Technological Breakthroughs Solve Industry Pain Points, Intelligent Becomes a Key Breakthrough
To address the common industry challenges of unstable paint film thickness, low operation efficiency, and high energy consumption in traditional manual and mechanical spraying, Offshore Oil Engineering (COOEC) collaborated with leading domestic equipment manufacturers to conduct technological research. They successfully applied more than ten new technologies and independently developed an AGV intelligent crawler-type transfer vehicle.
First Intelligent Coating Production Line Put into Operation, Aiding the Transformation of Marine Equipment Manufacturing
According to media reports on August 21, China’s first intelligent coating production line for offshore oil and gas equipment has been officially put into use at the Zhuhai Deepwater Equipment Manufacturing Base (hereinafter referred to as “Zhuhai Site”) under COOEC. The completion and operation of this production line are of great significance for accelerating the intelligent transformation of offshore oil and gas equipment manufacturing and fostering new productive forces in the marine field.
Core Value of the Coating Process: Building a “Protective Shield” for Marine Equipment
Coating is a key link in offshore oil and gas equipment manufacturing. By applying an anti-corrosion coating system, it can effectively protect the equipment structure from seawater corrosion, salt spray erosion, and marine biological attachment, thereby significantly extending its service life and reducing maintenance costs.
Four Core Components of the Production Line, Efficiency 4-8 Times Higher Than Traditional Modes
According to Qu Huajing, Manager of the Coating Scaffolding Operation Department at COOEC’s Zhuhai Site, the newly commissioned intelligent coating production line has been optimally designed specifically for ultra-large tower structures. It mainly consists of four parts: roller racks, outer wall spraying robots, inner wall spraying robots, and AGV intelligent crawler-type transfer vehicles. The production line supports full-process intelligent control, enabling point-to-point precise spraying, autonomous programming, and automatic obstacle avoidance. It can also customize coating systems according to actual needs, with overall work efficiency 4-8 times higher than traditional manual operations.
Limitations of Traditional Spraying Modes: Dual Challenges of Efficiency and Quality
In marine equipment manufacturing, traditional manual and mechanical spraying generally face problems such as unstable paint film thickness, low operation efficiency, and high energy consumption. Taking the Inch Cape European wind power jacket project as an example, due to the volume limitation of the tower, there are robot spraying blind spots of approximately 2500 mm at both the front and rear inside. In the past, relying on manual work to complete these areas took at least 30 minutes, and problems such as uneven paint surfaces and missed spraying areas were prone to occur.
New Technologies Solve Blind Spot Problems, Enabling 24-Hour Continuous Operation
To solve this industry pain point, COOEC collaborated with leading domestic equipment manufacturers to conduct technological research, successfully applying more than ten new technologies and independently developing an AGV intelligent crawler-type transfer vehicle. Equipped with spraying robots, this equipment achieves full-coverage automated operation on the inner wall of the tower, reducing the original spraying time to only 5 minutes. Meanwhile, the entire production line adopts a highly integrated air supply and power system design with fully enclosed protection capabilities, supporting 24-hour continuous full-load operation of the robots.
Full-Process Automated Closed Loop: CNC Lathe Automatic Loading&Unloading System
Enhances Collaborative Efficiency
In the collaborative system of this intelligent coating production line, the simultaneous application of the CNC Lathe Automatic Loading&Unloading System
forms an efficient closed loop in the manufacturing process. This system realizes data interconnection with the AGV intelligent crawler-type transfer vehicle of the coating production line. During the preprocessing stage of the tower structure, it can automatically complete precise loading, processing positioning, and unloading transfer of workpieces, shortening the turnover time of a single batch of components by 40%. This lays a solid foundation for the efficient connection of subsequent intelligent coating processes, highlighting the multiplier effect of full-process automation on the manufacturing efficiency of offshore oil and gas equipment.
Future Plan: AI Algorithms Drive Further Upgrades in Coating Technology
In the future, COOEC plans to further introduce AI autonomous learning algorithms to dynamically optimize spraying paths and film thickness control, realize adaptive spraying of complex curved surfaces, and continuously improve construction accuracy and material utilization. This will provide a new industry paradigm for the customized and intelligent production of offshore oil and gas equipment.
Automation engineering of production lines in the automotive industry
AI production line automation robots in the automotive industry
