Recently, Xionggu learned from Sinohydro Bureau 6 Co., Ltd. that the company has completed, for the first time in China, a simulated working-condition welding test using an all-position crawling robot for penstock inclined shafts in a hydropower project, achieving the expected results. Xionggu extends its warm congratulations to Sinohydro Bureau 6! The all-position crawling robot used in the test was provided by Chengdu Xionggu Jiashi Electrical Co., Ltd., which also offered full equipment and technical support throughout the test.

Welding of penstock inclined shafts has long faced practical difficulties such as large inclination angles, complex construction environments inside tunnels, high safety risks associated with working at heights, and poor conditions for manual welding. To address these issues, the test simulated the real construction environment of penstock inclined shafts and carried out welding tests on a full range of high-strength steel plates, systematically verifying the adaptability of robotic welding processes under inclined shaft working conditions. The test results show that, compared with traditional manual welding, robotic welding can significantly reduce the number of personnel deployed for high-risk operations in inclined shafts and lower the safety risks of working at heights inside tunnels. It also delivers better weld forming consistency and can effectively avoid quality fluctuations caused by human operation. The results of this test effectively fill the gap in automated welding equipment for inclined shaft penstocks, provide valuable experience for the subsequent mass-production application of all-position crawling robots for inclined shafts, and create conditions for the transformation and upgrading of penstock welding in hydropower projects from "experience-based welding" to "data-intelligent welding."

Looking ahead, Xionggu will continue to deepen collaborative cooperation with hydropower construction enterprises, closely address practical challenges in welding construction for hydropower projects, and continuously promote the engineering application and optimization of welding equipment and process technologies.