Total Ship Training Concept

The application of industrial lasers in producing structuralshapes for shipbuilding will create enormous savings (in excessof $1M per Destroyer), plus result in a higher quality productthan produced by present methods. This is because componentsfabricated from plate steel are inherently more precise and lowerweight than those produced form traditional rolled steel. A majorrequirement is the need for automatic categorization, nesting,and handling of steel plate used in fabricating structural shapes(i.e. I-beams, T-beams). The key issue underlying thiscapability is that the flow of raw materials through the cuttingand welding process requires management of many components tocreate an optimized delivery of end product (fabricated parts)with minimal material waste of labor expense. Development of anOptimized Structural Component Assembly Manager (OSCAM) isproposed. This proposed approach will create a module systemcompatible with emerging CAD standards, commercial cutting andwelding systems and suitable for adaptation to variousmanufacturing requirements, with emphasis on shipbuilding. Toensure commercialization success, as part of this initiative, thelaser welding process and the product of the process will becertified.