Wuhan Institute of Shipbuilding Technology

Wuhan Institute of Shipbuilding Technology (WSPC) is a leading professional and technical institution specializing in advanced training in the fields of marine engineering, modern manufacturing and information technology.

Established 70 years ago, the WSPC is a national training hub working to address China’s skills shortages in engineering and technology. Those shortages were highlighted in China’s national Manufacturing Talent Development Planning Guidance, which notes that three out of the top 10 industries facing the most severe talent shortages gaps are offshore engineering equipment and high-tech shipbuilding, new generation information technology, and high-end computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools and robotics.

The ongoing development and upgrade of smart manufacturing in recent years means that advanced automation technologies, such as autonomous collaborative robots, known as AMRs, are increasingly used in the field of shipbuilding.

To ensure that the technical abilities mastered by its students match the needs of industry, the WSPC has built a complete automated demo production line for marine parts, one that enable it to simulate the real production environment when teaching.

As a key part of its demo production line, the WSPC introduced the MiR Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR). Working together with FANUC’s CRX-10iA Cobot, the MiR250 AMR has become a collaborative robot, responsible for the loading and unloading tasks on the production line.

By deploying this advanced intelligent manufacturing line for marine parts, the WSPC aims to improve the overall quality of training for its students, as well as enhance the research and development (R&D) for new production technologies.

The WSPC set out three tasks for the demo production line: first, make it an R&D base for its teachers and professors; second, ensure students master the design, deployment and its front-end equipment operation; and third, see it become an educational and scientific research base for the whole central China region, provide shipbuilding practitioners the opportunity to improve their skills.

Operating in a simulated manufacturing environment, the MiR250 AMR and FANUC’s cobot are responsible for completing the logistical tasks along the demo production line, ensuring smooth delivery of materials and spare parts across different stops.

After the manufacturing execution system (MES) places an order, the MiR AMR goes into full-action mode. It starts by collecting building materials from warehouses, which it then delivers for the subsequent production procedures. The collaborative robot formed by MiR and FANUC is able to work seamlessly with CNC machines, carrying out a variety of picking and packing tasks. 

MiR AMR and its technical value

Building the WSPC demo production line was no easy task, because it requires close integration between different machines and automation technologies, along with complex high-precision capabilities across the manufacturing process. It means that the stability of the automation technology deployed on this production line is critical. The MiR AMR is favored by the WSPC to deliver excellence in operational performance.

Wang Fan, Senior Development Engineer at Beijing FANUC Electromechanical Co. and developer of the WSPC demo production line, said: "The MiR250 AMR is easy and safe to use, and can quickly adapt to the site environment. Thanks to the excellent hardware design, the MiR AMR seamlessly connects with each station along the production line. In addition, the powerful MiR AMR software collects production-line data in real-time, making it convenient and more valuable for the engineers. They can then analyse a range of information, such as angles and positions, and then apply it to a virtual three-dimensional model to create digital twins, centralize information management, and allow robots to be deployed and get real-time optimization.

MiR AMR and its R&D values

The demo production line, supported by Information Mirroring Mode, enables WSPC students to complete their training on the entire manufacturing process.

Zhou Yu, Deputy Director of the School of Mechanical Engineering at WSPC, said: "From learning how to operate an AMR and cobot, mastering equipment configuration skills, to placing ERP (enterprise resource planning) orders, MES orders, and finally the completion of the processing tasks at each production unit, our students can practice intelligent manufacturing across the whole cycle using this demo production line and go on to graduate as real technical talent."