Design and Engineering Integration During the Weld Lifecycle Navy SBIR FY2006.3 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2006.3 Topic No.: N06-173 Topic Title: Design and Engineering Integration During the Weld Lifecycle Proposal No.: N063-173-0109 Firm: Knowledge Systems Solutions, Inc. 10670 Treena Street Suite 210 San Diego, California 92131 Contact: Kenneth Wolsey Phone: (858) 657-2121 Web Site: www.ksysinc.com Abstract: Welding is one of the most important aspects of shipbuilding. Welds are one of the largest labor and material components in ship delivery. Also, the effect of even a single weld failure can be catastrophic to the ship's performance and to crew safety. In spite of its key role, welding in the shipbuilding industry suffers from many problems that plague the welding industry at large as well as challenges unique to shipbuilding. These challenges have created a situation where welding is a high-cost process that lacks useful tools and methods to increase efficiency and lower costs. The proposed solution combines recent research from the welding industry with technology and innovations from Knowledge Systems Solutions to create a rule-based suite of software that supports an interoperable weld lifecycle. The proposed solution will 1. Document a weld lifecycle commonly used in shipbuilding. 2. Implement an open system architecture and neutral data modeling standards for interoperability. 3. Create a suite of rule-based software tools to capture, manage, and reuse best practices and lessons learned. 4. Provide a business model that allows companies to incrementally implement the solution with a quick return on investment. Benefits: This SBIR project will research and develop innovative tools and technology to 1) support an integrated weld lifecycle in the shipbuilding industry and 2) facilitate interoperability between phases of the lifecycle. The solution developed on this project builds on work previously performed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP), and Knowledge Systems Solutions. It will increase efficiencies in the design, planning, and evaluation of welds in the shipbuilding industry. Based on ROI analysis performed by KSS for NSRP in 2006, developing interoperable processes that reuse data and documents can produce a 20% to 40% benefit. KSS anticipates that similar benefits can be gained from the proposed solution for welding in the shipbuilding industry. In addition, the development process will include participation and feedback from first and second-tier shipbuilders, increasing the likelihood of rapid commercialization of the tools and technology created as part of this solution. Return