Client is the US Navy, Naval Foundry Propeller Center and Office of Naval Research, which manufactures propellers and propulsors for submarines, particularly the USS Virginia and NAS class vessels.

Manufacturing propellers for the US submarine fleet is demanding, with requirements for both strength and precision. Each propeller must conform to the mathematical model to ensure silent subsurface operation. A complicating factor is that the design and composition of submarine propellers is classified by the Department of Defense.

Client’s operation suffered from outdated post-foundry processing of propeller components, processing that is required to find defects, remediate manufacturing issues, and certify completed propellers for use in the fleet.

Client’s Automated Propeller Optical Measurement System (APOMS) is a highly-precise, non-contact inspection and measurement system employing a robot with 6 degrees of freedom and a 20-foot movement area. APOMS was based on outdated compute systems, slow vision processing, and outdated motion control technology for the robot.

Together, these issues created extremely long inspection and analysis times necessary to achieve the level of precision required.