ShipConstructor Software Inc. in conjunction with its local affiliate, Sincronia, has delivered a presentation to key figures in the Brazilian shipbuilding and offshore industry regarding best practices in detail design.
ShipConstructor Software Inc. in conjunction with its local affiliate, Sincronia, has delivered a presentation to key figures in the Brazilian shipbuilding and offshore industry regarding best practices in detail design.
Representatives from Petrobras, Sinaval, ABIMAQ, the Brazilian Navy and UTC Engenharia were in attendance while officials from software, design and shipbuilding firms such as FormSys, INACE, Guido Perla and Estaleiro Atlântico Sul (EAS) also shared their experiences working with ShipConstructor’s innovative technology.
Ricardo Barcellos, Coordinator of Modeling for EAS, the largest shipbuilder in the Southern Hemisphere, notes the importance of two critical factors affecting his company as well as others in the Brazilian market.
“We need the ability to train people quite quickly,” Barcellos says. “Since ShipConstructor software is based on the AutoCAD platform, drafters and designers can quickly learn on the job since the majority of them already know AutoCAD.”
Barcellos further adds that the software’s seamless integration of engineering design with modern production practices is vital.
Darren Larkins, Chief Technology Officer for ShipConstructor, explains how his company’s Associative DWG technology facilitates this linkage.
“Our software uses an AutoCAD interface to create and define parts of ships & offshore structures in different engineering disciplines (for example: Structure, Pipe and HVAC etc.). These parts are then linked together in a relational database using our patented DDROM™ technology which creates a three dimensional Marine Information Model,” he says.
“From the model we can automatically output DWG-based production packages including nest, spool and assembly drawings as well as the NC-Code for cutting machines. All the drawings are associative. That means they can be updated on demand without losing any customizations done by the drafter. In fact, ShipConstructor will tell you when a specific drawing needs to be updated due to design changes. All this saves time and reduces costly errors that could show up during fabrication.”
Larkins further commented that Associative DWG technology allows the shipbuilding and offshore industry to fully realize the power of concurrent engineering.
Industry officials seemed impressed. Representatives from ShipConstructor followed up this group presentation with individualized talks with several Brazilian companies over the following days, demonstrating the growing importance of the Brazilian market to ShipConstructor’s business strategy.