Establishment of Profile Production Line for Shipbuilding in Shipyard

Yong Hu
(1,2)
, Chengfang Wang
(1,2)
, Yunshen Mao
(1,2)
, Peiyong Lee
(1,2)
, Yongqing Zhou
(1,2)
, Zuquan Xiang
(1,2)

1 Key Laboratory of High Speed Ship Engineering, (Wuhan University of Technology), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, P.R.China
2 School of Transportation, Wuhan University of Technology,Wuhan, Hubei, P.R.China



ABSTRACT

Shipbuilding is production industry that integrates processing and
assembling of parts. Establishment of specialize production line is
effective way to improve quantity, efficiency, quality of processing
part. Profile Production Line is first put forward in shipbuilding in this
paper, which based on CNC profile cutting machine and CNC frame
bending machine. The paper introduces the main components and its
functions in detail and gives an example in Chinese shipyard.
The profile cutting machine performs cutting functions mainly, for
example opening in the web of profile, end cut-off. It can also fulfill the
marking and nesting functions before bending.
CNC frame bending machine mainly performs the bending of profile
automatically, such as Frame Bending Robot developed by us. It is the
first CNC frame bender in the world and has been used successfully in
some Chinese shipyard. The main features will be discussed in the
paper in detail. It contains feeding mechanism, vertical pre-bending
mechanism, pneumatic marking mechanism, auto-detecting device and
CNC control model. The profile processing data flow will be shown
from shipbuilding software system to processing used by CNC device.
The data interface between shipbuilding software system (such as
Tribon) and CNC frame bender is very important for digital
manufacturing, and has been settled down successfully.
Though the proposed profile production line, the profile processing in
shipbuilding could be finished automatically with the whole digital,
more accurate and higher efficiency. That will be a renovation in
shipbuilding. It will be benefit to the shipbuilding and shipyard.

KEY WORDS: profile; production line; shipbuilding; CNC frame
bender; cutting; bending; shipyard.

INTRODUCTION

Modern Shipbuilding Production Mode points out that shipbuilding is
integration and complex process to use group technology, computer
technology, Hull/Outfitting/Painting integration technology. During it,
the principles of Group Technology and Flexible Manufacturing
System are that putting the similar part in shape or function integrated
processing to improve productivity. So it is very effective production
method to establish a production line for some interim product.
Henry Ford, an American, invented Assembly Line, which is a modern
industrial mode for mass production based on the Talyors management
idea on efficiency-oriented. To build a simple, reliable and affordable
car that the average American worker could afford is his dream. By
means of this high production mode, in eighteen years, more than
15,000,000 Model T cars came from assembly plants all over the
United States. Model T car is unique in automobile history both in
quantity and in last time. Due to specialization and standardization of
processing part, the establishment of the assembly line increases the
efficiency of manufacture and decreases its cost. The assembly line
reversed the process of automobile manufacture. It makes the car
common in the American and in the world.
Shipbuilding is clearly different from automobiles. One does not see a
ship coming off the assembly line every minute with relatively
standard. Due to the single or small lot manufacture for ship, the
development of assembly line based on mass production is slow at
shipyard. But, with the introduction and establishment of Modern
Shipbuilding Production Mode, people generally know that the modern
manufacturing should include assembly line or production line. Hence,
at the last time 20 century, all kinds of production line (also called
assembly line) are erected at shipyard for shipbuilding, for example
steel plate pre-treatment line, NC plasma cutting machine line, panel
block assembly line, production line for curved block, pipe fabrication
line, profile cutting line, etc. It is no doubt that these specialized
productions are contributed to high quality, less time waste and high
productivity.
However, there is no specific production line (assembly line) to
establish at civil or aboard shipyards to deal with the processing of
profile and hull plate. This is the cause that the processing and forming
is very difficult. At meantime, there is no practical forming control
theory although many research works have been done. The end point
measuring method is one.
Taking profile (frame) processing as an example, profile cold bending
belongs to elastic and plastic deformation. First, there is an elastic
springback after bending. There is no good method to predict the
springback. Second, due to the asymmetrical section of profile, there is
warping deformation, which is vertical to the direction of bending. In
order to prevent it, some anti-deformation methods are taken, such as
backup plate with different thickness. This make the bending model
more complex. Besides, there are also some other bad effects on the
profile happen during the bending process, such as buckle and
collapsing side. All will have an influence on the establishment of
profile production line if there is no good profile bending machine.
At present, most domestic and foreign shipyards adopted the manual
method to operate the frame bender. By the aid of temple or reverse
straight line, the shape of profile is controlled. CNC frame bending
machine is seldom used. This is the reason that there is no real profile
production line at the shipyard.
Proceedings of the Nineteenth (2009) I nternational Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference
Osaka, J apan, J une 21-26, 2009
Copyright 2009 by The I nternational Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (I SOPE)
I SBN 978-1-880653-53-1 (Set); I SSN 1098-618
795

