Cobotic Alliance Center – HAMMER Program

Workforce modernization for the Hampton Roads shipbuilding supply chain.

GENEDGE – HAMPTON ROADS, VA

The Cobotic Alliance Center is a regional hub dedicated to helping small and medium-sized manufacturers in Hampton Roads adopt and integrate cobotic welding. The Center provides hands-on demonstrations, training, and real-world evaluation of cobotic systems to reduce risk and accelerate learning. Through the HAMMER Program—Hampton Roads Advanced Manufacturing Modernization with Emerging Robotics—we offer structured workforce development, technical guidance, and support packages designed to meet companies wherever they are in their cobotic journey.

The HAMMER Program is an initiative designed to help small and medium-sized manufacturers explore, train, and integrate cobotic welding technologies. HAMMER provides companies with guided access to hands-on demonstrations, workforce upskilling, part and process evaluations, and practical integration support. The program meets manufacturers at their current level of readiness, helping them understand where cobots fit, what benefits they can expect, and how to adopt the technology with confidence and reduced risk.

What is the HAMMER Program?

HAMMER (Hampton Roads Advanced Manufacturing Modernization with Emerging Robotics) helps regional shipyards and suppliers build a cobotic welding workforce, evaluate systems, and integrate robots into real production with less risk and faster learning cycles.

1. Learn & Explore

Bring your team to the SCA Center to see cobotic welding in action, understand capabilities, and ask questions in a low-risk, testbed environment.

2. Evaluate & Plan

Work with SCA experts to identify candidate parts, assess fit, and map out a practical roadmap for deploying cobotic welding in your facility.

3. Train & Integrate

Upskill your welders, operators, and engineers through hands-on training and system integration support tailored to your current stage.

Training & Support Packages

Packages are designed to meet you where you are in your cobotic journey – from just getting started to preparing to integrate a unit on your shop floor.

Foundation Visit

“Just getting started”

• Half-day or full-day visit to the SCA Center.
• Live cobotic welding demonstrations for common shipyard use cases.
• Overview of NAVSEA, AWS, and shipyard weld requirements for cobots.
• Discussion of candidate parts and where to start.

Ideal for leadership, engineers, and welding supervisors.

Evaluation & Fit Assessment

“Ready to explore specific parts”

• Review of your parts, joints, and current weld procedures.
• High-level throughput and productivity estimates with cobots.
• Discussion of fixture, programming, and quality considerations.
• Summary of opportunities, risks, and next-step recommendations.

Ideal for companies considering their first cobotic cell.

Implementation Support

“Closer to installation”

• Support aligning cobotic applications with weld procedures (WPS).
• Hands-on training for operators, welders, and programmers.
• System integration guidance and best practices for shipyard use.
• Options for ongoing coaching as production ramps up.

Ideal if you are preparing to integrate a cobot on site.

Open Houses & HAMMER Training Dates

Join a scheduled open house or HAMMER session, or contact us to arrange a focused visit for your team.

Contact the SCA Center

Ready to learn more, schedule a visit, or talk about the right HAMMER package for your company? Connect with the GENEDGE Shipbuilding Cobotic Center team at info@genedge.org or 000-000-0000.

We can answer questions about eligibility and HAMMER packages, explain how the SCA Center can support your shipyard or suppliers, and help you plan your visit. Our team will coordinate site visits, open house attendance, or dedicated team sessions, align your visit with training or class dates, arrange focused discussions around your parts and processes, and plan agenda time for leadership, engineers, and welders.