Austal rolling out WeCobot robotic welding systems for Henderson shipyard

“Combining precision with speed, the WeCobot is capable of both aluminium and steel welding to support the build of Austal’s current and future projects,” a public statement from Austal said.

“This Cobot or collaborative robot welding system has just arrived at our Henderson shipyard and is being coded and tested for use by the Austal fabrication team.

“This is expected to be the first of multiple Cobots on site and reflects our commitment to innovation and building scale in our operations.

“Importantly, this technology does not replace our skilled welders; it works alongside them, boosting output as Austal gears up for a major pipeline of work.”

Earlier this month, Austal also announced that it had commenced a $600,000 collaborative research project with Curtin University and the Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre to unlock new additive manufacturing opportunities.

Over the next 18 months, that project will develop a practical, industry-ready framework capable of providing consistent methodology for assessing potentially thousands of components against operational, commercial, technical and regulatory requirements.

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Sam Abbott, Austal head of research and development, said the project will help embed additive manufacturing more strategically across the business.

“The challenge is no longer whether additive manufacturing works. The challenge is knowing where it delivers the greatest value,” Abbott said.

“This framework will help us quantify the demand for additive manufacturing across maritime and defence programs, allowing industry to make better investment decisions, build more resilient supply chains and accelerate the uplift of Australia’s advanced manufacturing capabilities.”

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.