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BAE Systems Australia has successfully conducted trials of laser scanning technology at the Osborne Naval Shipyard and Henderson Shipyard to create 3D models of pipes for the Hunter Class frigate program.
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Conducted over a week following initial testing at the Line Zero, “Factory of the Future” facility at the Osborne Naval Shipyard and BAE Systems Australia’s Henderson Shipyard, successfully demonstrating the technology in a real manufacturing environment.
Working together with both the production and dimensional control teams, BAE Systems’ research and technology team identified potential efficiencies in time spent checking the quality of products produced by specialist pipe bending equipment.
BAE Systems Australia’s business development and continuous naval shipbuilding director, Sharon Wilson, said: “We are working with cutting-edge technology to drive as much efficiency as possible in the shipyard.”
Each Hunter Class frigate requires thousands of pipes with unique dimensions and using a hand-held scanner, the pipes – of varying sizes, some up to three metres long – can be scanned and a 3D model created in as little as five minutes.
The equipment and software are precise up to 100–200 microns; the 3D model can then be stored to create a digital twin of each individual pipe used in construction, resulting in a more accurate digital representation of the Hunter Class frigate.
Wilson added: “This is yet another example of adapting commercially available equipment, which we have tested in the open environment at Line Zero – Factory of the Future, for use in the shipyard.”
The technology will not only help to streamline production processes on the Hunter program but also has the potential to support the sustainment of Australia’s existing fleet of warships, with the capability to reverse engineer, produce and then replace pipes and connecting pipework.
“The insights gained from these trials have huge benefits not only for our Hunter Class Frigate Program and the Anzac Midlife Capability Assurance Program, which we are delivering with our partners in the Warship Asset Management Agreement, but also for continuous naval shipbuilding here in Australia,” Wilson explained.
