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Large constructions and aggressive environments are two basic conditions to be considered in manufacturing for the shipbuilding and offshore industries.
A large number of processes are used to prepare the components that will be part of the construction.
Various materials are cut using oxy-fuel, plasma or even laser cutting, depending on the type of material and the required weld preparation. For joining, the arc processes MIG, MAG, TIG and plasma welding, and the flame process gas welding, can be chosen depending on the type of material and the welding conditions. Furthermore, although this industry involves heavy construction, laser welding is also finding more and more applications in shipbuilding, such as laser welding of sandwich decks and stringers.
About 40-50% of the manufacturing time for a ship body is devoted to removal of distortions! The flame process, flame straightening, is the preferred tool for effective correction of distortions. If carried out by an experienced worker with the proper equipment, a considerable amount of money can be saved by straightening out distortions instead of producing a new component.
Flame gouging, another flame process, is used to remove weld imperfections before rewelding. Flame cleaning, on the other hand, targets the surface only and is used to remove layers like rust, paint or grease from large surface areas.
Protection of the components against wear and corrosion is often provided by applying surface coatings. These can be produced by a welding process or by flame spraying, which can be carried out on-site and will also protect the weld seams. |
