Abstract
The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background informa tion supplied bythe inventors: “The current state of the art for shaping metal plates, such as those used in the navalshipbuilding industry to create ship hul l, is a largely manual process that requires exceptionally skilledcraftsmen wit h years of experience to complete. Even at the hands of experts, manually-shaped platessometimes require additional metalworking if they fail to adhere to stri ct specifications. Using a torch, aworker will apply heat to a plate in a parti cular pattern and then cool the plate with a water hose in orderto move stresse s around in a plate to acquire the desired shape. In other cases, a press can be used by anoperator to assist in shaping; however, press bending is typically i ncapable of outputting complex or curvedplate shapes, such as those commonly jo ined together to form portions of the hull on or near the bow orkeel of large n aval vessels or Coast Guard cutters. In order to improve the technical field of shipbuilding bymore accurately and efficiently crafting the metal sheet compone nts used in naval shipbuilding, a solutionis needed to at least partially autom ate the plate shaping process and ensure a high degree of accuracyagainst techn ical specifications.”
NETL
NSTL