SFO Technologies Pvt. Ltd., the flagship company of NeST Group, and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) have unveiled India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured Hybrid Laser Arc Welding (HLAW) technology. The laser arc welding system was unveiled on 11 November 2026 at the inauguration of the Advanced Laser Engineering Centre and HLAW R&D Facility at NeST Hitek Park, Kalamassery, Kerala. The launch brings a new welding method into Indian shipbuilding and heavy manufacturing. The facility will work on research, testing and validation of advanced laser technologies.
The facility was inaugurated by CSL chairman and managing director Jose V. J. and SFO Technologies chairman and managing director N. Jehangir. The laser arc welding technology was unveiled at the inauguration of the centre. The centre sits at NeST Hitek Park in Kalamassery, Kerala, and it will work towards commercialisation of the advanced laser technologies it tests. The system was developed in India, and the fibre laser source at its centre was also developed in-house by SFO Technologies. NeST Hitek Park is in Kalamassery, Kerala, and the facility there is the Advanced Laser Engineering Centre and HLAW R&D Facility.
Laser arc welding: how the system works
The system integrates laser welding, conventional arc welding, robotics and advanced automation. It is powered by a high-power fibre laser source developed in-house by SFO Technologies. Laser arc welding is designed to deliver faster welding speeds, deeper penetration, lower distortion and improved weld consistency. The combination of laser and arc welding in one system is what sets the method apart from welding with either method alone. The fibre laser source was developed in-house, and the system brings laser welding, arc welding, robotics and automation together in a single setup. The system pairs the high-power fibre laser source with conventional arc welding, robotics and advanced automation to give faster speeds and deeper penetration.
Where the system will be used
The system is designed for shipbuilding, defence, heavy engineering, railways, energy and other strategic manufacturing sectors. It can be used for large tanks and railway wagons, along with other large structures that need long, consistent welds. Laser arc welding offers faster speeds and deeper penetration than conventional welding alone, and lower distortion helps keep large parts true to shape. The method suits work where weld quality and speed both matter.
Cochin Shipyard is a partner in the project, and shipbuilding is one of the sectors named for the system. Defence and heavy engineering also need the kind of long, consistent welds the system is built to give. Railways can use it for wagons, and the energy sector can use it for large tanks. The sectors named for the system cover shipbuilding, defence, heavy engineering, railways, energy and other strategic manufacturing.
The system was unveiled at the Advanced Laser Engineering Centre and HLAW R&D Facility at NeST Hitek Park, Kalamassery, Kerala. The centre will undertake research, testing and validation of advanced laser technologies and work towards their commercialisation. Its work supports domestic industrial capability under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, and the facility was inaugurated on 11 November 2026.
Laser arc welding and the research centre
The Advanced Laser Engineering Centre will undertake research, testing and validation of advanced laser technologies and work towards their commercialisation. The centre supports domestic industrial capability under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Its work covers the new welding method and the laser technologies behind it. Laser arc welding research at the centre will test the system across the sectors it is designed to serve. The centre was inaugurated on 11 November 2026, and its research will cover testing and validation before commercial use.
No commercial orders, production targets or deployment timelines were disclosed at the unveiling. The launch was held on 11 November 2026 at NeST Hitek Park, Kalamassery, Kerala, with Jose V. J. and N. Jehangir opening the facility. SFO Technologies is the flagship company of NeST Group, and Cochin Shipyard Limited is its partner in the project. The laser arc welding system is the first of its kind designed and made in India.