Manufacturing

  • For years, general manufacturing companies have enjoyed the benefit of laser cutting systems for producing complex or simple parts in batch volumes as low as one, and as high as tens of thousands.

    The laser is an incredibly powerful tool that remains unsurpassed in manufacturing activities across the world. As flexible and reconfigurable production tool that provides welding, cutting and machining capabilities in a single device, lasers are readily automated and have demonstrated that they can easily operate in "lights-out" mode for even greater productivity. With all this said, why aren't there any laser shipyards?

    Why hasn't one of the worlds largest and most important transportation industries rushed to implement laser cutting and welding technology? The answer is that the development of the state-of-the-art laser manufacturing technology has been a long and grueling process. Early lasers were just not powerful or reliable enough to attract an industry that had the capability to process heavy section metals using low cost and reliable technologies such as oxy-fuel and plasma cutting, with MIG and TIG and submerged arc techniques being the process of choice for welding. Even the Lloyds approval for laser welding of ship plates has yet to see lasers become commonplace in shipyards. The situation today is rather different. Lasers are now being employed commercially in thick plate cutting and welding and the industry has witnessed a quiet and rather successful processing revolution.

    A new, and unexpected, breakthrough in the laser industry occurred in November 2002 at Bender Shipbuilding & Repair in Mobile, Ala. It was there that the first commercial use of the LASOX process cut through two in. of steel using a new cutting principle industrialized by Wayne Penn and his team from Alabama Laser. Co-developed by BOC Gases Ltd. and Dr. Bill O'Neill while working at the University of Liverpool, the LASOX process requires approximately 1 kW of laser power and uses oxygen to provide the cutting energy while the laser is used to maintain and stabilize a pre-heat - similar to the gas flame in oxy-fuel cutting.

    With O'Neill and his team working on the thick section problem for more than a decade, commercial laser cutting has pushed the section limit from around 15 mm in 1990, to around 30 mm in 2003, with a subsequent increase in laser power from 2kW to 6kW. The process remains the same except the size of the process window is inversely proportional to the plate thickness. Prior to the invention of LASOX, it was a daunting process to cut pieces of high thickness.

    As a result, there is always the temptation of turning up the power and the gas and just "letting it rip. While the LASOX process, however, will reportedly have the ability to produce the fastest scrap metal production system in the world, it will not, however, solve the problem of producing laser cuts up from 50-75 mm. "A year ago, cutting steel thicker than two inches would have been unheard of with a 2kW laser - one in.

    being the maximum cutting depth undertaken commercially." said Pat Cahill, research and development manager for Bender Shipbuilding. "This process has the potential to cut steel plates as thick as four in. Currently highpowered plasma cutting is limited to three in. This development opens up the possibility of a new generation of steel ships that are stronger and cheaper to build." v With BOC Gases and the University of Liverpool providing the basic technology and process license for LASOX, Alabama Laser Systems carried out pre-production development of the lab based process and the integration into the existing laser cutting system at Bender Shipbuilding. The installation has been so successful that full installations at Caterpillar, for their heavy duty mining equipment; and General Dynamics - Electric Boat, for use in the building of submarines will be completed three months ahead of schedule.

    In The Beginning LASOX cutting is the result of 13 years research by Dr. Jack Gabzdyl.

    BOC's market development manager at the U.K.-based Fabrication Technology Center in Wolverhampton and Dr. Bill O'Neill formerly of the University of Liverpool, and now working at the Institute of Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, UK. BOC Gases awarded O'Neill a Royal Society Industrial Research Fellowship to conduct a four-year study on laser cutting in 1990 - the outcome of his work being the LASOX process. O'Neill had been working on the thick section cutting problem by examining the dynamic effects of melt and gas flow through deep section kerfs and became convinced that the problem could be solved by forgetting the conventional laser cutting approach. "In 1990 the Holy Grail at that time was the ability to cut thick plate steel. In the early 1990s, laser cutting was very much limited to about 12 o 15 mm (0.48 to 0.6 in.). That's when we started looking at ways in which we could assist the thickness capability of laser cutting materials. We were quite convinced that the gas played a significant role," said Gabzdyl. So we turned the basic principles of laser cutting on its head, and looked to our expertise in oxy-fuel cutting where we realised hat the oxygen is really the process workhorse," he said.

