China has deployed its first domestically built AI-driven robotic welding system for offshore oil and gas rig fabrication at a smart manufacturing hub in Tianjin.
The system was developed by Offshore Oil Engineering Co. and is designed to handle complex marine welding for specialized offshore components, including module nodes, buckle rings and strengthening rings used in deepwater jackets.
According to the company, the robotic system reduces worker exposure to hazardous worksites and toxic welding fumes. Human workers can instead supervise and manage automated production.
The system has already improved operational efficiency by 40%. Built for heavy-duty manufacturing, it has a service life of 20 years, a maximum load capacity of 30 t and can cut and weld steel up to 70 mm thick.
The robotic welder uses AI software, camera-based weld seam detection and intelligent 3D laser vision. It can scan its working area in real time, make operational decisions and adjust its actions when an error occurs or when a human operator changes instructions.
Before welding starts, the system can prepare a work strategy for each steel component, giving supervisors a preview of the expected final result.
With one command, the robotic arm can carry out the full welding process using real-time data. Its AI-enabled precision delivers a first-pass qualification rate of more than 98%, reducing the need for costly and time-consuming structural rework.
The company said market readiness required nearly 10 months of on-site debugging to ensure the system could operate in harsh shipyard conditions. It was also tested more than 1,000 times to improve accuracy and refine its AI system before production deployment.
The deployment reflects China’s AI Plus Initiative, as heavy industry shifts from hazardous, labor-intensive shipyard work toward automated and self-correcting robotic systems.
