Design Systems and Technologies, ship design, ship building and software solutions

SHIPCONSTRUCTOR 2002 SUPPORTS FAST FERRY CONSTRUCTION

[cadA:] Rodriquez has used ShipConstructor software since 1996 : pictured is the stern arrangement on 115m Federico Garcia Lorca.

According to Design Systems & Technologies (DS&T), the latest ShipConstructor 2002 release offers the first - and to date only - fully integrated PC ship product-modelling and building software system to fast ferry industry. The software was developped by Albacore Research, based in Canada, with 10 years of co-operation from French companies DS&T and Intersection design.

DS&T highlights the following projects that have been designed and/or produced with ShipConstructor :

all Rodriquez-built ferries and patrol craft since 1996
various vessel designed by UK-based Nigel Gee & Associates, including the 72m/35.5-knot catamaran for the State of Alaska Marine Highway Systems, being built at US yard Derecktor ; a 47m SES ; and several other high speed ferries
a superyacht being built by the US yard Trinity marine.

ShipConstructor 2002 is an AutoCAD application, wich uses an SQL database as its principal foundation. DS&T says that substantial development was undertaken to render the database fully transparent and within any draftsman's reach. The integration of elements such as structure and piping, allow for accurate pre-outfitting and the exact management of material and parts requirements.

In its 2002 release, ShipConstructor 2002 has been enhanced with linear nesting (profile extrusions and piping) ; a variable setting automatic plate-nesting algorithm; remnant and stock management ; a stand-alone build strategy module ; and a database-enabled 'fly-through' module developed in co-operation with LightWorks Design, based in th UK.

The latest ship being completed using this software is an Aquastrada TMV 84 : an all-aluminium vessel produced at Rodriquez yard in Pietra Ligure, Italy. It is designed to carry passengers/cars/trucks at 39 knots, and was built by six independent companies at the yard, sharing cutting machines and the covered assembly facilities for several months. The TMV 84's hull was built alongside fourteen 25m fast patrol craft that were also modelled in ShipConstructor. Work on a second TMV is already underway for a Jordanian operator, and delivery is scheduled for early April 2003.

DS&T says that having the model in the user-friendly ShipConstructor/AutoCAD environment proves fundamental in implementing successful concurrent engineering and just-in-time delivery of NC cutting information and production documentation.

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