Overview
Step-NC Application for Steel Production in Shipbuilding
Project Team:
- Step Tools, Inc.
- General Dynamics Electric Boat
2006
NSRP ASE Investment: $77K
Objective:
This project reviewed the applicability of STEP Application Protocol 238 (STEP-NC) to plate cutting for the shipbuilding industry. STEP-NC is an exchange medium between CAM systems and numerically controlled manufacturing equipment that was originally developed to support turning/milling operations. STEP-NC defines the manufacturing operations at an abstract level that is not machine dependent, making it ideal as a neutral exchange medium. The project also submits that in order to provide an architecture that truly enables pluggable component systems, the processing of yard-specific rules must be centralized using explicitly defined manufacturing rule sets. This, coupled with a central data repository based on the existing STEP schemas, provides a consistent means of managing and accessing shipbuilding information.
Key Deliverables:
Final Report – Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited