In this video we take you to one of the shipyards largest in the world, that of Fincantieri in Monfalconein the province of Gorizia, to show you all the work that goes into building a large ship.
The surprising thing is that it is almost an artisanal job, because there is no assembly line, like for cars: each ship is a piece in itself.
The real challenge is therefore to find technological solutions to automate production processes and to make it as easy as possible workers’ work.
In the video you will see in detail the various steps to build a large ship, which are the following:
1) From the pieces of sheet metal a block. The block is actually a term used in slang and is a bit like a rectangular brick of a building. For example, the hull of a cruise ship has about 1000 blocks.
2) Each block is equipped with pipes and ducts for electrical and plumbing systems.
3) Then about ten blocks are joined together, creating a section. A ship typically has about a hundred sections.
4) Gradually the sections are brought into the so-called pelvic areawhere the ship is assembled.
5) Once the structure is completed, the basin fills with water and the ship is transferred to the dock for the latest interior and exterior fittings and for water testing.
The technological solutions adopted on the construction site
In the video, we had the opportunity to experience first-hand the various technological solutions implemented by Fincantieri to create a new way of managing work on the shipyard: artificial intelligence, robotics, smart things, software, sensors. These are solutions adopted to create a new way of managing work on the construction site, moving from the good old manpower to the so-called “Opera head”.
Among these, we found surprising the adoption, by some workers, of a helmet with integrated visor which, through the mixed realityacts as a support for workers. How? In practice, it allows you to see the status of the work done and the final result in virtual format.
Always to help the workers, there are the “exoskeletons”, which act as a support for the joints of workers when they have to lift heavy loads for long periods of time. These devices facilitate some manual operations and prevent fatigue of workers, as well as injuries.
In general, all the work on site and all the movement of the numerous pieces are managed through the so-called digital twin. What is it? It is a set of solutions that keep “virtual” track of everything that happens on the construction site.
There digitalization of the naval sector is very complex, precisely because it is an almost artisanal industry. It seems a paradox, yet this is precisely the challenge of the sector, which today passes into the hands of engineers, data scientists, IT experts and increasingly specialized workers.