Adelaide-based welding manufacturer K-TIG has announced a research and development facility will be built within BAE Systems’ Factory of the Future.

The R&D facility is set to help the manufacturer demonstrate and further evolve the application of its robotic welding capabilities within multiple industries.

Adrian Smith, Managing Director of K-TIG, said this would also support Australia’s domestic naval shipbuilding capacity and enhance development of local industry.

“Put simply, K-TIG’s advanced welding technology means welding is stronger, faster and more cost effective,” Smith said.

“A traditional multi-hour weld can be done in less than four minutes to a higher quality and standard.

“We can capture and push data out across every single weld creating a digital footprint of a ship. This makes for a higher level repeatability and consistency, which means ships are built faster and cheaper.”

Continuous Naval Shipbuilding Director at BAE, Sharon Wilson, has welcomed the addition of K-TIG to the Factory of the Future.

“What K-TIG provides has the potential to deliver game-changing technologies to the broader industrial sector, making industry more competitive and this could see flow on benefits for exports,” Wilson said.

“BAE Systems is delighted to support local companies with advanced capabilities. underpins the philosophy of the Factory of the Future which focuses on industry collaboration and diffusion of Australian innovation in Industry 4.0 technologies.”

Under development at the Tonsley Innovation District, the Factory of the Future is a collaboration between BAE Systems Australia and Flinders University.

It is set to unlock 4000 jobs over five years, whilst connecting businesses and sectors of growing importance to the national economy.