The continuous development of shipbuilding technology has led to major changes in shipbuilding materials and ship design. The application of laser technology in ship manufacturing has its unique characteristics, which is closely related to the processing and application characteristics of the ship itself and the characteristics of the laser manufacturing system. So, what are the specific applications of laser in ships?
In recent years, “precision shipbuilding” and “rapid shipbuilding” have become the main trends in the development of shipbuilding industry. Laser cutting technology has been rapidly developed, accounting for more than 70% of the entire laser processing industry. The shipbuilding industry is mainly based on steel plate raw materials. The use of laser cutting plates can replace some punching processing methods that require the use of complex large molds, greatly reducing the production cycle and reducing costs. After the laser cutting machine is used for blanking to eliminate the assembly allowance, the phenomenon of on-site repair and cutting is eliminated, the waste of labor and materials is reduced, the frame assembly speed is significantly accelerated, and the assembly quality is significantly improved.
At present, flame cutting, plasma cutting, shearing and laser cutting are the main cutting methods of hull plate parts in the shipbuilding industry. Other cutting methods have many disadvantages compared with laser cutting. In the field of ship manufacturing, laser cutting avoids the occurrence of uneven cutting quality when plasma is used to cut the rib plate, in order to ensure the assembly clearance, the trimming allowance is set on the rib plate, and the trimming is carried out manually. So as to reduce the workload, assembly cycle, material and labor costs of assembly.
The marine steel plate cut by laser has good cutting quality, good perpendicularity of the cutting surface, no slagging, thin oxide layer, smooth surface, no secondary processing, direct welding, small thermal deformation, high curve cutting accuracy, reduced working hours, and achieved barrier-free cutting of high-strength ship plate.
In the domestic shipbuilding industry, laser cutting does not occupy a leading position, the main reasons include: ① the cost of laser cutting is higher than that of traditional cutting methods; ② Large laser cutting equipment is not suitable for the manufacturing characteristics of the shipbuilding industry, such as on-site construction, segmented operation, complex working environment, etc.; ③ There is no obvious advantage in cutting efficiency, especially for thick plate cutting in the shipbuilding industry; ④ The maintenance of laser equipment is complex and requires high cost for workers. In view of the special requirements of the ship outfitting work on the cutting machine and the diversity of the processing shapes of the profiles used in the hull structure, the current situation of the industry is discussed.