Shipbuilding is heavy industries with concentrated capital, technology
and labor. The profit depends mostly upon the fully use of
manufacturing ability. This means that the product qualities should
reach the maximum. With the development of shipbuilding, there are
higher demands on the profile processing quantity, efficiency, and
quality for the shipyard. The profile production line is a good way to
solve the problem.
Based on CNC profile cutting line and CNC frame bending machine,
the concept of profile production line is put forward. This paper will
issue the possibility of establishing profile production line. CNC profile
cutting line and CNC frame bending machine are introduced in detail as
main components. Manufacturing information flow that related to the
digital manufacturing of profile is also discussed.

POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING PROFILE PRODUCTION
LINE

In order to guarantee the enough load for every equipment in the
production line, it is mandatory that there is a number of product to
process for the production line. At shipyard cutting center, such as
Longxue Shipbuilding Base, there are about ten thousand profiles to
process every year. It is enough for building a profile production line.
So the cutting center equip with NC cutting machine, profile marking
and cutting machine, crane for loading and unloading profile.
Production Line is manufacturing line which can process the profile
with many facilities integration according to processing order. So it
should include many automatic processing equipment. In the past, these
equipment is not automatic, processing is finished by worker though
manuals mode. With the huge study on the automatic equipments of
profile processing, many technology became practice. Huge progress
has made in Robot Profile Cutting Line(HGG company, 2007), CNC
Frame Bending Machine (Li, 2008), which have been used at
shipyards. With those facilities, it should be possible to develop a
Profile Production Line.

PROCESSING FLOW OF PROFILE

The profile processed in production line should be pre-processing
through profile pre-process line, which includes leveling, blasting, shop
painting.
So the aim of production line for profile is cutting, marking and
bending. The production flow chart is showed in Fig. 1.













Fig. 1 Task of Profile Production Line


PROFILE PRODUCTION LINE

According to the demand of profile in shipbuilding, processing
technology, and the flow chart above, Profile Production Line was
proposed which integrates Profile Cutting Machine and Profile Bending
Machine.
The Layout of the Profile Production Line is showed in Fig. 2 and
Fig.3.


















Fig. 2 Photo of Profile Production Line at Longxue
hipbu
ilding
Base,
Chin
a










Fig. 3 Layout of Profile Production Line

Next, the two key equipments that used in the Profile Production Line
are discussed in detail.

CNC profile cutting line

In the past, the cutting of profile is finished by manual operation or
CNC cutting machine for plate.
The cutting operated by man is low precision, poor quality and low
productivity, especially for hole cutting on the profile. It is very
difficult to master.
On the other hand, most CNC cutting machine is designed for plate
cutting at shipyard. It is not used for profile cutting. Obviously, the
CNC plate cutting system always is not used in Profile Product Line,
which need cutting machine specializing in profile.
According to the actual situation at shipyard, some companies have
developed special profile cutting line which used in shipbuilding, for
example, the IMG, and HGG robot profile cutting line.
Usually, the equipment should have two main functions. One is cutting
function, the other is marking function. The system should mark the
name or number of the part on the profile by ink jet printer or other
method. For bending processing part, the reverse straight line for
bending reference also should be marked on the profile.
Due to CNC frame bending machine has marking function, so the
marking function in cutting stage could be performed in bending stage
for bending profile.
Name/Number/Reverse Straight Line
Profile Stock
Marking
End/Hole Cut
Bending
Cutting
CNC Profile Cutting Machine CNC Frame Bending Machine
Profile Rack/Pallet Profile Stock
feeding in
feeding out
unbending
bending
marking/
cutting
796

HGG Robot Profile Cutting Line (PCL 600) made in Netherlands have
been used in modern Chinese shipyards, such as Longxue shipbuilding
base. It is built out of different components and each component has its
specific design and function. The main parts are listed as following:
1) Feeding-in storage;
2) Edge clearing system;
3) Sideway feeding-in chains;
4) Feeding-in roller conveyor;
5) Gripper;
6) Inkjet marking station;
7) Cutting cell;
8) Plasma cutting unit;
9) Fume exhaustion and filter unit;
10) Feeding-out slat belt and sideways unloading table;
11) Control unit.
With the Robot Profile Cutting Line PCL-600, a shipyard realizes more
faster profile processing.

