Original Date: 02/10/2003
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Company, Inc.’s engineers and designers are trained on state-of-the-art three- dimensional equipment and software in order to provide construction details, accuracy control dimensions, and detailed material lists. These can all be integrated into the automated processes of laser cutting steel plates, holes and slots, stiffeners, end cuts, and brackets for high efficiency, quick turn-around ship construction.

Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Company, Inc., using the most up-to-date three-dimensional modeling equipment and software, creates a master virtual model of each ship it plans to build. This model depicts the keel, frames, equipment, pipes, venting, and all lofting of parts pertinent to the vessel’s construction. It is used to make decisions regarding equipment location, ease of construction, outfitting, steel requirements, and other production considerations. Once approved by the customer, Bender engineers and designers provide construction details, accuracy control dimensions, and detailed material lists that can all be integrated into the automated processes of laser cutting steel plates, holes and slots, stiffeners, end cuts, and brackets.

Prior to implementing advanced three-dimensional modeling and steel plate integration, two-dimensional AutoCAD drawings of scantlings were created. Frames and bulkheads were drawn from faired lines from the scantlings and arrangements. Parts were manually nested on plates and nest tapes were sent to a plate-cutting subcontractor on disk. Outfitting and other parts were cut by hand. The process also addressed only one surface at a time and required a high degree of building savvy, all yielding a low degree of confidence, wasted stock, and extra cost. Now, the lofting (or locating) of parts is based on the integration of engineering designs of three-dimensional modeling parameters. These parameters range from creating the scantling drawings, the build strategy, the solid model, and sharing the model, to naming and hierarchy, interference and penetration locations, and drawing production.

As a result, the three-dimensional modeling improved upon the inaccuracies of the two-dimensional AutoCAD drawings. Nearly all steel plates are cut by first operations with a laser instead of torches. Accuracy and reliability of dimensions are held consistently within specifications. Penetrations are pre-cut rather than at outfitting. Almost all steel is pre-paneled and nested by the need-by date. The scrap factor is significantly reduced, and assembly is enhanced dramatically.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.