LIVONIA—Auros LLC, the Livonia-based knowledge management software developer, announced the next step of the National Shipbuilding Research Program’s efforts to digitize shipbuilding rules in compliance with best practices in marine engineering. The program’s stated mission is to “reduce the total ownership cost and improve the capabilities of both United States Government and U. S.-flag commercial ships.”
This project builds upon a recently completed NSRP project in which Auros developed the technology to digitize American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) rules and guides, derived from best practices in marine engineering, naval architecture, and related disciplines, as Auros Knowledge Packets, enabling the rules to be automatically provisioned into functional and detailed ship design processes.
This new project takes that concept one step further by advancing a connection between Auros and the ShipConstructor CAD system to provision digitized structural rules directly into 3D design model workflows for ABS rule compliance verification. This automated verification and capture of the design’s compliance allows verification earlier in the design process, archiving it for future auditing.
Auros will play a role in the project, along with Victoria, British Columbia-based ShipConstructor Software Inc., ABS, Morgan City, La.-based Conrad Shipyard LLC, and Marinette, Wis.-based Fincantieri Marinette Marine.
“We believe that embedding digital Rules into CAD software will make the design process more efficient. ABS is excited to be working with the project partners to develop digital tools that will make application of the ABS Rules easier,” said Dan Cronin, ABS vice president.
The Auros system will ensure that the relevant ABS rules are readily available at the exact time the engineer needs them, providing more efficient engineering activities.
“Provisioning knowledge into the ship design and repair processes fundamentally changes the way shipyards capture, store, maintain, update, provision, and apply specifications and regulatory rules,” said Greg Burek, director of engineering accounts at Auros, LLC.
The project launched in May and will be completed in 2021.
Auros Knowledge Systems offers Knowledge Aware software, which is used to capture and use knowledge and best practices in multiple disciplines, including design, engineering, manufacturing, quality, and plant operations. More at aurosks.com.