Dustin Walper

At @ValstadShip we're deconstructing shipbuilding into a set of modular primitives - AI-powered robotic stations that can autonomously assemble and weld common forms of ship structure. Our system can derive the entire sequence of operations - including all of the motion control for two robots on independent carriages cooperating to build assemblies - based only on a 3D model of the part. This is a short clip of an entire assembly sequence running in simulation - absolutely everything you see here was automatically generated from a STEP file. In this case, we're attaching a series of flat bar to a transverse web stiffener - an extremely common and labor-intensive operation. This should be running on real hardware in the next few weeks, and represents the first piece of what will ultimately be an entire system of modular robotic cells. Because we're designing our system around common operations - not specific assemblies - we can turn labor-intensive, high-mix tasks into assembly line operations without retooling.

Just participated in an MIT roundtable on shipbuilding technology. A graybeard mechanical engineering prof told me we weren't thinking big enough. Annnnd that's why I love MIT 😂 Engineering schools that push for greatness tend to produce it.

Carve? Back in my day we had to whittle.

@forwarddeploy Come hang out!

Going to Austin today for the week, if you’re building something cool I’d love to meet! + lmk if you have any food recs!

We're at the fun stage where a lot of people don't "get" what we're doing... but people that get it REALLY get it. I think that may be the sweet spot.

@saucypony @NotEnoughEntrop Yeah we're using Argon right now. Nitrogen is also an option in some cases.

@NotEnoughEntrop @DustinWalper Ah, so you did know what autogenous meant. For everyone else curious - (when in an oxidizing environment, like air) there's still shield gas used in a laser weld.

Full-penetration autogenous laser weld. 1/2" thick A36 steel, butt joint, no edge prep. Cut, etched, and polished for contrast. And yes... we can go thiccer.

@ScottPerretta1 Sounds pretty cool to me.

@DustinWalper Any interest in an SMR powered desal plant with brine to battery manufacturing colocated? Figure 1000 acre industrial park to expand to EAS furnace that feeds domestic steel building and shipyards?

I'm a simple man. All I want is to build a generational company that brings heavy industry back to America at the largest possible scale.

@Tri_Stanisaurus Bergstrom is, in my experience, one of the most pleasant airports to fly out of.

Just know, as a native austinite, when I hear people complaining about our airport not being " viable" or not a real international airport, It lets me know that they only come here during South by Southwest. They are tourists, and their opinion holds no weight.

Under appreciated that LUCAS drones appear to use Starshield, making them impervious to standard EW attacks. Proof that America can also mass-produce cheap drones but with far better technology. And we have F35’s.

Some light morning reading.

@JulianFried @SauravShroff_ Savage 😂

is there a social club for a kuka robot arm owners only?

@ken_macdermid Will have to see if the destructive testing lab can take some video for us...

@DustinWalper Please record a bend test video!

@1thWorldProblem ...this is a side view.

@DustinWalper show me the back

@shadowdefense @ValstadShip Austin!

@DustinWalper @ValstadShip where are you located

At @ValstadShip we're deconstructing shipbuilding into a set of modular primitives - AI-powered robotic stations that can autonomously assemble and weld common forms of ship structure. Our system can derive the entire sequence of operations - including all of the motion control for two robots on independent carriages cooperating to build assemblies - based only on a 3D model of the part. This is a short clip of an entire assembly sequence running in simulation - absolutely everything you see here was automatically generated from a STEP file. In this case, we're attaching a series of flat bar to a transverse web stiffener - an extremely common and labor-intensive operation. This should be running on real hardware in the next few weeks, and represents the first piece of what will ultimately be an entire system of modular robotic cells. Because we're designing our system around common operations - not specific assemblies - we can turn labor-intensive, high-mix tasks into assembly line operations without retooling.

@mattparrilla @ValstadShip Custom stack!

@DustinWalper @ValstadShip Cool. What are you using for robot control / motion planning? ROS stack, something custom, or a commercial planner?

@timcash @ValstadShip a) Careful control of material entering the cell (leveled, laser-cut, etc.) b) Long term - laser welding. We're testing a system right now that can do single-pass, autogenous welds in steel up to 3/4" thick, and thicker is possible with more powerful units.

@DustinWalper @ValstadShip how do you handle deformation? do you try to use the same sequence each time? I did some work on robotic welding of light combat vehicles that was a fun problem

In tandem we're prepping the hardware to receive our software. Automated elastokinematic calibration is one of the ways we're shrinking the sim2real gap to get precise, repeatable, high-mix operations.