Surface Preparation and Coating Panel

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The Cost of U.S. Navy Coatings QA/QC
To reduce the cost of shipbuilding and repair by investigating the cost of US Navy Coatings QA/QC in accordance with NAVSEA Standard Items and its associated reference document requirements.

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Study to Determine the Level of Salt Mitigation as related to the Accuracy of the Measurement and Cost Benefits
To determine the cost versus benefits and evaluate risk assessment for a given level of salt mitigation.

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Study to Determine an Alternative Coatings System Environment Recorder
To evaluate and recommend a reliable, efficient, and cost effective alternative Coatings System Environment Recorder (i.e., “Data Logger”) in support of the Specification for Environment and Surface Contact Temperature Record System.

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Assessing the Need for 50% Relative Humidity during Tank Painting
With a focus on finding alternative, more cost-effective specifications, this project will explore the basis of the requirement to maintain 50% relative humidity while painting tanks, then make a recommendation for a procedure that will avoid the excessive cost of maintaining low humidity conditions but still ensure proper coating performance.

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Retention of Pre-Construction Primer
Assisting the Navy in its efforts to streamline shipbuilding specifications, this project will review existing Navy shipbuilding processes and commercial practices, then develop a procedure for retention of pre-construction primer without adverse effect on finish coating performance. 

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Preparation of Manual on How to Inspect Flash Rust
This manual focuses on the fundamentals of inspecting flash rust. The goal of the manual is to reduce variance requests and differing interpretations between inspectors and production personnel which will ultimately reduce the costs by eliminating unnecessary re-work. The step-by-step format of the manual is meant to assist novice to experienced production personnel and inspectors in flash rust identification and classification. Available to public.
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Single Coat Preservation System
This effort developed guidance and a business case tool designed to aid private shipyards in the adoption of a new single-coat, rapid-cure paint system that substantially reduces the expense and time required to paint the interior of shipboard tanks. The Final Report is a written guide that contains “lessons learned” and reference material which will be useful for any shipyard considering adopting the technology. A calculation tool (spreadsheet format) for private shipyards to evaluate the costs & savings based on factors unique to their yard and their business model was also developed.  Limited Distribution. Click here to request the Final Report. Please include name, company and address in request.

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Field Study of Ship Coating Performance over Flash Rust
As a cost-effective alternative to current specifications, this project will improve the process of ultra-high pressure waterjet blasting surface preparation in shipyards by reducing the impact of flash rust concerns.  Of particular interest to PEO Carriers, the project will involve hands-on, physical inspection of coatings applied over flash rust for up to 8 vessels with a savings potential of up to 20%.  Current Navy technical requirements require no more than a light flash rust condition prior to painting.  However, because of the interpretative nature of the standards and the relatively short field experience with flash rusted ships, it is possible that overly conservative requirements are being put in place.

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Surface Preparation Quality Assurance/Quality Control Process Improvement
This effort will reduce the cost of shipbuilding and ship repair by re-engineering the way shipyards and owners perform quality assurance and quality control functions for surface preparation. This effort will take a holistic view of these functions to identify the time and conflict drivers, and identify process and technology solutions which can reduce the associated costs without impacting quality or increasing risk of achieving required quality.

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Flash Rusting Acceptability for Ship Coatings
This effort will seek to reduce the cost of shipbuilding and ship repair by improving the definition of “acceptable” levels of flash rusting for adequate marine coating performance. This project will improve the use of ultra-high pressure water jetting surface preparation in shipyards by reducing the impact of flash rust concerns. The team will investigate inconsistent application of flash rusting standards and develop guidance and recommendations for the industry.
Final Report

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Quality Assurance Rules for Painting Navy Ships
This project will reduce and streamline current requirements to lower costs and shorten schedules for preservation.  The new set of rules for painting Navy ships will support the Navy’s goal for coating performance while supporting Lean manufacturing and reducing costs for building and repairing ships.

