Page 4th Cover: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 15, 1973)

Sun Shipbuilding And Dry Dock Installs

Computer-Controlled Flame Cutting Machine

Overall view of Heath/Liquid flame cutting machine built for Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. The machine has four three-torch cutting stations, and it can simultaneously perform edge profile work on two 1 6-foot-wide plates.

A computerized gantry-type flame cutting machine, the first entirely built from com- ponents of United States manufacture and also the first machine of its type ever built by

Heath/Liquid, was shipped to Sun Shipbuild- ing and Dry Dock Company, Chester, Pa., im- mediately following a demonstration at Fort

Collins, Colo.

The principles involved in the development of this machine for hull plate fabrication are equally applicable to the cutting and prepara- tion of steel, stainless steel and aluminum used in building large machine tools and assemblies of all types.

The new machine, of box girder construc- tion, weighs 11 tons, and measures 8 feet in height, 36 feet in width, and 12 feet in length.

This gantry-type burning machine is equip- ped with four rotary master cutting stations with a cluster of three torches at each station.

These stations are capable of performing dou- ble bevel and land work on similarly shaped but not identical contour cutting applications.

A tape system is used to issue commands to a Nova 1220 32,000-word memory minicom- puter manufactured by Data General Corp.

Programming enables orthogonal rotary torch orientations so that the cross-axis of the torch cluster remains perpendicular to the surface being burned at all times. Corner slowdown, off-plate turnaround, preheat dwell, pierce rate control, and other intricate burning signals are stored in the computer's memory. To protect the drive system during high-speed accelera- tion or deceleration, a preprogrammed maxi- mum acceleration or deceleration rate is fed into the drive motors. The computerized gan- try has a burning width of 32 feet. It can si- multaneously 'perform edge profile work on two 16-foot-wide plates and has an effective burning length of 100 feet.

Heath Engineering Company is privately owned and was established in Fort Collins,

Colo., in 1944. Liquid Carbonic Corporation, located at 135 South La Salle Street, Chicago, 111. 60603, became exclusive distributor of

Heath equipment in 1971. Liquid Carbonic is a subsidiary of Houston Natural Gas Corpora- tion.

Buckingham Will Head

Aerojet Ship Design

W.L. Buckingham has joined Aerojet Sur- face Effect 'Ships Division, Tacoma, Wash., as manager of ship design.

The S'ES Division designs, develops and builds advanced seagoing and amphibious na- val vessels for travel on a cushion of air at far higher speeds than ships of conventional de- sign can attain.

During 21 years of commissioned Navy serv-

Each work station has a torch mounted vertical to the work piece and bevel torches oriented at angles to the work surface.

Discussing the design principles of the machine are, left to right: Russell Nickerson, Nickerson Engineering Corp., responsible for electro-mechanical aspects of the ma- chine; E.A. Cameron, Altek Corp., responsible for com- puter control of the system; Arthur Millay, superintendent- administrative, Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., and

G.H. Johnson, nresident of Hp^ti-. Fn^i^^^'-ino C.^. ice prior to Ms retirement in tne rank ot com- mander, Mr. Buckingham developed and intro- duced many innovative ship design ideas for saving weight and space.

For three years prior to joining Aerojet, he was senior project engineer and manager of production planning at Litton Ship Systems in

Culver City, Calif., and Pascagoula, Miss.

A 1949 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy,

Mr. Buckingham also earned a bachelor's de- gree in marine engineering and a master's de- gree in naval architecture from Webb Institute of ;Naval Architecture, Long Island, N.Y.

Midland Insurance

Names New Officers

The board of directors of the Midland Insur- ance Company has announced the election of two new vice presidents. Cornelius J. Duffy was elected vice president, personnel/adminis- tration, and Robert F. Leonard, vice president, finance.

It was also announced that Lawrence E.

Small was appointed assistant vice president, and Robert F. Berens, John G. Corday and

Jon M. Livers were appointed to the post of assistant secretary.

SHIP PILOTS

NEEDED

THE PANAMA CANAL COMPANY

A GOVERNMENT AGENCY

If you have not reached your 40th birth- day and have or expect to have a U.S.

Coast Guard License as Master of Steam or Motor Vessels, any gross tons, any ocean, and six months' experience as

Chief Mate (or Master) of Ocean, Steam or Motor Vessels of 1,000 gross tons or over.

WE CAN OFFER YOU:

A chance to be home with your family; rewarding responsible employment; job security; retirement program; subsidized group health and life insurance; two months' vacation; subsidized round-trip vacation travel to U.S. every two years; educational facilities from kindergarten through Junior college; 10 paid holidays; abundant recreational opportunities; 80°

F. average daily temperature; subsidized transportation to Canal Zone for your family, furniture, and car.

ANNUAL SALARIES

FROM $17,940.00

TO $31,864.20

Salaries include 15% tropical differ- ential, but are minimums and do not in- clude time and one-half for overtime, 25% premium pay for Sunday and holi- day work, 7% night compensation.

Send "Personal Qualifications State- ment," SF-171, (Available in Post Offices) to Deputy Personnel Director (Opera- tions), Panama Canal Company, Box 2012, Balboa Heights, C.Z.

No discrimination in employment. Positions are in the career federal service.

MARINE OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

Opening for Graduate of Merchant Marine

Academy with 2 years sea experience—deck.

This position calls for permanent residency in

Palm Beach County, Florida. Travel for short period may be required. An excellent oppor- tunity for someone willing to grow with a small, young, aggressive firm expanding in the

Bahamas—Caribbean—South American trades —5 container vessels in operation. Reply with

Resume to

Box 619 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News 107 East 31st St. New York, N.Y. 10016 dyna £ trak

June 15, 1973 43