Norfolk Naval Shipyard's (NNSY) Submarine Support Branch (Code 275) Electrical Engineer Nicholas St. Laurent and his team were faced with a challenge that greatly impacted their ability to focus and finish on the task at hand on the projects in dry dock. When utilizing the hydraulic pistons on the ship, the magnetic switches that were set up to link with their equipment inside the spaces were not connecting properly, which would cause massive delays in the projects. Controlled evolutions would have to be repeated to determine issues with the activation, which would require multiple personnel in the hydraulic spaces at a time for each evolution. With each failed evolution, time would stretch on for the project, and the team knew there had to be an easier way to do their testing.
“These magnetic switches interface with magnets within our equipment and we were finding that sometimes one or both of the switches weren’t activated – which would lead into work stoppages as we moved into controlled evolutions to find where the issues were. This would cause massive delays to the projects and would eat up manhours to get the work done as it would require extensive safety requirements and rework,” said St. Laurent. “With inspiration from a rig that we had worked for Pearl Harbor, we decided to build a test rig that could be used at our workstations instead of having to test these magnets in the spaces where it would require multiple people for each evolution to operate the hydraulics.”
With a vision in mind, St. Laurent and his team started out with an initial design that was rough sketched in AutoCAD. He then recalled his tour of the Command Transformation Office (Code 100TO) Innovation Lab during his Employee Indoctrination Class and the services they could provide to those in need across America’s Shipyard – a service his code had experience with from other designs they’d worked in the past. With an idea in mind, he reached out to the team for assistance.
“They were really good at explaining the problems they’d been having and what they needed, including what specifications we had to work with,” said Code 100TO.32 Program Analyst Joel Seamster. “With their input, we were able to pinpoint each individual problem and address them individually with our designs.”
Through multiple iterations, the group was able to come up with a magnetic housing unit that can be removed from the submarine and worked on at the worker’s desk for testing and repairs. The holder itself is a 3D printed design that can house two magnets of varying strength per design that can be used to verify once it passed over the magnets in the switches – it will activate. It’s able to note even the smallest inconsistencies in the magnets and the switches – which can affect the entire system. It can also help them determine what underlying causes are happening overall so that they can make the needed adjustments without having to continuously host controlled evolutions.
In addition, the team also developed a second tool that was specific for testing those individual magnets when they fail. “Since magnets are known to have varying magnetic strength, this capability was essential,” said Seamster. “We designed a holder that allows easy installation and removal for testing each magnet individually.”
“We’ve already seen several hundred manhours saved thanks to these tools we’ve developed and we’re continuously looking at other areas we can improve with the help of the lab,” said St. Laurent. “It’s essential for us to be innovative in our thinking as we continue to drive for completions of our projects and delivering what we promise to the fleet. We need to meet the Navy’s demands so that our Sailors are fit with the right tools needed on the front lines. Being able to pinpoint where improvements are needed or being able to project possible issues before they happen so we can overcome them is huge. And with the lab, we have a one-stop shop for being able to make these solutions a reality. From an initial idea, to a proof of concept, prototyping and testing, and then finally to the finish line with a product that’s ready to be rolled out – the lab was able to help us bring lasting positive change to the work we do.”
Interested in working with the Innovation Lab? Visit the NNSY SharePoint site at https://flankspeed.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/NAVSEA\_NSY\_NORFOLK and click the Hot Links section to reach the 3D Print Request form. Provide your contact information and a description of what you need and the team will reach out to coordinate further details, files or designs, as well as schedule visits to the space to assess on-site. In addition, you can also visit the Code 100TO.3 Innovation and Tech Insertion Division in Bldg. 31 First Floor to bring your ideas to them firsthand.