Türkiye uses next-gen industrial robots in defense production
ANKARA, 15 August (BelTA — Anadolu) — The Turkish defense industry is
utilizing next-generation industrial robots in manufacturing, with the
technology now widespread across various sectors, including automotive,
aviation, shipbuilding, and construction machinery.
Intecro
Robotics, a Turkish company, develops and implements robot-based
industrial production systems and solutions for multiple sectors.
“There’s hardly any industry left without robot technology at work,” the
company’s chair, Ali Sen, told Anadolu.
Sen said the defense and
aviation sectors have benefited from global trends, with more companies
worldwide adopting robotics for production.
«Many firms in
developed countries producing ammunition and rockets have integrated and
popularized next-generation production technologies for years, bringing
improvements to mass production, speed, and performance-focused
manufacturing,» he said. «We began to establish such robot-based
production systems in the defense industry in 2013.»
Intecro has worked with major Turkish defense firms, including MKE, Roketsan, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), and Aselsan.
«In
today’s factories, digital twins — virtual models of the actual product
and physical end-product or process — are as important as robotics,»
Sen said.
He noted that sensor fusion, where multiple sensors cooperate to generate production data, is becoming more prominent.
Intecro
has set up production lines for various weapons and ammunition systems,
including penetrating bombs and infantry rifles for MKE and atomic
ammunition for Aselsan. The company is also developing mass production
technologies for different ammunition types, electro-optical systems,
and other defense systems for MKE and Aselsan.
New robots reporting for duty
Sen
said Intecro’s robots will be used in welded production processes to
assemble high-strength armor steels, performing the work with precision
and ensuring welding meets required standards.
“These robotic
systems have an intuitive and adaptive aspect; they can detect minor
defects and analyze manufacturing errors that may occur during the
pre-welding preparation process,” he said.
Serhat Ugural,
Intecro’s general manager, said the company’s robotics solutions have
been deployed in various projects in Türkiye and abroad.
“Our
three main sectors are aviation, automotive and electromobility, and
general industries involving metal processing, such as railway cars,
ships, commercial vehicles, machinery, heavy vehicles and the energy
sector,” he said.
“The majority of the production lines at Siro —
the firm producing batteries for Türkiye’s electric vehicle brand Togg —
were established by Intecro,” he said, adding the company also develops
production technologies for other automakers such as Renault and Tofas.
Ugural
said Intecro tailors technologies for each sector through research, the
latest being its “machine intelligence research and development
program,” which enables robots to analyze, learn, and perform tasks
autonomously, also known as self-programming.
“We established two
different robotic welding systems with these robots that received
positive reception from many domestic and international firms.”
He
mentioned that Intecro also produces robotic production lines for the
locomotive and wagon industry for Turkish firms like Turasas, Vako
Vagon, and Gok Rail, while producing metal shaping robotic technologies
for heavy industry firms like Isuzu, MAN, Erkunt, Otokar, Bozankaya,
Hyundai Rotem, Putzmeister, ZF Sachs, Mahindra, and Turkish Scientific
and Technological Research Institution (Tubitak) SAGE.
