ADAPTIVE WELDING FOR SHIPYARDS

Reports on an aggressive project to develop an advanced, automated wel ding system, being completed at Babcock & Wilcox, CIM Systems. This sy stem, the programmable automated welding system (PAWS), involves the i ntegration of both planning and control technologies to address the ne eds of small batch robotic welding operations. PAWS is specifically de signed to provide an automated means of planning, controlling, and eva luating critical welding situations in shipyard environments to improv e productivity and quality. Five varieties (wall, lathe, floor mount, cantilevered, and gantry) of PAWS welding systems currently exist.