    He continued: "In traditional laser beam cutting, the laser is the workhorse while the oxygen assists in the process.

    The oxygen just helps. We inverted that philosophy in laser cutting and made the oxygen jet the workhorse and the laser beam the assist." The LASOX cutting process is an exothermic burning reaction in which the heat of the laser beam is only used to bring the steel to ignition temperature at approximately 1,832°F (1,000° C). A specially designed nozzle is used to deliver a supersonic stream of oxygen to the heated spot, resulting in ignition and then sustained burning. LASOX combines the benefits of lasers and oxyfuel cutting by using a very modest amount of laser energy by conventional standards, about lkW, so the process can be operated with relatively small low cost lasers. This laser beam in effect replaces the fuel gas in oxy-fuel cutting. The laser beam is then combined with a high pressure supersonic oxygen gas jet, which provides the cutting energy.

    Thicker material has traditionally been cut with oxyfuel and more recently with plasma torches but both processes suffer from quality issues. "When we started in the early 1990s, we would have been happy to cut one-in. steel plate. But as it happens, we've been able to cut increasingly thicker plate. By careful manipulation of the nozzle geometry and the beam chara c t e r i s t i c s , we can cut very thick material - up to about four in.

    plate," said Gabzdyl.

    Another advantage of LASOX is that it is instantaneous.

    "There is no preheating element required to start the piercing process. In cutting two-in. steel with oxy-fuel, you ^ would need to put the flame on the surface for about 30 seconds before hitting the cutting oxygen jet to make the pierce. Whereas with the LASOX process, because the laser heats the surface instantaneously to the ignition temperature, as soon as you turn the laser on, you can turn on the gas stream and start piercing," explained Gabzdyl.

    In January 2001, Gabzdyl and O'Neill were invited to present their findings on LASOX at a meeting at Caterpillar in Peoria, 111. "We turned everything on its head. We explained that the laser is not the important thing, it's actually the gas that does the trick. This astonished the laser community there, because they tend to be very laser-centric people who feel that the laser is always the most important thing," recalled Gabzdyl. "It definitely caught my eye," said Cahill, referring to the presentation. Later that evening, Gabzdyl, O'Neill, Cahill of Bender Shipbuilding and Penn of Alabama Lasers had discussions with the view to establishing this process in the shipbuilding industry.

    In February 2001, Cahill pulled together the team of Bender Shipbuilding, Alabama Laser and BOC Gases, and wrote a proposal to the National Shipbuilding Research Program, (NSRP). "The proposal got selected and we moved forward. Less than a year after we started real work on it, we were using LASOX in production.

    We went from the laboratory to production at almost lightning speed," said Cahill.

    Penn, who serves as president of Alabama Laser agreed. "What we brought to the equation was taking LASOX out of the lab and making it work on the industrial floor. There's a big difference in doing something once in a lab and doing it a thousand times on the industrial floor," he said. "I've been working with lasers for 30 years and every now and then I see a quantum leap and LASOX fits into that category." Penn continued: "An important aspect of LASOX that isn't often mentioned is its ability to do intricate detail even on thick plate. We've been able to cut webs that just can't be achieved with other methods. The LASOX process supplies just enough heat to drive the reaction and a lot of that heat energy is removed through the kerf. Plasma cannot do the square cuts that allows you to do common line cutting with feature detail and a minimum heat for the part with a minimum amount of distortion, those features alone solve certain categories of problems. This is a tool to give you more capability, not a tool to displace other technologies. It gives someone that is going to invest a million dollars in a laser system with a new tool. It allows him to cut thicker plate without having to go out and buy a plasma or oxyfuel system and making a lot of redundancy and using up a lot more floor space." According to Pat Cahill of Bender, "LASOX is going to completely change the way people look at lasers as a cutting tool," said Cahill. "We're saving hours and hours of machine shop time because we're able to cut holes that are of machine quality. In the past we would cut the blanks out with an oxy-burner and take them to the machine shop and drill them." "LASOX has an almost zero kerf angle, an inch and a half material with less than one degree of a kerf angle. So you have a straight edge. It has almost no top edge melting at all." Turn to page 89 for updates on the latest Welding and Cutting Technologies