CNC Frame Bending Machine

There are many frame bending machines used in shipyards, for
example the bender developed by Hugh Smith. They are all 3 fulcrums
machine. But these machines are operated by workers, and the bending
shape is controlled through temples or reverse straight line which
marked ahead on the frame by manual or auto marking machine. Some
DNC machine has been put forward, but they are not used in
production at shipyard due to poor accuracy.
After a so-called Chord Line control model was proposed by Wang
(1980) for profile bending, a NC frame bending machine had been
developed in China. However, due to the recognizing and finance
problem, this new technology is seldom accepted by shipyard.
With the rapid development of shipbuilding in the past ten years in
China, more and more modern shipbuilding equipments have been
adopted by shipyard, such as CNC plasma cutting machine, panel
production line, robot welding machine, etc. The new type frame
bending machine (Li, 2008) with hands developed by us is one of them.
Meanwhile, many great improvements on the machine, control and
detecting system contributed to this change (Wuhan University of
Technology, 2005 ).
Fig. 4 show the new type frame bending machine with hands. The
features of the machine are listed as following :



















Fig. 4 Photo of Auto bending of T section using CNC frame bending
machine at Longxue Shipbuilding Base, China


A. Feeding mechanism with Machine Hands
The frame bending machine has two machine-hand arms. During
bending, it acts as bending supporting points. During feeding, it can
perform the operation of extending and folding.The principle of feeding
mechanism is presented in Fig 5.
Feeding mechanism with Machine Hands fixed its side framework
on the bending cylinder by means of hinge. The side frameworks can
swing around by the drive of feeding cylinder. The clamps on the two
side frameworks complete the clamping and loosening action. The
machine can feed forward and backward smoothly by swinging around
of two side frameworks.
During feeding, the profile only passes through 3 constraint blocks. So
the structure is easy to feed. It is simple and reliable. It is most
optimal feeding mechanism at present.



















Fig. 5 Principle of feeding mechanism
1,2-side framework; 3,4-side clamp; 5-bending cylinder;
6,7-feeding cylinder; 8-central framework;
9-central clamp; 10-machine seat; 11-profile

B. Vertical pre-bending mechanism
Due to asymmetrical section of profile, such as angle or bulb plate,
there is a side deformation vertical to the bending direction, as showed
in Fig.6.

Fig. 6 Vertical deformation after bending
due to the asymmetrical section

After the springback of bending, except obtaining horizontal bending,
there is a side-effect bend distortion in perpendicular direction. In
order to eliminate the vertical deformation, the profile should suffer
from 3D deformation. So the vertical pre-bending mechanism was
invited to back the side deformation. Because the two side clamps and
central clamp are not at same height, the frame will suffer a pre-
bending against the vertical deformation after clamping. After the
springback of frame in two directions, the flat frame can be obtained.
The processing is less time and labor waste for lack of level work.
1
5
2
7
6
10
8
9 4 3
11
X
Y
Z
F
F
Z
Y
X
Panel
Web
Bending forward
Bending backward
797

L
i+1
A
B
F
i
L
S0
O
y
i
i
x i
detecting
rod
bending
supporting
point
profile
measuring
rail
clamping
hand

Fig.7 illustrates the principle of vertical pre-bending mechanism with

Chinese patent.

C. Central combined bending die
The central clamp is designed as assembled bending mould (shown in
Fig.8), so its throat space (the distance between forward bending
5
2
1
10
11
12
7
6
4
3
8
7
9
13


Fig. 7 Vertical pre-bending mechanism
1-side lower clamp; 2-side upper clamp; 3-central lower clamp;
4-central upper clamp; 5-side clamp cylinder; 6-central clamp
cylinder; 7-side framework; 8-central framework; 9-railway of
pedestal; 10-worm; 11-worm wheel; 12-ascend screw; 13-frame

mould and backward bending mould ) can be adjusted by changing the
position of placed block. For example, the throat will enlarge when the
block was placed right position showed in following figure. It is
suitable to process bigger frame. Contrariwise, it is suitable to process
smaller frame. In this way, the range of processing of this machine is
extended. Hence, the machine can deal with a wide range of frame
with higher quality.
There are two suits of central bending mould, which is made from hard
material. One is for angle and T section processing; the other is for bulb
processing. It is easy to exchange.
Beside the above mechanism feature, the frame bending machine has
three vertical clamping cylinders whose clamping force can be
adjusted. This guarantees that the bending operation occur in the plate





















Fig. 8 Assembled bending mechanism
1-central upper clamp; 2-adjusted central upper bend mould;
3-central back bend mould; 4-adjusted central lower mould;
5-central lower clamp; 6-throat block;7-fixed bolt; 8-frame

between upper and lower clamp to avoid distortion. When the frame is
backward bending, the upper clamp die in central framework holds the
web of frame to avoid buckling.
There is also a fellow-up mechanism for feeding and springback, which
is made of approaching switches. It can make feeding and springback
operation more convenience to avoid blocking.

