Scanner Gives Peterson Builders Edge In Navy Shipbuilding Project
Peterson Builders, Inc. (PBI), of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., had a tall order with a tight deadline: build a series of ships for the US Navy and provide the entire set of construction drawings in digital data form.
The problem was that the drawings had been created manually, and re-creating them in digital format would require thousands of hours of computer work by experienced CAD operators. More than 750 assembly drawing sheets would have to be converted to a CAD database in less than eight months. Using conventional digitizing approaches would impose a severe strain on PBI's CAD resources and staff.
George O'Keefe, PBI's CAD/ CAM manager, went looking for an innovative solution to the drawingconversion problem. He selected Skantek, Inc., of Warren, N.J.—a new firm looking to "beta test" its new product, the SK-1010 digitizing scanner. Skantek needed an initial test installation, outside its own facilities, for the new SK-1010.
Mr. O'Keefe approached his challenge pragmatically: he reasoned that manual drawings had been sufficient documentation in the past, and that similar-quality data in digital format would yield savings to organization, distribution and incorporation of changes into the drawings. Mr. O'Keefe set his data-conversion goal as the exact duplication of the existing drawings.
"What we wanted," Mr. O'Keefe said, "was a device that would give us an accurate, one-to-one representation within the CAD system of the original, hand-rendered drawing." He looked for some straight answers from the people at Skantek.
The SK-1010 system was explained.
No commercially-available software technology can transform manually-prepared drawings into perfectly accurate computer files.
But Mr. O'Keefe learned that the SK-1010 could help make the job of large-document conversion to his computer database easier, more productive and less costly.
As an experienced professional, Mr. O'Keefe recognized the scanner's value as a tool that could help PBI complete the Navy contract and make the drawing conversions without cost overruns or delays. PBI ordered that the scanner be delivered and, prior to its arrival, established a second shift for operation of the CAD system.
With a second shift, newly-hired CAD operators could begin the process immediately. Upon arrival of the SK-1010, the scanning began, and technicians could begin editing the scanned files without interfering with PBI's regular CAD activities.
Installation of the SK-1010 scanner went smoothly. "It was the easiest installation of CAD equipment I've been involved with," said Mr.
O'Keefe. And the SK-1010 proved to be easy enough to operate that most of the drawings could be scanned by first-shift clerical workers.
"In two hours it was up and running, and within three hours, we'd trained some operators. We were scanning drawings that same evening," added Mr. O'Keefe.
After scanning a drawing, the optically- read data is converted from raster to vector format, written to tape, and readied for transfer to the CAD system. Once the converted drawing is loaded onto the CAD system, it goes through an editing process.
The number of steps necessary to complete this process vary, depending on the quality and density of the original drawing.
Working closely with the Skantek team, Peterson Builders has developed its own techniques and procedures to fully utilize the converted data on their own CAD system. By using the scanned data as a template, PBI's CAD operators are readily able to separate acceptable data from those data that require further attention. Mr. O'Keefe says that, even in cases where the density and quality of scanned drawings requires extensive editing, the SK-1010 scanning process continues to be cost-effective. Once a drawing is fed into the scanner, the scanning requires little active supervision, thus further reducing personnel costs.
Having proven to Peterson Builder's satisfaction that the SK-1010 is capable of helping convert large engineering drawings to CAD files, Mr. O'Keefe is now seeking more applications for the scanner. One potential application he already has identified is the capture of design sketches and graphics for technical reports.
For Skantek's part, the PBI project provided the challenge it was looking for, to test the SK-1010's capabilities. The typical PBI design drawing is 30 inches wide, 12 feet long, averages three sheets per drawing and is comprised of many densely packed lines and symbols.
Once scanned, each drawing at first required 10 to 20 hours of editing on the CAD system. This was quickly reduced to an average of two to three hours per drawing sheet on all drawings, including A-, B-, C-, and D-size and roll-type documents. Before the SK-lOlO scanner was introduced into the process, re-creation time for each roll drawing averaged 44 hours.
For PBI, the SK-1010 is just what the Navy ordered. Peterson Builders has found that the Skantek device gives it a technological edge, helping PBI to meet the Navy's requirements without having to expand its CAD staff.