  • Robert A. Baker Jr. has been elected president of Hillman Manufacturing Company, which has been formed to consolidate and focus on certain of the engineering and manufacturing companies owned by The Hillman Company. The new group has approximately 1,600 employees and is expected to produce sales

  • plants, four were terminals, docks and wharves, three were paper and wood-producing plants, and the remainder consisted of general manufacturing and miscellaneous installations. The Mississippi River led with 22 facilities, followed by the Houston Ship Channel with 13, the Gulf Intracoastal

  • Marathon Manufacturing Company, Houston, Texas, has announced that with firm construction contracts negotiated in August f o r four of its offshore jackup drilling rigs, a total of $61 million has been added to its marine construction backlog. The contracts for Marathon jackup rigs are with the

  • Marland Environmental Systems, Inc., one o f the leading manufacturers of marine sewage systems, is moving its entire manufacturing facility to Walworth, Wis., the location of its parent company, LaMere Industries, Inc. In announcing the location change, Robert L. Ward, chairman of the board for

  • , will fill an important need at the port, according to port director Guy N. Verger. C o n s t r u c t i o n contract was awarded to Diamond Manufacturing Co. of Savannah, Ga., the low bidder. The 15,400-square-foot platform will be of concrete construction supported by concrete piles, and will

  • Vicinay Chain Company, Inc., recently opened the firm's new manufacturing plant in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an official inauguration. Larry Moncus, president of Vicinay Chain Company and Vicinay International Company, presided during the ceremonies and introduced the members of the firm, including

  • The Tempest 50-FAC from Tampa Yacht Manufacturing (TYM) is designed to provide Patrol and surveillance in shallow coastal and riverine waters by day and night in marshy areas of creeks with shifting sand bars, with low draft, high maneuverability and speed. The vessel’s hull design, which includes forward

  • In-House Design Changes are no problem at Tampa Yacht Manufacturing. Whether of internal design and manufacture or tweaking of standard, commercially available off-the-shelf marine equipment, TYM went the extra yard for its customers. Tempest 36RHIB – Wing Hybrid Collar system with field interchangeability

  • Erich H. Feierabend has been named vice president of manufacturing for Abex Corporation, Denison Division, according to an announcement by B.R. Horne, division president. Mr. Feierabend will be located at the division's headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and will be responsible for all United States

  • James R. Derusha has been appointed vice president of manufacturing at Marinette Marine Corporation, Ely Street, Marinette, Wis. 54143. It is the latest of several management positions Mr. Derusha has held during his 20 years with the Wisconsin shipbuilder. Most recently, he served as vice president

  • In the last few decades, the maritime industry has faced increasing pressures to perform with less and still earn a profit. Fuel costs have skyrocketed. Labor costs have risen dramatically. Down time for repairs has cut into profit margins. Marine engineers and maritime operators have been looking

  • MR Sep-24#26 ,” said Vesley.  
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Bruening said the)
    September 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 26

    MARITIME LOGISTICS where they still have something transmitting,” said Vesley. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING Bruening said the Taluga Group sees a future in additive “There’s another group that follows that certi? es the crews, manufacturing to create parts for the ships that need them. and they can have a

  • MN Aug-24#36  Welding Machine, in a  manufacturing services to OEM and)
    August 2024 - Marine News page: 36

    Wash. said it acquired and was commissioning tooling, shipboard components and advanced contract of a new Ogden One-Sided Seam Welding Machine, in a manufacturing services to OEM and Tier-1 manufactur- move to enhance the yard’s steel fabrication process. The ers in the shipbuilding and maritime industries

  • MN Aug-24#21  logistics. 
tition across manufacturing sectors  strategy)
    August 2024 - Marine News page: 21

