HD Hyundai Robotics targets US shipyards with ArcLift cobots

HD Hyundai Robotics detailed plans Oct. 15 to demonstrate its ArcLift portable welding robots at FABTECH 2026, advancing an export push aimed at labor-strained American shipyards.

The company, the automation equipment unit of South Korean shipbuilding conglomerate HD Hyundai, builds industrial robots and factory software. Its specialized machinery targets ship assembly halls where structural welding shortages slow production schedules.

The commercial push follows a contract with Louisiana-based Chouest Group covering four commercial shipyards across the Americas. Three installations are in North America, representing 60% of Chouest Group's five domestic shipyards, alongside one yard in Brazil.

Chouest Group operates roughly 300 offshore vessels and builds specialized commercial tonnage. The deployment represents the first overseas commercial shipyard supply agreement for HD Hyundai Robotics, the company said.

The ArcLift series consists of two mobile configurations, the ArcLift GO and ArcLift SLIDE. Both platforms rely on collaborative robots—automated arms engineered with safety limiters to operate alongside human workers without protective safety cages.

Shipbuilding panel blocks contain tight, enclosed steel cells that overhead cranes and standard gantry welders cannot access. ArcLift systems use lightweight frames that human operators can reposition by hand between compartments, the company said.

The hardware uses plug-and-play connections and pre-programmed software interfaces, avoiding custom line-side coding. That portability allows a single technician to manage two to three robotic welders simultaneously, multiplying output per shift.

HD Hyundai Robotics deployed early ArcLift units inside domestic shipyards in South Korea to test joint tracking before clearing the equipment for export. Field testing proved that automated seam passes match the consistency of certified human welders.

The company will also display ArcPak, an automated welding cell designed for shipyard sub-assembly work. Sub-assembly involves welding smaller stiffeners, brackets and steel plates before blocks move into main drydocks.

ArcPak pairs three-dimensional structured-light scanning—a vision method that projects light grids to measure physical dimensions—with computer-aided design files. The system measures actual cut steel parts and automatically generates the robot toolpath, the company said.

Automated path adjustments compensate for minor plate warping and cutting errors common in heavy steel fabrication. Eliminating manual teaching points reduces changeover delays between customized vessel sections, the company said.

HD Hyundai Robotics will also present ArcAdapt IQ, an artificial-intelligence quality control package. The software monitors the molten weld pool in real time using specialized vision cameras mounted on the robot arm.

The system analyzes weld pool conditions dynamically, automatically adjusting electric current, voltage and travel speed while the arc is active, the company said. Those adjustments prevent defects when joint gaps or plate alignments vary.

Real-time parameter corrections let heavy fabrication shops conduct welding and non-destructive quality inspection in a single pass. That capability cuts secondary rework and grinding on structural hull seams, the company said.

The exhibition lineup also features the company's HDC series of collaborative robots. HD Hyundai Robotics introduced the high-payload cobots in September 2026 for heavy industrial handling, machine tending and component transfer.

The HDC series incorporates the company's SafeTICS functional safety platform to permit high-speed movement without safety barriers. The machinery targets material handling alongside the dedicated welding systems, the company said.

Commercial marketing in North America runs through HD Hyundai Robotics USA, based in Duluth, Georgia. The subsidiary manages systems integration, distributor networks and on-site engineering across Gulf Coast and East Coast shipbuilding corridors.

American shipbuilders face severe labor constraints, with yards reporting multi-year backlogs for certified structural welders. Recruitment shortfalls have slowed commercial construction and strained naval vessel maintenance schedules across regional yards.

HD Hyundai has broadened industrial ties with American shipbuilders under bilateral smart-yard initiatives, including naval partnerships with Huntington Ingalls Industries. The group has also partnered with Siemens to implement digital twin software in fabrication facilities.

The group is using robot exports to establish operational references inside Western shipyards ahead of broader automation upgrades. Supplying modular welding cells requires lower initial capital outlay than building fully mechanized block assembly lines.

Commercial adoption also reflects expanding policy discussions in Washington on maritime industrial capacity and automation technology security. American shipyards are reviewing allied automation vendors to modernize aging fabrication infrastructure and expand output.

The FABTECH 2026 metal forming, fabricating and welding exhibition opens Oct. 21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, running through Oct. 23. HD Hyundai Robotics will conduct live demonstrations of all four systems at booth S40105.

The company did not disclose the financial value or the unit delivery schedule of the Chouest Group contract, and corporate filings did not report new commercial terms on Oct. 15.