Product category:
Non-contact, Optical and Laser measurement systems
News Release from: Metris | Subject: IGPS system
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 09 November 2007
Metrology systems advanced in ship
building
Metrology systems have been involved for shipbuilding, where the systems have to endure paint and metal particles, fumes, gases, heat and intensive welding radiation.
Metrology systems manufacturer, Metris, reports that for two years, it has been partnering with a leading South-Korean ship manufacturer to gain a deeper understanding of typical shipbuilding processes and resolve critical problems regarding conventional metrology practices Both companies joined forces to enhance Metris' Indoor GPS product line, to improve quality on a large scale and boost the productivity of the various build processes
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 17 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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* South Korean ship building - in 2006, South Korea dominated the global shipbuilding market, with a 42% market share or 40 million compensated gross tons (CGT) - according to Clarkson.
Japan is ranked second, the European Union third and China fourth.
A decade ago Japan led the market, but in recent years, mainly due to high cost of labor, South Korea has taken over market leadership.
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For shipbuilding markets worldwide, the growing demand of energy drastically increased the demand of high-value-added vessels, such as container vessels, crude and chemical oil carriers as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.
iGPS in LNG vessel construction formed the basis of the joint engineering activity.
A key characteristic of LNG tankers is that their cargo are stored around -160 deg C.
The demand for accurate alignment and fitting of the structure is much higher that when compared with container ships.
Establishing higher precision assembly and throughput requires an efficient metrology approach to be able to quickly inspect and track in 3D space to small tolerance levels over very large volumes, said Metris to manufacturingtalk.com.
Rough indoor/outdoor conditions limit the choice of metrology instruments that are able to endure paint and metal particles, fumes, gases, heat, intensive welding light.
Metris said that shipbuilders are very eager to consider alternative metrology technologies.
It resulted in the adoption of Metris iGPS products for quite a varied range of large scale metrology tasks.
* Metris iGPS speeds up process and reduces rework and scrap - the Metris iGPS system consists of laser transmitters and receivers along with a receiver hub and controller.
When an iGPS system in a fixed environment is set up and calibrated, it can simply be switched on before starting a new measurement session.
Receiver probes can be attached to objects or held manually against objects, and a single point measurement only takes a few seconds.
The vector bar is connected to a receiver hub, from where the acquired metrology data are stored on a rugged handheld controller unit, or sent wirelessly to a workstation for data collection.
The ship construction process can be broken down into steps, each requiring specific metrology verification.
The implementation of iGPS at the South Korean ship manufacturer will eventually cover a wide range of tasks, however the preliminary application has been to assist in the inner membrane tank layout process.
This in itself has eliminated one shift in every six and has tightened up the operational accuracy from 6mm to around 1mm.
A significant amount of rework reduction and scrap has also been eliminated, altogether demonstrating a rapid return on investment.
The major limitation of traditional metrology practices was the inability to perform 3D data acquisition and analysis in real time.
They just covered 2D space.
The inner lining plates are tracked in real time and can be quickly positioned to the original CAD design data with the aid of a graphic display.
The tanks measure around 40m3 in volume, however due to the scaffolding construction process, there is limited room for the metrology system to be deployed.
iGPS has additionally been adapted to operate in very harsh environments with welding fumes, dust and light rain.
Flexible and easy to learn - the collaboration between Metris and the ship manufacturer confirmed that iGPS is looking at a promising future in shipbuilding industries worldwide.
Metris iGPS is a robust LSM metrology system that was originally developed for use in general construction environments with dust, rain and fluctuating temperatures.
In addition, the system offers superior flexibility and ease of use.
As most other systems require a significant set-up time (physical instrument set-up, measurement object preparation, instrument warm-up), users simply pick the measurement probe of choice and start collecting data.
A single iGPS installation set-up serves as many users as desired, with an unlimited number of receivers.
The system allows ship builders to easily add operators for difficult jobs, or to speed up the data collection process.
Benefits brought by the Metris iGPS are as follows.
* Ease of use - operation requires limited training and operating labor costs.
* Fast operation - 'point and click' real-time data collection.
* Single set-up - no 'moving' or 'leap frogging' concerns.
* Always on - no set-up required when installed in permanent location.
* Flexibility - extra users, transmitters and receivers can be flexibly added.
* High accuracy - submillimeter accuracy - exceeds shipbuilding accuracy requirements.
* Ruggedness - limited sensitivity to environmental factors; fit for indoor and outdoor use. Request a free brochure from Metris ...
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