The use of computers has made a tremendous impact on the ship design and the ship building processes in recent years. Designers utilize special programs to optimize their design according to economic and performance requirements. for a certain type of vessel in a certain type of service. From this iterative process, the optimum parameters are obtained and the preliminary design carried out.

When the decision was made to proceed with the development of the Interactive Graphics version of the SPADES System, a list of requirements and goals was made. One of the major considerations was to have total interchangeability between the graphic and the batch mode of the System such that rework could be processed easily, whether the original work had been done through the 'CRT' or in batch. As much as we would like to think otherwise, experience has taught us that changes and revisions are an ever present way of life during the ship design and construction process. The requirement was also set that none of the SPADES management and control features would be compromised because of the graphic. In order for the graphic version to be a useful production tool, the user would have the capability of totally checking parts and/or burning tapes generated through the CRT without having to wait for a drafting machine drawing and/or computer printout. It was also decided that the user would have the capability of switching from one program to another directly from the tube without re-initializing any program at the central computer. The plans called for four CRTs to be on simultaneously, and for at least one batch SPADES program to be also running at the same time. This requirement caused the only major modification of the then existing SPADES System in order to allow different programs to read and write records from the same data base at the same time. By combining the use of virtual memory capability of the computer and judicious use of overlay, all the applicable programs have been linked together in one executable module.

For enhancement of the SPADES System, three new modules are currently planned and under development: 1) Ship Production and Control Module (SPAC) - A management information system which utilizes the information collected on the SPADES data base. 2) Detail Engineering Module (DEMO) - A module that is designed not only to produce engineering drawings, but to aid in data collection and consequent loading of the data base with information generated by the Engineering Department. 3) Pipe Length and End-Cuts Program (PLEC) - A special program to aid in fabrication of complex three-dimensional pipe structures, which is of special interest to manufacturers of oil rig structures. Like all other modules of SPADES, these new modules will directly access the SPADES data base, utilizing information that has been generated by other modules, and in turn making it. Thus, information is available to the other modules information gathered by collected and stored where it is generated. There will be no need to recreate information by other departments downstream with the duplication of effort and a high probability of errors. The three new modules will continue the expansion of SPADES from an Numerical Control manufacturing method to a computer-controlled information flow throughout the entire design and construction period.

The major shipyards that utilize SPADES and Call and Associates have organized a user group. Annual two-day SPADES user meetings are held in danuary of each year to discuss problems and improvements to the system. The SPADES steering committee meets just after the user meeting and again in dune (in conjunction with the REAPS meeting) to make official decisions on problems improvements or changes. At these sessions, priorities for Call and Associates to work toward are established. A problem identification form and a suggestion and improvement form were designed and adopted with a procedure for informing Call and Associates and all SPADES users about changes or problems within the system. Call and Associates assigns a unique identification number to these forms and submits comments. The Steering Committee serves as a catalyst to Call and Associates for constant improvement of the SPADES System.

As the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) set out to use SPADES, an internal company organization for its use emerged, resulting in an effective working relationship among the various departments of the company. These departments are Engineering, Production, and Computer Services. The NASSCO organization for SPADES evolved along regular functional lines within the departments affected. Loftsmen, who used to make full size wooden templates on the mold loft floor, are now the Numerical Control (N/C) programmers who cause the N/C tapes to be made. Engineers, who issue preliminary unfaired ships lines, are now able to complete the job, since the fairing operation does not require a drafting board the size of the mold loft floor. Computer service personnel, who run the company computer, have added SPADES to the services they provide. And finally, the responsibility for control of the SPADES system is assigned to the Computer Support Group in the Engineering Department, which has charge of all scientific and engineering programs used by the Engineering Department. The user functions are divided between engineering and production. There are eight SPADES modules, three of which are used by the Engineering Department, three used by the Mold Loft, and two used jointly or by either as needed. The three engineering modules are: the Fairing and Drawing module; the Hulload module; and the Hullcal module, which is a package of naval architecture routines. The three modules used by the Mold Loft are: Part Generation module, which produces information and a tape for drawing the part; Nesting module, which produces a tape of nested parts for the burning machine; and Plate Development module, which produces tapes for burning shell plates. The Manufacturing Aids module is used jointly by Production and Engineering. Another joint-use module is the Utility module. This is a group of five programs used for direct access to the data base.

Proceedings of the REAPS Technical Symposium. Paper No. 22: Design for Production. The traditional role of the Ship Designer is the preparation of an overall design of vessel which will have a performance satisfying the owner's Statement of Requirements. The concept of Design for Production, however, requires that, in satisfying the Statement of Requirement, the Ship Designer should also give attention to ease of production. This suggests, therefore, two aspects of the overall design, namely: design for performance design for production and there are others, not considered here, such as design for repair and maintenance, and ergonomic design. Clearly, there will be areas of inter-action and the role of the Ship Designer could be seen in this context as one of arbiter, having the ultimate responsibility of deciding whether performance or production considerations should take precedence in any particular case or the nature of the compromise to be reached. Many of the procedures necessary involve consideration of every feature of the ship from the overall viewpoint. Any tendency to divide design into the traditional elements of steelwork, outfit, engineering and piping would provide a totally inadequate basis upon which to base effective Design for Production.