National Shipbuilding Research Program. Automated Process Application in Steel Fabrication and Subassembly Facilities; Project Summary

摘要

The objective of NSRP Project 1-96-6 was to develop a methodology to identify specific processes within Steel Fabrication and Subassembly that were good candidates for automation, and to determine the degree and mix of automation which would have the best overall effect on the defined areas. Because of the large scope of the project, computer simulation was used to model the focus areas. Computer simulation lends itself well to investigations such as this because of software s capability to: Determine the effects of randomness and variability in the processes; Model large systems with many variables; Determine effects over long periods of time; Determine effects of costly changes before investing money and resources; Quickly produce results for comparisons of system changes; Present concepts visually as an aid in explaining them. Models were created that were representative of National Steel and Shipbuilding Company's (NASSCO) current Steel Fabrication and Subassembly processes. These As-Is models were then analyzed for bottlenecks and constraints that could be overcome through the use of automation. Once the constraints were identified and suitable automation alternatives were purposed, To-Be models were created incorporating the automation. The results of the As- Is and o-Be models were used in order to compare the performance of the two systems, and as a basis for a Return on Investment (ROI) calculation.