Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FIBRE4YARDS (FIBRE composite manufacturing technologies FOR the automation and modular construction in shipYARDS)
Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-06-30
Today, Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) materials are extensively used for building lightweight hull structures of vessels with length up to about 25 m. FRP are also used for even larger lengths (up to 50 m). In fact, most of the leisure craft and sailing yachts, naval ships, patrol and rescue vessels below 25 m length are built in FRP materials.
However, the production capacity in numbers of FRP ships does not achieve its full potential due to high total production costs. One of the main reasons for this limitation is the lack of automated procedures, and the current semi-artisanal methods used in FRP shipbuilding.
In order to further expand the competitive position of the European shipbuilding industry, in particular small and medium size shipyards, it is essential to improve and optimise the production processes for FRP ship parts.
The main objective of the FIBRE4YARDS project is to maintain European global leadership in ship building and maintenance, through the implementation of the Shipyard 4.0 concept in which advanced and innovative manufacturing technologies are successfully introduced. FIBRE4YARDS will implement a cost-efficient, digitized, automated and modular vessel production approach.
FIBRE4YARDS focuses on the entire value chain (shipyards and their ecosystem) cooperatively working on small and medium length fibre-based ships in a digital environment.
The main objective of the project will be achieved by:
- Introducing smart and secure engineering, manufacturing and data sharing concepts in ship production.
- Embedding advanced and highly automated FRP production technologies in the Shipyard 4.0 while applying these technologies in ship production, maintenance and dismantling.
- Developing and validating new (digitalized) engineering and analysis simulation solutions to support modular ship design and construction in the Shipyard 4.0 concept.
- Facilitating industrial deployment of the FRP Shipyard 4.0 by providing guidelines for design, production, certification, and staff training.
- Developing business plans and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) strategies for shipyards.
However, the production capacity in numbers of FRP ships does not achieve its full potential due to high total production costs. One of the main reasons for this limitation is the lack of automated procedures, and the current semi-artisanal methods used in FRP shipbuilding.
In order to further expand the competitive position of the European shipbuilding industry, in particular small and medium size shipyards, it is essential to improve and optimise the production processes for FRP ship parts.
The main objective of the FIBRE4YARDS project is to maintain European global leadership in ship building and maintenance, through the implementation of the Shipyard 4.0 concept in which advanced and innovative manufacturing technologies are successfully introduced. FIBRE4YARDS will implement a cost-efficient, digitized, automated and modular vessel production approach.
FIBRE4YARDS focuses on the entire value chain (shipyards and their ecosystem) cooperatively working on small and medium length fibre-based ships in a digital environment.
The main objective of the project will be achieved by:
- Introducing smart and secure engineering, manufacturing and data sharing concepts in ship production.
- Embedding advanced and highly automated FRP production technologies in the Shipyard 4.0 while applying these technologies in ship production, maintenance and dismantling.
- Developing and validating new (digitalized) engineering and analysis simulation solutions to support modular ship design and construction in the Shipyard 4.0 concept.
- Facilitating industrial deployment of the FRP Shipyard 4.0 by providing guidelines for design, production, certification, and staff training.
- Developing business plans and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) strategies for shipyards.
The 13 partners of the consortium work together to transfer, adapt and combine targeted advanced production technologies from other competitive industrial sectors into a Shipyard 4.0 environment. Real-scale demonstrators will be designed and manufactured to prove the feasibility of the technologies developed in the project.
So far, the main ongoing activities and achievements have been the following:
"Assessment of advanced FRP manufacturing and joining technologies to be transferred to the shipbuilding industry":
- assessment and adaptation of advanced composite manufacturing technologies for the shipbuilding industry;
- joining technologies comparison study;
- development of acoustic control methodologies.
"Design and engineering for vessel production improvement":
- development of specific numerical models in order to simulate composites with the developed technologies: constitutive model for thermoplastics, beam model for pultruded profiles, numerical model for 3D printed composites, numerical multi-model for composite connections;
- implementation of such numerical models in already existing CAE/FEM tools (TdynRamSeries), so that they can be incorporated among the vessels’ design and engineering tools;
- engineering and development of two modular vessel designs i.e. patrol motorboat and passenger catamaran;
- re-design and optimization of both vessel designs, in order to adapt their manufacturing to the advanced production methods presented in the project;
- study and account for the mechanical performance of the connections between the different vessels’ modules.
"Smart manufacturing approach to modular shipbuilding and shipyard 4.0":
- definition of the monitoring parameters for every manufacturing process of every technology provider;
- definition of the hardware part of the monitoring system, more specifically, selecting the sensors and the acquisition system more appropriate for each particular case;
- definition and development of the web platform and of the digital twin model.
"Environmental life cycle assessment, recycling and waste management":
- definition of the scope of the life cycle inventory analysis of particular technologies.