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Lessons Learned to New Building Coatings Selection and Application (completed)
The Navy is faced with increasing costs of surface fleet maintenance, a situation aggravated by surge demands associated with the global war on terror. Ships are coming back to the U.S. for rapid refits and minimum maintenance, resulting in less than optimal coating selection and application since meeting short vessel turnaround time is paramount. There are opportunities to learn lessons from this and apply them to new vessels to optimize the applied coating scheme in order to gain maximum benefit in through-life costs. The aim here was to assess the needs of coating at new build to minimize life cycle costs for the vessel, while meeting the needs of the new building process and the associated budget restrictions. Benefits included cost reduction through the life cycle of the vessel by identification, management and elimination of repetitive problems. The new procedure  also enables alternative new building specifications to be evaluated and costed, allowing assessment of the impact on through-life maintenance and new building and design budgets. Previous work carried out for NAVSEA has shown that $1 per square foot spent at the design stage can save up to $100 per square foot through the life of the vessel in reduced maintenance costs. The Final Report is available to U.S. Shipyards. Click here to request a copy.

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Applying Statistical Process Control to Coating Activities (completed)
One of the key elements of Lean Manufacturing principles is the reduction of Work In Progress. This implies getting production right the first time to reduce levels or re-work or unscheduled work, thus making the manufacturing process lean and efficient. The aims of this project are two fold: first to define the scope of what in-house computer software would be required to do, and second to either identify a suitable off the shelf package that can be evaluated and tested, or if failing to find a suitable off the shelf package, develop a specification for a package that could fulfill the yards' needs. Poor process control often leads to re-work, excessive use of paint and abrasives, and therefore impacts not only the yard schedule and budget, but also the environment. A well-defined and implemented approach to production has shown benefits of up to 10 percent reduction in man-hours in broad industrial application. The first phase developed a manual system that was used to determine what the computer software would need to do. The second phase succeeded in finding a suitable off the shelf package that fulfilled the shipyard's needs. The Final Report details the software selected and the case study work done on the software, including screen shots from Atlantic Marine's project to assess solutions to the lower-spray problems they have been facing.

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Increased Productivity & Waste Reduction in Tank Blasting (completed)
This project reflects technology transfer from industrial bridge painting contractors and equipment suppliers to the shipyards. Bridge contractors have realized the savings offered by Recyclable Ferrous Metallic Abrasive (RFMA) for many years and their equipment and process knowledge have evolved to a point where they are ready to be used in a shipyard. The project integrates the bridge industry procedures and equipment into a cost saving process for the shipyard. An electronic matrix has been developed that allows the individual shipyard to generate a shipyard specific ROI based on data specific to their processes and business model. The Final Report describes the project results and a working spreadsheet to calculate expected ROI. Available to U.S. shipyards. Click here to request a copy.

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High-Solids Coatings Application Process Reference Guide (completed)
The purpose of this Surface Preparation and Coatings Panel project was to compile data and provide an easily accessible, user-friendly application matrix for all currently approved Navy high-solids coatings systems. The guide includes application optimization information, lessons learned and best practices for ship construction and repair. In an effort to aid the shipbuilding and ship repair community in the use and handling of high solids, solvent free, edge retentive coatings, this manual documents the lessons learned and best practices used in shipyards and coating application facilities. This reference guide provides applicators and supervisors with the knowledge required to successfully apply these coatings. Click here to request a copy.

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Surface Preparation and Coating Benchmarking Initiative (completed)
The purpose of this project was to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of U.S. shipbuilding surface preparation and coating practices. This initiative originated from steering committee attempts to explore process areas related to "State of the Art" reporting. It became evident that a number of process areas required significant research to accurately portray the state of the art. Based on this realization, technical benchmarking seemed to be a reasonable and practical solution. A credible baseline assessment of overall U.S. Shipbuilding surface preparation and coating processes will be of tremendous value as a means of enhancing the Surface Preparation and Coating Panel's ability to target weaknesses within our industry for further allocation of resources and efforts. The Final Benchmarking Report is available only to U.S. shipyards. Click here to request a copy. Please provide your company name, complete mailing address and phone number.

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Last Update: 02/01/10