D. Unique marking mechanism
A pneumatic marker is fixed at the central framework, which real-time
marks the part number, the cut line of ends, position of hole. It makes
the processing and nesting at the same time.























Fig. 9 Principle of shape control model and detecting mechanism
3
8
4
6
7
6
5
4
3
8
7
1
2
798













Fig. 10 Data flow in Profile Production Line


F. CNC control model and new strip detecting mechanism
CNC Frame Bending Machine is developed based on the unique String
control model and practical detecting mechanism. Fig.9 shows the
principles of three fulcrums bending, shape control model, and shape
detecting mechanism.
Frame is free curve in shape. It can be fitted by a group of the offset
points. When the segment AB is bended, point A, point B and endpoint
O makes a triangle. It is sole. The three sides of the triangle is L
i
, L
i+1
,
S
0
, where S
0
is the distance between the two detecting rods, a
constant. So the shape of processing segment AB can be determined
by (L
i
,
i
), where
i
is the included angle between OA and AB. The
whole curve can be controlled by a series of (L
i
,
i
) . As soon as
profile feeding in, is determined, the shape of processing is measured
by the angle
i
. So by real time detecting the angle
i
, the processing
can perform.
In the 80 20 century, the L
i
is fulfilled by a String through point O
and point A, which effects processing. Now there is a renovation. The
real string is replaced by a virtual string in a right-angle triangle.
2 2
i i i
y x L + =


DIGITAL MANUFACTURING OF PROFILE AT SHIPYARD

With the CNC cutting machine and CNC frame bending machine, it is
possible for digital manufacturing of profile at shipyard. The
production data flow according to Fig. 10.
The key technology is data interface between the shipbuilding
application software and the CNC equipment. Some transfer software
should be programmed to make link with different ship design software
and processing equipment. HGG has written and supplied post
processors for full automatic generation of NC data file.
In fact, as a main application software used at shipyard, Tribon was
compatible with the existing CNC equipment.
According to the Fig. 10, digital manufacturing of profile has been put
into effect and works well at Longxue Shipbuilding Base, Guangdong
and Bohai Shipyard, Liaoning.
Other shipyards in China also are planning to implement this
technology.
Due to the smooth of bended profile and high accuracy, the profile
production line is helpful to the curved panel assembly.


CONCLUSIONS

According to the idea above, the Profile Production Line based on CNC
profile cutting machine and CNC frame bending machine has been
established at Longxue shipbuilding base, in Guangzhou, China in
2008, as showed in fig.1. In fact, similar profile line based on CNC
frame bending machine has been carried out at more then ten shipyards
in China since 2006. Over one year work, it confirms that the Profile
Production Line increase the processing efficiency.
The Profile Production Line shows its great technology renovations in
processing profile.
First, it does not need the temples or reverse straight line for bending
profile any more. Second, the profiles processed by the machine are
more smoother than that processed by manual. Third, the profile has the
cutting mark at the ends, it is benefit for no-excess product.
More important, Profile Digital Manufacturing at shipyard becomes
possible due to CNC cutting and CNC bending functions. All processes
are operated automatically. That is the last aim and wish for shipbuilder
at shipyard.
However, in Korea and Japan, there are no CNC frame bending
machines used at shipyards. So it is difficult to built such Profile
Production Line.
After well solution of Profile Digital Manufacturing, the digital
production of ships shell bending is the other problem remained at
shipyard. That will be next research goal to be focused on.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The project is supported by the research fund of NSFC with the grant
number: 50875191, and sponsored by the Scientific Research
Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, State
Education Ministry. The photos are taken at Longxue Shipbuilding
Base, Guangzhou, China.

REFERENCES

HGG company (2007), Machine Description PCL 600.
Li Peiyong, Wang Chengfang, Mao Yunsheng, Hu Yong, Zhou
Yongqing (2008). Research and Development of CNC Cool Frame
Bender. Journal of Ship Production, Vol 24, No 1, pp7-11.
Wang Chengfan (1980). Automatic Control Mathematical Model of
Pure Bending Frame Bender . Journal of Wuhan Water Transportation
College, No.2, pp1-14.(in Chinese)
Wuhan University of Technology (2005), User Manual of CNC Frame
Bending Machine (in Chinese).

CNC Profile Cutting Line Nesting File
NC Data File
*.lst File Offset Data CNC Frame Bending Machine
Tribon
Software
799