Computer Aided Ship Design and Numerically Controlled Production of Towing Tank Models

A Computer Aided Ship Design (CASD) and a Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) program are described. The objective of the program is to provide the capability to design and manufacture towing tank models using interactive CASD and CAM techniques. A three dimensional interactive graphics device supported by a mini-computer is used to drive the design portion of the system. A microprocessor based graphics system, simply and directly interfaced to a CNC controller on the shop floor, is used to perform the postprocessing and drive the milling machine. Experiences with actual use of the system and the benefits derived from this use are discussed for an actual production job.