Dustin Walper, CEO of Valstad Shipworks, recently showcased an early prototype of a ship hull section, signaling significant advancements in the company's automated shipbuilding process. This sub-scale model, constructed from 3/8-inch steel plate and extruded angle, offers a glimpse into Valstad's ambitious plans to integrate robotics and artificial intelligence to enhance manufacturing speed and efficiency. The initiative underscores Valstad's mission to revitalize American shipbuilding through technological innovation.
Walper detailed the ongoing efforts to refine their robotic operations, stating, "This will get a lot faster - shortening the hold time, deleting the 'return to home position,' speeding up the robots." He emphasized that their proprietary software is central to this efficiency, generating operational sequences and calculating optimal trajectories from 3D design models. This software-driven approach allows for flexible manufacturing, eliminating the need for retooling when adjusting for different plate thicknesses, stiffener spacing, or adding structural components.
Future iterations of Valstad's setup will incorporate advanced robot calibration and computer vision, enabling robots to precisely handle and place arbitrarily-shaped structural members. The company's comprehensive software suite is designed to manage the entire production workflow, from selecting raw materials and preparing them, to optimizing cutting patterns for minimal waste, and directing finished parts to assembly areas for robotic integration. This end-to-end automation aims to streamline the traditionally labor-intensive shipbuilding process.
Valstad Shipworks plans to deploy "useful AI agents" to continuously monitor production, adapt to issues, and generate necessary work instructions for human oversight, thereby significantly reducing manual labor. According to the company's vision, these highly automated operations are projected to achieve an 80% reduction in labor intensity and a 2-4x cost reduction compared to conventional methods. Walper confidently stated, "If we succeed at all of this it will be hands down the most advanced shipbuilding process in the world."
The company is developing "Megayard" and "Gigayard" concepts, envisioning large-scale, software-defined ship factories capable of producing over 100 oceangoing vessels annually. Valstad aims to make US-built ships globally competitive by leveraging expertise from marine, automotive, aerospace, software, and robotics engineering, focusing on repeatable designs. This strategic shift is intended to counter the current inefficiencies in American shipbuilding, which is reportedly five times more labor-intensive than its Asian counterparts.