- acquaintance with UV Pultrusion technology during the visit in IRURENA Group, Spain, with 3D Printing and AFP technologies during the visit in 10XL, Netherlands, and with Adaptive Moulds Process during the visit in Curve Works, Netherlands.
"Business plans and roll-out strategies. Cost-benefit analysis. IPR":
- preparation of market survey, questionnaires to for-profit and non-profit FIBRE4YARDS partners to identify valid business models, and of Business Model Canvas for individual project partners, based on their business line.
- implementation of novelty search in FIBRE4YARDS.
So far, the main ongoing activities and achievements have been the following:
"Assessment of advanced FRP manufacturing and joining technologies to be transferred to the shipbuilding industry":
- assessment and adaptation of advanced composite manufacturing technologies for the shipbuilding industry;
- joining technologies comparison study;
- development of acoustic control methodologies.
"Design and engineering for vessel production improvement":
- development of specific numerical models in order to simulate composites with the developed technologies: constitutive model for thermoplastics, beam model for pultruded profiles, numerical model for 3D printed composites, numerical multi-model for composite connections;
- implementation of such numerical models in already existing CAE/FEM tools (TdynRamSeries), so that they can be incorporated among the vessels’ design and engineering tools;
- engineering and development of two modular vessel designs i.e. patrol motorboat and passenger catamaran;
- re-design and optimization of both vessel designs, in order to adapt their manufacturing to the advanced production methods presented in the project;
- study and account for the mechanical performance of the connections between the different vessels’ modules.
"Smart manufacturing approach to modular shipbuilding and shipyard 4.0":
- definition of the monitoring parameters for every manufacturing process of every technology provider;
- definition of the hardware part of the monitoring system, more specifically, selecting the sensors and the acquisition system more appropriate for each particular case;
- definition and development of the web platform and of the digital twin model.
"Environmental life cycle assessment, recycling and waste management":
- definition of the scope of the life cycle inventory analysis of particular technologies.
- acquaintance with UV Pultrusion technology during the visit in IRURENA Group, Spain, with 3D Printing and AFP technologies during the visit in 10XL, Netherlands, and with Adaptive Moulds Process during the visit in Curve Works, Netherlands.
"Business plans and roll-out strategies. Cost-benefit analysis. IPR":
- preparation of market survey, questionnaires to for-profit and non-profit FIBRE4YARDS partners to identify valid business models, and of Business Model Canvas for individual project partners, based on their business line.
- implementation of novelty search in FIBRE4YARDS.
In order to define a new generation of 4.0 shipyards, FIBRE4YARDS will:
- Develop monitoring strategies to obtain required data for continuous quality control and factory maintenance.
- Develop a Digital Twin Model of the shipyard which, based on the continuous monitoring and the Internet of Things (IoT), will control the different production and maintenance processes.
- Define applications of smart technology based on the IoT to shipbuilding to develop the Shipyard 4.0 concept and improve production and maintenance processes.
- Define cyber-security measures in the Shipyard 4.0.
FIBRE4YARDS aims to achieve the following impacts:
- Competitiveness and growth for small and medium shipyards by implementation of Shipyard 4.0 will increase the competitiveness of European shipyards.
- Employment and skills of European workforce by advanced manufacturing procedures will solicit workforce with improved skills.
- Improved environmental performance by FRP ships manufactured with advanced production procedures will use less material more efficiently, reducing significantly the ship’s weight. A Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) will accompany this change
- Multiplication effect within Europe by developments made towards Shipyard 4.0 will be easily adapted to other shipyards besides the ones directly involved in the project, spreading the results easily
- Maximized EU added value by minimizing technology leakage, business plans and protection strategies for the IPR generated in the project.
- Develop monitoring strategies to obtain required data for continuous quality control and factory maintenance.
- Develop a Digital Twin Model of the shipyard which, based on the continuous monitoring and the Internet of Things (IoT), will control the different production and maintenance processes.
- Define applications of smart technology based on the IoT to shipbuilding to develop the Shipyard 4.0 concept and improve production and maintenance processes.
- Define cyber-security measures in the Shipyard 4.0.
FIBRE4YARDS aims to achieve the following impacts:
- Competitiveness and growth for small and medium shipyards by implementation of Shipyard 4.0 will increase the competitiveness of European shipyards.
- Employment and skills of European workforce by advanced manufacturing procedures will solicit workforce with improved skills.
- Improved environmental performance by FRP ships manufactured with advanced production procedures will use less material more efficiently, reducing significantly the ship’s weight. A Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) will accompany this change
- Multiplication effect within Europe by developments made towards Shipyard 4.0 will be easily adapted to other shipyards besides the ones directly involved in the project, spreading the results easily
- Maximized EU added value by minimizing technology leakage, business plans and protection strategies for the IPR generated in the project.