Smart Welding Unites, Future Shaped by Numbers | The 2026 Global Perspective on AI + Welding Manufacturing Development Forum and the Third Xiangjiang Welding Forum Successfully Held

In the midst of the hot summer in Xiangjiang, the smart city of Changsha undergoes a refreshing transformation.

From July 17th to 19th, the 2026 Global Perspective on AI + Welding Manufacturing Development Forum and the Third Xiangjiang Welding Forum were successfully held at Changsha Tianyi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. This forum was hosted by the China Welding Association and jointly organized by the Hunan Welding Association. It was also co-organized by the China Welding Association Digital Twin and Manufacturing Industry Professional Committee, Changsha Tianyi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., and Beijing Boqing Technology Co., Ltd.

Hundreds of industry experts from overseas universities and research institutions, leading enterprises, and R&D institutions of intelligent equipment and industrial large models gathered in the Star City to deeply discuss key topics such as the iteration of intelligent welding technology, AI molten pool monitoring, digital twin simulation, green and low-carbon processes, and comprehensive talent cultivation.

Key figures gathered to usher in a new chapter of intelligent manufacturing

At the opening ceremony of the forum, Li Liansheng, the Party Secretary and Vice President of the China Welding Association, Peng Zhengqiu, the Party Committee Member and Deputy Director of Changsha Economic and Technological Development Zone, Meng Xin, the former member of the Party Committee and chief economist of the Hunan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and Ma Kaixiang, the president of the Hunan Welding Association, delivered speeches, expressing congratulations on the forum’s convening and expressing high hopes for AI’s empowerment of welding manufacturing.

The participants unanimously believed that welding is the core basic process in fields such as construction machinery, rail transit, shipbuilding, aerospace, automotive, and high-end equipment manufacturing. Currently, artificial intelligence is accelerating the reshaping of manufacturing production methods, providing new paths to solve industry problems such as the shortage of welders, reliance on manual labor in complex conditions, difficulty in passing on welding experience, and insufficient stability of welding quality.

Li Liansheng pointed out that the current global industrial transformation is accelerating iteration, and digital technologies such as artificial intelligence digital twins and industrial big data are deeply integrating into manufacturing scenarios, gradually saying goodbye to the production mode dominated by experience and manual labor, and gradually entering a new stage of intelligent, digital, and green development.

Frontier sharing, stimulating innovation momentum

In the theme report session, Chinese Academy of Engineering， Professor Wang Yaonan from Hunan University， delivered a special presentation on “Embodied Intelligence and the Application Outlook of Robot Technology”， and Liang Weimin， the chief engineer of Zhengzhou Institute of Machinery of China Machinery Research Institute Group， introduced the key processes of brazing technology and its intelligent development direction.

The experts also shared innovative achievements on topics such as welding manufacturing in ships and rail transit， overall solutions for intelligent welding factories， full traceability monitoring of weld seams， flexible welding without teaching， medium-thick metal laser welding， and welding quality prediction， showcasing the accelerating evolution of intelligent welding from single-machine automation to collaborative production lines， decision-making intelligence， and production automation.

Digital and intelligent integration， discussing the future of the industry

In the “Digital and Intelligent Integration Breakthrough： How AI Technology Can Rebuild the New Racer of Welding Manufacturing” roundtable forum， experts from universities， equipment manufacturing enterprises， and intelligent welding technology enterprises shared in-depth discussions on topics such as the implementation of AI technology， the value of welding data， the application of robots in complex scenarios， the construction of intelligent factories， and industrial collaborative innovation.

The roundtable forum guests believed that AI empowerment of the welding industry should further connect design， process， production， quality inspection， and operation and maintenance links， promoting the deep integration of data， models， equipment， and application scenarios. At the same time， they should strengthen the collaboration among industry research， education， application， and manufacturing， establish a high-quality data system for the industry， accelerate the verification of core technologies and the industrialization of achievements， and let AI truly transform into the practical productive force for enterprises to improve quality， reduce costs， and increase efficiency.

Exhibition tour， witnessing innovative achievements

A dedicated technical exhibition area was set up at the forum, with 9 sponsoring enterprises concentrating on their displays. Companies such as VenuS, Zhibet Robot, Cognition Photonics, Tongren Intelligence, Bincai’er, Zhongke Xinrong, Sichuan Sicon Laser, and Shanghai Meiwan, among others, showcased intelligent welding equipment, flexible no-teaching systems, laser welding technology, industrial robots, weld seam monitoring systems, and all-scenario welding solutions.

Through equipment demonstrations, system presentations, case explanations, and on-site exchanges, each enterprise presented the application results of technologies such as A1, robots, lasers, visual recognition, and digital monitoring in welding scenarios. During the tea break and communication period, the booths attracted many experts and enterprise representatives to stop by for inquiries. The discussions focused on the compatibility of technologies with application scenarios, project cooperation, and technology transfer.

The exhibition area complemented the theme reports and roundtable forums, allowing the participants to not only understand the industry’s cutting-edge trends but also experience intelligent welding products and solutions up close. This setup provided a more intuitive and efficient platform for communication and cooperation between technology providers and demanders.

Entering the benchmark, experiencing the practice of intelligent manufacturing

The forum also arranged a visit to industrial pilot bases and intelligent manufacturing benchmark enterprises. Participants visited the pilot base of Changsha Tianyi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. and conducted study tours and exchanges at the digitalized welding lighthouse factory of Sany Heavy Industry and the smart factory of China Railway Construction Heavy Industry, further understanding the entire process of intelligent welding technology from research and verification to industrial application.

Welding is known as the “steel tailor” of equipment manufacturing. This forum further promoted the coordinated connection of the innovation chain, industrial chain, talent chain, and application chain, injecting new impetus into the promotion of intelligent welding technology, industrial ecosystem construction, and high-quality development of the manufacturing industry. Smart welding gathers innovative forces; digitalization shapes the future, and jointly initiates a new journey in manufacturing. Although the forum has come to an end, the new journey of AI empowering welding and intelligent manufacturing is accelerating.