The Bohai Equipment Research Institute is developing the project on \"Research and Application of Special Robots for Submerged Arc Welding Pipe Production Lines\"

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Recently, in the national competition for outstanding employee innovation achievements in the energy, chemistry, and geology sector, organized by the National Committee of the China Energy, Chemistry, and Geology Trade Union, the project developed by the research institute titled “Development and Application of Special Robots for Submerged Arc Welding Pipe Production Lines” stood out among thousands of entries across the country and won the first prize. It became the only project from the oil equipment manufacturing sector to receive an award in this competition. This not only indicates that the company’s technical capabilities in the field of intelligent oil and gas equipment are at a leading level in China, but it also vividly demonstrates the crucial role played by trade union organizations in strengthening the workforce in this industry and stimulating employees’ creativity. As a core component of oil and gas transmission pipelines, the production of submerged arc welded pipes has long faced common industry challenges such as low efficiency in manual operations, insufficient precision, and high risks to occupational health. In the face of this challenge, the research institute took \"serving corporate strategies and supporting the professional development of employees\" as its guiding principle, incorporated project development into the annual key labor competitions, organized technical departments to form specialized innovation teams, and defined a technical approach centered on \"replacing humans with machines and achieving intelligent upgrades.\" By organizing technical seminars, establishing innovation challenge lists, and coordinating special research and development funds, comprehensive support is provided to teams, transforming scientific research projects into practical opportunities for employees to innovate and achieve results. After three years of dedicated effort, the project team successfully developed the world’s first intelligent grinding robot for the internal and external welds at the ends of submerged arc welded pipes, China’s first self-calibrating multi-parameter integrated intelligent measurement robot, as well as an adaptive printing robot. These devices essentially raise the overall level of automation and intelligence in the industry for manufacturing oil and gas transmission welded pipes, effectively reducing the workload on workers and the production costs for enterprises. They also eliminate many safety hazards at the work sites, providing essential safety guarantees for major projects such as the West-East Gas Pipeline and the China-Russia East Route pipeline. Furthermore, they offer a replicable \"Chinese solution\" for the automation and intelligent upgrading of this industry.