Photo By Anna Taylor | Kathy VanHeiden demonstrates the gasket machine used by the Norfolk Naval Shipyard...... read more read more
“The shadow boxes themselves have to be static dissipating so that when we pick up the tool it’s static neutral,” said Electronics Technician Larry Pendleton Sr. “That prevents the chips and other items we work on from receiving a heavy shock and being damaged beyond repair. In addition, the shadow boxes would be used for inspections to ensure the workers have the tools they needed to succeed.”
Seeking a solution, Pendleton had invited the Rapid Prototype Center (RPC) to assist in mounting screens in their space when he mentioned his department’s need for shadow boxes at a lower cost.
“When Larry mentioned the need to us, we jumped at the opportunity to find a solution,” said Kenny Kinstler, a sheet metal mechanic with the RPC. “We were able to secure a PolyFoam material that was ESD safe to accommodate their request and also cost efficient. We then looked at how to cut out the complex shapes of these tools into the material with precision.”
Originally Kinstler had suggested using a knife tool to cut the shapes until he had seen an article in the December 2016 Service to the Fleet magazine about the Pipe Group’s (Code 960) gasket cutting machine. Suddenly an idea came to mind. The team then reached out to Shop 56 Inside Shop Supervisor Phil Brown about the possible use of the machine.
“Mainly the gasket cutter is used specifically for gaskets; however, we’ve found it has other capabilities as well which include developing rubber seals and more,” said Brown. “When they came to us, we saw it as a possibility to continue to test its capabilities and aid those in the shipyard to fit their needs.”
The RPC came in with the material needed and utilized the camera function of the machine to capture the shapes needed for the shadow box. From there, RPL Woodcrafter Alim Jordan began to create a working file in AutoCAD that they were able to implement with the machine.
“It’s amazing to see how quickly this machine works and how precise these cuts are,” said Kinstler.
Each shadow box has a different set of tool slots that range in complexity. And with the files completed and the cuts made with the gasket cutter, the shadow boxes developed were perfect to specification.
“We are extremely thankful to Phil Brown and his team for assisting us in this endeavor.”
“I’m floored that the RPL and the Inside Shop were able to take measurements and recreate the exact template of something we needed here within the shipyard. And seeing the end product as something so high quality is really impressive to me,” said Pendleton. “We were able to save on cost and create a more efficient workplace for me and my team and I couldn’t be happier. They exceeded my expectations and I look forward to working with them again in the future.”
| Date Taken: | 10.01.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2018 12:55 |
| Story ID: | 261751 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Eye on Innovation: RPC uses gasket machine to develop shadow boxes for tools, by Kristi R Britt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
