Photo By James Cleveland | KITTERY, Maine (Nov. 21, 2024) - Inside Machine Shop workers at Portsmouth Naval...... read more read more
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s Inside Machine Shop, Shop 31, is investing in its people and equipment, ensuring they have the skills and tools necessary to support America’s Warfighting Navy.
With Capital Investment Program (CIP) funding, made possible by the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), the Inside Machine Shop has invested $6 million into the installation of a multi machine foundation and four large milling machines. The addition of these machines, along with the skillset of the machinists, has resulted in increased production with substantial cost savings.
“We are focused on removing equipment from the shipyard that was installed in an era when we were building submarines,” said Director SIOP PNSY Russ Gagner. “These recapitalization opportunities funded by the SIOP program provide new equipment that is safer and has significant increases in efficiency by utilizing the latest state of the art technologies.”
The new five-axis bridge mill allows shipyard machinists the ability to execute multiple jobs consecutively on the same machine, decreasing production time from weeks to hours. The five-axis bridge mill, along with two large vertical milling machines and a horizontal boring mill, uses Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining. CNC, a process that uses computer software to control the movement and operation of the machine, enables a much quicker setup and run time.
The machines’ user-friendly controls minimize the learning curve while maximizing production at the operator level. “It’s a done-in-one technology, which is a huge benefit to the machinists,” said Industrial Engineering and CIP Project Manager Jeff Harrison. “Less setup equals fewer rigging events, which frees those employees up to assist in other areas of the shop.”
It takes just a few days to complete training on these machines, which increases the machinist’s skillset. The new machines allow machinists to get a job done in a fraction of the time, and with a substantially higher quality than the old machines. “Using these new CNC machines, Shop 31 is capable of supporting emergent submarine repairs much faster,” said Small Machines Supervisor Adam Seckendorf.
Before the new machines, it took several machines to do one job, requiring more production hours. Sometimes it wasn’t possible to do the job at all, because the machines did not have the capability or capacity. The limited capabilities resulted in outsourcing a job, which often increased production time by months with a significant cost increase. The new machines allow the work to be done in-house. “Here at PNSY the main focus is to make things right,” said Harrison. “Increasing our capacity and abilities is an added benefit that minimizes the risk of delays.” Additionally, with this cutting-edge technology and multi-job capability, these machines ensure jobs are completed faster with high quality, more precision, and efficiency. “I have yet to see a job that these guys can’t do,” said CNC Department Supervisor Patrick Wilson.
With the added capabilities of the new equipment, machinists are excelling in their work. Machinist Tanner Boyer leveraged his skills and capacity by producing a specific complex component from raw material to create sector gears. The skillset and technology are so progressive, Pearl Harbor machinists came to PNSY for a training session to learn directly from the machinists operating these machines. “We’re taking a huge step in the right direction,” said Boyer.
“I have been at the shipyard for 20 years and this is the strongest skillset I have seen in our Machine Shop,” said Machine Shop Superintendent Justin Orr. “The skills and abilities of our machinists on this new equipment are saving hundreds of hours a year. The CNC Team is continually innovating new ways to complete work we have been doing for decades.” The new machines are designed for safety as well. The technology includes shielding when in operation, self-cleaning, and automated tool changers. “This translates into a safer work environment,” said Harrison. “Less part handling reduces the risk of injuries to employees and lowers the risk of damage to parts and equipment.”
The first step was the multi machine foundation. “The idea was to better organize how the shop’s equipment is laid out, and group machine projects together, instead of having separate contracts for machine-specific foundations all over the shop,” said Harrison. Installing the large foundation pad, specially engineered to support large equipment like the four milling machines, will also serve to support multiple pieces of equipment in the future, and create efficiency of space, time, and cost.
Many of the machinists have worked in other industries and now that they work at PNSY they are bringing new ideas and technology to the workforce. This mixed talent of skilled employees who are enthusiastic about their work, combined with the investment in newer machines that eliminate limitations and delays, shows how PNSY is committed to supporting the mechanics in their mission to get more combat-ready players on the field.
“The shop is proud of the work they have been able to accomplish with this new equipment. They are energized, excited and eager to learn about the machines’ capabilities,” said Harrison. “Thanks to the skilled team of professionals that Shop 31 has put together over the last five years, I have complete confidence that these tools will be used to their full potential and that they will be maintained to ensure service to the Navy for years to come. The Shop 31 team is another reason why PNSY continues to be the Gold Standard for submarine repair.”
SIOP is a Navy-wide initiative aimed at modernizing and revitalizing public shipyards to support the fleet's operational needs. SIOP includes the recapitalization of the shipyard’s industrial plant equipment to improve capabilities and lower average age from the current 24 years towards the industry standard of 10 years. Over the past four years, from fiscal years 2020 through 2024, the Navy funded 40 equipment projects at PNSY, an investment totaling more than $175 million.
| Date Taken: | 12.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.05.2024 14:22 |
| Story ID: | 486732 |
| Location: | KITTERY, MAINE, US |
| Web Views: | 376 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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