be made in anyposition, including horizontal, ver-tical, and overhead. This greatlyenhanced efficiency as cutting waseasily integrated into the shipbuilding process. Gullco KATs arealso used for a wide variety ofmulti positional welding applica-tions. Outfitted with GullcoOscillators, these units providehigh quality mechanized welds inall positions, including overhead.This greatly reduces productiontimes while improving the qualityof the welds. Swan Hunter alsotook advantage of the efficientGullco Moggy trackless fillet
Alternative Landing Naval Ship under construction at Swan Hunter TynesideLtd. shipyard in Wallsend, England. When complete the ship will have an over-all length of 176.6 m, a 26.4 m beam and deep displacement of 16,000 tons.
Swan Hunter (Tyneside) Ltd. ofWallsend, UK are in the process ofbuilding two Alternative LandingNaval ships for the Royal FleetAuxiliary. When complete, theships will transport troops, storesequipment and vehicles world-wide and deploy them into battle.They will also be suitable for dis-aster relief and other humanitarianmissions.
One of the main challenges facedby Swan Hunter in this £140Mproject is to maintain high qualitystandards while at the same timereducing manufacturing costs andmeeting tight delivery schedules.In order to meet these challenges,Swan Hunter had to review their
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Gullco Kat Travel Carriages are usedextensively to produce quality welds in allpositions at the Swan Hunter Shipyard.Coupled with Gullco Oscillators, theseunits produce high quality mechanizedwelds in good production times.
Above: Stiffener welding using GullcoMoggy trackless fillet weldingmachines.
Left: Capping pass weld using GullcoKat Oscillator Combination.
ceramics for use. The productmore than pays for itself as itenables high quality, single sidedwelding...producing x-ray qualityback beads without costly grind-ing, gouging and re-welding.KATBACK’s radiused edgesenable use on flat or curved sur-faces.
Swan Hunter and Gullco
welding machine in their stiffenerwelding operations. These unitssave hours of welding time andimprove weld quality.
Plate edge preparation was anoth-er area of production that SwanHunter was able to incorporateGullco Technology. They decidedto use Gullco GBM-18 high speedportable plate edge bevelingmachines. This decision was basedon the GBM-18's ability to “coldcut” edge bevels, saving time andeliminating heat input to theplate...improving weld quality.This feature of the GBM-18 elimi-nates any heat affected zone thatcould be “hardenable” preventingpotentially disastrous results in thewelding of critical structures. Theunit is operated by one man and isquiet and vibration free.
“Every modern” shipyard is nowusing ceramic weld backings inorder to aid in weld quality andfacilitate single sided welding.They chose Gullco “KATBAK”
Gullco series of GBM Plate EdgeBevellers provide clean machinedbevels in preparation of welding.
International continue to find newways of improving quality, reducing production time andadding efficiency in these shipbuilding projects.
To date, Gullco equipment hasproven to be very effective at theSwan Hunter shipyard and at othership building operations around the world.
Distributed by Website: www.gullco.comGULLCO INTERNATIONAL LIMITED - CANADA
Phone: 905-953-4140 Fax: 905-953-4138 e-mail: [email protected]
G U L L C O I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C . - U . S . A .Phone: 440-439-8333 Fax: 440-439-3634 e-mail: [email protected]
GULLCO INTERNATIONAL [U.K.] LIMITED - EUROPEPhone: +44 (0) 1257-253579 Fax: +44 (0) 1257-254629 e-mail: [email protected]
GULLCO INTERNATIONAL PTY LIMITED - AUSTRALIAPhone: 61 (0) 7 5496-9555 Fax: 61 (0) 7 5496-9522 e-mail: [email protected]
G U L L C O I N T E R N AT I O N A L L I M I T E D - I N D I ATelefax: 91 (0) 20-24272212 Fax: 91 (0) 20-26120802 e-mail: [email protected]
GULLCO INTERNATIONAL SHANGHAI LIMITEDPhone: +8621-50460341 Fax: +8621-50463554 e-mail: [email protected]
Single sided welds were possible in many weld operations through the use ofGullco KATBAK ceramic weld backings. This improves weld quality andreduces weld time by as much as 50%.
Swan Hunter & Gullco cont’d
BULLETIN PA-SH0604