India's Cochin Shipyard Launches Domestically Developed Laser-Arc Hybrid Welding System

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 11, India's Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and SFO Technologies jointly unveiled an independently designed and manufactured laser-arc hybrid welding (HLAW) technology, and inaugurated an Advanced Laser Engineering Centre and hybrid welding R&D facility at the NeST Hitek Park campus in Kalamassery, Kerala. The collaboration was implemented jointly by Cochin Shipyard and SFO Technologies, a NeST Group company. The core equipment employs high-power fiber lasers independently developed by SFO Technologies, and integrates laser welding, conventional arc welding, robotics, and automated control systems into a single welding platform. The two companies describe it as India's first independently designed and manufactured system of its kind.

The system uses a hybrid laser-arc heat source process. Unlike laser or conventional arc welding used alone, hybrid welding directs the laser beam and the arc into the same molten pool, leveraging the high energy density and deep penetration of the laser while utilizing the role of arc welding in filler material and weld bead formation. The two heat sources work in concert to increase welding speed while meeting joint quality requirements, and to improve weld penetration and formation consistency.

The developed system also integrates robotics and automated equipment, enabling laser processing, welding execution, and motion control to be incorporated into a unified workflow. In shipbuilding, welding operations involve the joining of hull plates, block structures, bulkheads, and other large steel structures, where welding speed, penetration depth, thermal deformation, and weld consistency directly affect block manufacturing and subsequent assembly. The technical objectives disclosed for the project include increasing welding speed and penetration depth, reducing welding deformation, and improving quality consistency across different welding positions and batches.

In terms of scope of application, beyond shipbuilding, the system also targets defense equipment, heavy machinery, railway equipment, and energy equipment manufacturing. Specific workpieces include large storage tanks, railway freight car bodies, and other large metal structural components. These products typically contain long welds, plate splicing, and complex structural joints, placing high demands on the continuous operation capability, weld quality, and processing repeatability of automated welding equipment. The jointly developed technology platform will provide a new welding process option for these manufacturing sectors.

The Advanced Laser Engineering Centre and HLAW R&D facility inaugurated alongside the system are located at the NeST Hitek Park campus and are primarily responsible for R&D, testing, process validation, and commercialization of advanced laser technologies. Jose V. J., Chairman and Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard, and N. Jehangir, Chairman and Managing Director of SFO Technologies, jointly attended the facility inauguration event. The two parties will use the centre to conduct research on laser processing and hybrid welding technology and to advance the validation of equipment and processes in actual industrial manufacturing scenarios.

SFO Technologies is responsible for the independent development of high-power fiber lasers and participates in the engineering integration of the complete system; Cochin Shipyard contributes to joint technology development by incorporating welding requirements from shipbuilding. SFO Technologies has previously established operations in fiber lasers, high-power lasers, optoelectronic sensors, and laser welding, and possesses related design, manufacturing, and testing capabilities. This collaboration combines its laser technology with Cochin Shipyard's shipbuilding application scenarios, extending the R&D scope from laser light sources to hybrid welding systems.