For free literature on the SK-1010 digitizing sanner, Circle 3 on Reader Service Card
Other stories from April 1985 issue
Content
- M A R I T I M E R E P O R T E R P u r c h a s es N e w a n d L a r g e r W o r ld H e a d q u a r t e r s O f f i c es page: 4
- Signet Awards Wartsila Design Contract For Two Cruise Vessels page: 5
- Propeller Polishing Guide Offered By Lips Propellers page: 6
- Kockums Delivers Big Vehicle Carrier To Wallenius Lines page: 7
- Red Fox Negotiating Licensing Agreement With John G. Kincaid page: 7
- Ocean Studies Conference Slated For June 16-19 At University Of Rhode Island page: 8
- Nor-Shipping '85 page: 10
- Pyramid Pump Division Offers N e w Catalog On Rotary Pump Lines page: 13
- Haggett Named Board Chairman For Shipbuilders Council Of America page: 13
- Valmet Specializing In Meeting Requirements Of The Offshore Industry page: 14
- New Diagnostic Kit From Aeroquip Corp. page: 14
- Marine Machinery Association Issues Invitation To Attend May 1, Meeting In D.C. page: 15
- Fincantieri To Build Huge Offshore Workship For Micoperi page: 18
- Stork-Powered Tug/Supply Vessel Launched By Quality Shipyards page: 20
- Robertson Introduces New Small Commercial Autopilot page: 20
- Halter Launches Rocket Booster Recovery Vessel 'Independence7 page: 22
- Radio Technical Commission For Maritime Services Annual Meeting page: 24
- Tug Fleet Owner And Operator Bart Turecamo Dies At Age Of 64 page: 25
- New Product Brochures Offered By Armco page: 25
- Fibergrate Introduces New Fibertred FRP Stair Tread Panels page: 26
- Promotions Announced By Woodward-Clyde page: 27
- Allied Introduces New Super-Strength Fiber page: 28
- ASNE DAY '85 page: 30
- Marinette Marine Offers Brochure On Shipbuilding Facilities And Capabilities page: 40
- MarAd Awards Contracts Totaling $2.7 Million For Repairs To RRF Ships page: 41
- Stanford Study Shows That Oceanrouting Reduces Casualties page: 42
- Marathon Introduces Semisubmersible For Gulf Of Mexico Environment page: 43
- T-AKX Prepositioning Ship Delivered By Bethlehem's Sparrows Point Yard page: 44
- "No-Leak" Seal From Falk Keeps Oil In And Dirt Out page: 45
- National Marine Study On PowerLube 750® Now Available page: 45
- Constant-Tension Winch Now Available From W.W. Patterson Company page: 46
- Capacity of Cockatoo Dockyard's Vickdock® Expanded To 1,000 Tons page: 46
- OTC-'85 SPECIAL PREVIEW page: 49
- Ship Financing Reforms Announced By Secretary Of Transportation Dole page: 76
- 'Silver Anniversary' For Atlas Freshwater Generator And Knutsen Vessel page: 76
- Gulf Coast Shipyards page: 78
- DAMPA Continuous Ceiling Approved By U.S. N a v y page: 97
- Norcontrol Revamps Its U.S. Operations — H o g a n Named President Of Authorized Agent page: 97
- Scanner Gives Peterson Builders Edge In Navy Shipbuilding Project page: 98
- Saab Introduces New Level-Gauging System page: 99
- Daewoo Names New Shipbuilding President page: 101
- Saab Purchases Salwico page: 101
- Perry Offshore Announces Expansion Through Tritech International Network page: 101
- Sonatech Announces New Expendable Doppler Soil Penetrometer page: 102
- TeleSystems Introduces Advanced Transportable Satellite Earth Station page: 102
- Membrane Air Separation System From Dow Produces Gaseous Nitrogen On-Site, Economically page: 103
- Work On Hopper Dredge 'Ouachita' For Gulf Coast Trailing Co. Is On Schedule At Twin City —Launching Set For End Of May page: 104
- New Worldwide Directory Available From Manville page: 104
- Larsson Appointed N e w Chief Executive of MacGregor-Navire page: 105
- BMV Maskin A.S. Introduces New Engine page: 106
- New Waterways Rope By Columbian Rope page: 109
- New Monitoring/Alarm System By Siemens AG page: 110
- Allison Gas Turbines Will Power World's Fastest Patrol Boat page: 111
- Contecco Appointed Exclusive Sales Agent For Swedish Firm page: 111
- Moss Point Marine Delivers Giant Freezer/Stern Trawler page: 112
- London Is Site For First International Cruise Shipping Conference June 19-20 page: 112
- McDermott Upgrades M / V Enterprise For Offshore Logistics page: 116
- New Marine Overcoat Sea-Slide™ Increases Speed, Saves Fuel page: 116
- Emulsion Fuels International Announces Supply Agreement With Exxon Chemical page: 118
- Cummins Announces New Increased Power Ratings For Their NT(A)855-M And KT(A)19-M Marine Engines page: 118
- Matson Will Convert Trailership To Combination Containership-RO/RO page: 119
- NcNab Now American Supplier Of Aquacatch® Speed Through Water Log page: 119
- ASCARGO Offers Free Brochure On Cargo Access Equipment page: 124
- Baldt 'Engineering Innovations Bulletin Highlights Moor-Free"" Rapid Release System page: 124
- Clemco Pipe Cleaning Tools Blast-Clean Pipe Interior Without Rotating The Pipe page: 125
- Shipboard Computer Distributed By Magnavox Displays Detailed Charts, Automates Navigation page: 125