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Guidelines for efficient automatic and mechanized welding

Analysis of industrial case studies. State of the art in adaptive welding and the contribution of AI


Auteurs : LECLERC Stéphane

LECLERC Stéphane

Stéphane Leclerc est ingénieur soudeur ESSA (EWE) et ingénieur CESI en informatique industrielle. Expert en soudage et en solutions automatisées, il a consacré sa carrière à l'innovation technologique dans les secteurs les plus exigeants.

Pendant plus de 30 ans, il a conçu des machines spéciales d’intervention en espaces confinés pour la maintenance de réseaux de tuyauterie et d'appareils à pression. Après avoir dirigé les départements soudage de Comex Nucléaire et de Westinghouse France, il a rejoint EDF en fin de carrière. Cette expérience de grand donneur d'ordre lui a permis de copiloter les tomes Soudage et Fabrication du code de construction nucléaire RCC-M.

Engagé dans le mentorat des futures générations d'ingénieurs et techniciens, Stéphane Leclerc poursuit son activité de consultant expert. Il intervient également comme président de jury pour les examens internationaux IWE, IWT et IWS sous l’égide de l’Association Française du Soudage (AFS).


ISBN : 9782710812067
broché      16 x 23 cm      96 pages
Date de publication : Octobre 2026



This series is intended for engineering students, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as practicing engineers and senior technicians seeking to update or expand their education in the engineering sciences.

After forty years dedicated to the design and development of complex welding solutions, Stéphane Leclerc shares his experience in welding within confined spaces with high strategic stakes, particularly in the nuclear and aquatic sectors.

Based on the analysis of thirty concrete industrial case studies, the author highlights best practices and proven optimization methods used by major nuclear industry players—both manufacturers and client organizations. A special focus is placed on adaptive welding, followed by an overview of the contributions of expert systems and artificial intelligence applied to welding over a forty-year period, as well as prospective future developments.

These guidelines provide a pragmatic resource for engineers (IWE), technicians (IWT/IWS), manufacturing or maintenance managers, and researchers involved in designing innovative welded solutions. It is specifically aimed at professionals in high-constraint industrial sectors (nuclear, offshore) and orbital welding operators.


Table des matières :


Chapter 1 ❚ Mechanized/automated welding experience

Chapter 2 ❚ Orbital welding of piping

Chapter 3 ❚ Self-adaptive welding – the contribution of AI

Chapter 4 ❚ Design of a welded solution: key items and methods

Chapter 5 ❚ Guide to developing a robust welding process/procedure