    , and maintain its competi- shipbuilders, we have steep compe- The need for a national maritime tive edge in global maritime logistics. tition across manufacturing sectors strategy that incorporates Tier 2 ship- The time to act is now. As a nation, for both corporate and skilled trades yards is both urgent

  • MN Aug-24#20  for a  in advanced manufacturing technologies. These)
    August 2024 - Marine News page: 20

    our maritime sential. This includes modernizing facilities and investing sector. In their newly released Congressional Guidance for a in advanced manufacturing technologies. These improve- National Maritime Strategy they put forward a framework ments will enable Tier 2 shipyards to meet the demands that

  • MN Aug-24#15  of eyes on the cost of manufacturing, on stretching that)
    August 2024 - Marine News page: 15

    ves- an average age perspective. That’s an opportunity. There’s a sels, the resurgence of the oil and gas market and power lot of eyes on the cost of manufacturing, on stretching that generation vessels. We are learning from the experience dollar to capitalize the latest technology. There’s been some gained

  • MN Aug-24#11  these fuels.
the cost of manufacturing, meaning it’s more)
    August 2024 - Marine News page: 11

    from clients and operators who ing driven by manufacturers. And they’re fully driven by have better ? rsthand knowledge of these fuels. the cost of manufacturing, meaning it’s more expensive to In response to the increased complexity of electrical sys- manufacture a knob than it is a button on a touch screen

  • MT Jul-24#32  robots at our high-tech manufacturing fa- integrating the)
    July 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 32

    length. The coils are very precisely wound by He says the next frontier for FOG technology will involve specially designed robots at our high-tech manufacturing fa- integrating the various components of a FOG into a pla- cility in Sydney, using the quadrupole winding method,” says nar photonic chip rather

  • MR Jun-24#36  Chinese domestic market 
Manufacturing speed is also increasing)
    June 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 36

    electrolyzer not only breaks the record of hourly also at another new plant in Spain. hydrogen yield per PEM stack in the Chinese domestic market Manufacturing speed is also increasing. Air Liquide and but also catches up with advanced international technologies Siemens Energy of? cially inaugurated

  • MR Jun-24#35  opened an electrolyzer manufacturing facility 
in Australia)
    June 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 35

    cut the ribbon at the opening of Accelera’s ? rst electrolyzer production site in the U.S. In April, Fortescue of? cially opened an electrolyzer manufacturing facility in Australia – one of the ? rst globally to house an automated assembly line. Image courtesy of Fortescue Image courtesy of Accelera able

  • MR Jun-24#29  of UMaine.
Additive manufacturing can now print entire)
    June 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 29

    , a key factor for high-speed craft. “In the case of Waterjets provide some safety in shallow water. “Collision Photo courtesy of UMaine. Additive manufacturing can now print entire boats. The University of Maine’s 3Dirigo weighs 5,000 pounds and was printed in 72 hours. www.marinelink.com 29 MR #6

  • MR Jun-24#25  one,” said Taylor. In manufacturing scale delivers 
similar)
    June 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 25

    setup, the con? guration. That’s what it takes for me twin, that data’s there forever,” and can be leveraged to avoid to build one,” said Taylor. In manufacturing scale delivers similar problems in the future. costs savings, and the same can be said for digital twins: as the number of similar engines on

  • MN Jun-24#27  and ramp up our domestic manufacturing capacity to 
 advance)
    June 2024 - Marine News page: 27

    and bilities. We need to shore up our critical maritime supply U.S.-? ag shipping capabilities and capacity to chains and ramp up our domestic manufacturing capacity to advance the power and in? uence of America’s build resilience. The Biden Administration has been a leader maritime industry

  • MN Jun-24#11  Making matters 
worse, the manufacturing workforce—at SAFE)
    June 2024 - Marine News page: 11

    shipbuilder across the United States have struggled to recruit, hire and retain the skilled workers they need to thrive. Making matters worse, the manufacturing workforce—at SAFE Boats and elsewhere—has been graying, and aluminum welders, in particular, have been hard to come by. “[Workforce] is a con- stant

