Faced with a growing shortage of qualified welders, Onet Technologies has developed an automated orbital welding process assisted by artificial intelligence.
Onet Technologies is a French company specializing in nuclear services. It provides maintenance, decontamination, and decommissioning solutions, with a strong focus on the integration of new technologies, particularly predictive maintenance and artificial intelligence.
Brice Massazza, Technical Director of Onet Technologies, describes the principle behind their recent autonomous orbital welding innovation as follows:
“[This innovation] is based on orbital welding, an automated technique in which an electric arc rotates 360° around a fixed component, such as a pipe, providing greater precision and consistency than traditional methods.”
Improving Quality
The contribution of AI lies in a system of cameras positioned at the front and rear of the torch, capturing images in real time. These data are analyzed segment by segment by a deep learning module. This module automatically adjusts the welding parameters by transmitting corrective commands to the robot.
According to its developers, the objective is not to increase production speed but to improve the quality and reliability of the work. The system reduces non-conformities caused by inattention and is capable of handling unforeseen situations.
According to Onet Technologies, the compliance rate reaches 98%, compared with 90% for conventional orbital welding. In addition, a single operator can simultaneously supervise several operations, significantly improving productivity. The traceability of operations is also enhanced.
The operational capability of the process was demonstrated during the World Nuclear Exhibition 2025 in Villepinte, France. A welding operation was controlled from the Onet Technologies booth, more than 700 km away from the company’s Marseille facility. Six demonstrations were carried out, all achieving 100% compliance.
Primarily intended for the nuclear industry (including operating power plants, EPR2 reactors, and SMRs), the process can be applied to various materials, including carbon steel, stainless steel, and eventually titanium and Inconel. The concept and its operation have already been validated, with welding procedure qualifications completed at the end of 2025.
A Project in Its Finalization Phase
In 2021, the project received public support under the France Relance recovery plan, alongside three other research programs led by Onet Technologies. The French government provided funding of €1.5 million for the overall program, representing one-third of the total cost. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) Region contributed an additional 17%.
The next steps, already underway, include finalizing industrial deployment, training operators, and continuously improving the AI model. The model is fed with data collected during each operation, enabling it to become increasingly reliable and responsive.
In early April 2026, Onet Technologies obtained qualification for its operating procedure for the “AI-driven orbital TIG welding process,” based on its proprietary Onet AI software solution. According to the company, this qualification paved the way for industrial deployment and represents “a first in the nuclear industry.”
At the same time, the company’s engineers continue to refine the AI model to further enhance its performance.
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