  • MN Jun-24#10 . “A substantial 
aerospace manufacturing, primarily gained)
    June 2024 - Marine News page: 10

    over the last 27 years—has found healthy dose of experience in defense and success building vessels for end users overseas. “A substantial aerospace manufacturing, primarily gained component to the business is and has been international, W on the ? nancial side of the business. About 2.5 years later,

  • MR May-24#35  of maritime  machinery manufacturing. They would be one)
    May 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 35

    certi? cations, also provide improvement of productivity in shipbuilding and supporting shipowners through the complexities of maritime machinery manufacturing. They would be one of potential so- challenges. Initiatives like the formation of a safe operation lutions for workforce issues in shipping and

  • MT Mar-24#35 , AAA 
Photo courtesy EHAO Manufacturing
cells and 9v batteries)
    March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 35

    Ener- gizer work as a replacement for alkaline batteries with a 1.5 V nominal voltage. Energizer Ultimate Lithium brand AA, AAA Photo courtesy EHAO Manufacturing cells and 9v batteries employ this chemistry. These have 2.5 www.marinetechnologynews.com 35 MTR #3 (34-47).indd 35 4/4/2024 10:46:07 A

  • MN Apr-24#19  efforts to onshore manufacturing  protocols that transcend)
    April 2024 - Marine News page: 19

    towards U.S. port infrastructure over the next tial for establishing uniform cybersecurity standards and ? ve years, including efforts to onshore manufacturing protocols that transcend national borders. of port cranes to mitigate reliance on foreign-produced To this end, I believe the Biden-Harris Administrat

  • MN Apr-24#17  in their  critical manufacturing sectors, like  time)
    April 2024 - Marine News page: 17

    that allow for the shipyard in- not been outsourced like many other ing comprehensive American mari- dustry to plan for investments in their critical manufacturing sectors, like time strategy, advancing predictable infrastructure and workforce. Incon- semiconductor manufacturing, large- budgeting and other

  • MN Apr-24#16  recognizes that America’s manufacturing capac- backed subsidies)
    April 2024 - Marine News page: 16

    facilitates growth in the battle ? eet.” Sen. Wicker the world’s tonnage in fact—due to generous government- shrewdly recognizes that America’s manufacturing capac- backed subsidies and bailouts. ity and national security are deeply intertwined. A robust From 2010 to 2018 alone, China provided $132

  • MR Feb-24#22  of engine  years of engine manufacturing experience, with more)
    February 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 22

    locomotive. with more than 27,000 employees, and we have more than 50 Following that, I focused my interest into the area of engine years of engine manufacturing experience, with more than 30,000 performance calibration, emissions and combustion research engines produced across all applications. The maritime

  • MN Feb-24#42  HII to 
created role of VP manufacturing and  serve as the)
    February 2024 - Marine News page: 42

    , while corporate VP of legislative affairs, and Lance Richardson takes on the newly Betsy Bina Benedict will join HII to created role of VP manufacturing and serve as the director of legislative affairs. innovation for the Wing Group, Mus- Port of Corpus Names tang’s parent company. Bertolami CFO Daniel

  • MT Jan-24#59  research and development, manufacturing 
the development of)
    January 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 59

    Ocean Technology, a high-tech enterprise science, improved sustainability in offshore operations and specializing in the research and development, manufacturing the development of ocean-tech investment and ? nance oppor- and sales of a full range of underwater robots and related un- tunities, plus new

  • MT Jan-24#56  and now,  As in our case, manufacturing different modules)
    January 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 56

    , Ortega the assembly process to make it scalable and easy to attach. and the Gazelle team are ? rmly planted in the here and now, As in our case, manufacturing different modules that attach to focusing ? rst on the pilot test, plus the most recent news where each other rather than having to produce the

  • MR Jan-24#40  CO2 emissions from 
minum manufacturing line following completion)
    January 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 40

    innovative tech- Navy. The EMS will be manufactured in Austal USA’s alu- nologies in the ship design to reduce the CO2 emissions from minum manufacturing line following completion of the last shipping. The primary fuel for the ships will be LNG. Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF 16). The Expeditionary