Welcome aboard! Did you know that approximately 80% of goods are transported by ships? Isn't that a significant majority? Well, international trade and the supply chain of various industries rely heavily on ocean shipping.
But have you ever wondered why maritime transport is preferred for moving colossal volumes of goods? The answer lies in its remarkable efficiency and cost-effectiveness. However, building sturdy ships that can withstand harsh ocean conditions is key to this efficiency.
In this blog, we will unravel the significance of building robust ship structures and the role of an ally in its construction—the plate rolling machine.
Why Do Shipbuilding Industries Need to Build Strong Ship Structures?
Ever sat in a ship or a boat? How did you feel? Did the boat's gentle rocking make you feel vulnerable, or did the boat's strong structure ensure you of your journey? Well, the importance of a sturdy ship structure cannot be emphasized enough.
Ships are vulnerable to damage from rough waters and harsh weather conditions without strong structures. A sturdy structure ensures that the ship can withstand the stress and strain of long journeys and heavy cargo loads.
Let’s explore 6 significant reasons for shipbuilding industries to build robust ship structures.
Safety
To ensure the safety of passengers, crew, and cargo in the face of hazards like rough weather, heavy waves, or potential collisions.
2. Durability and Longevity
You are investing gazillions in building those ships. Don't you need them to provide long service life? To increase the lifespan of a ship and avoid the need for frequent repairs or early retirement, you must construct sturdy ship structures.
3. Load-Bearing Capacity
Worldwide, ships carry significant loads, including cargo, fuel, and equipment. What if the ship's structure is unable to carry the required load? Imagine the loss as a shipbuilder and to the companies using ships as a transport medium.
You need to ensure that the structure of the ship supports and distributes the load efficiently and prevents structural failures.
4. Resistance to Environmental Forces
Ships face various environmental forces, such as waves, currents, winds, and corrosions. To not jeopardize the safety and performance of the vessel, a strong ship structure withstands these forces. The structure can prevent excessive deformations, material fatigue, or failures. Here comes the role of a plate rolling machine. For example, one crucial component of a ship is the hull. It serves as the ship's outer shell and provides structural integrity and buoyancy.
To withstand the forces encountered at sea. You must carefully select the thickness and grade of the steel plates to achieve the necessary curvature so that the hull is resistant to environmental forces.
5. Regulatory Compliance
Classified societies and maritime authorities set international standards and regulations. These include the ship structure design and construction requirements, ensuring safety and structural integrity. You need to meet these compliance standards and obtain the necessary certificates.
6. Reputation and Customer Trust
Shipbuilding industries rely on their reputation for quality and reliability. By building strong ship structures, you can instill confidence in customers. Gaining Customer trust is possible if you produce safe, durable, and seaworthy vessels. Ships that can withstand the rigors of marine operators and ensure the transport of goods or passengers successfully.
Thus, for the overall success of maritime operations, shipbuilding industries need to build robust, sturdy ships. You may be wondering how to build these ships to be so strong. Here comes the role of plate-rolling machines in the shipbuilding industry.
What Role Do Plate Rolling Machines Play in the Shipbuilding Industry?
To support the above requirements, shipbuilding industries need precise metal-forming solutions. Moreover, plate-rolling machines play a crucial role in delivering accurate control over the forming process.
Let’s have a look at the importance of plate-rolling machines in the shipbuilding industry.
Precise and Consistent Curves
They create precise and consistent curves for maintaining the structural integrity of the ships. Also, the plate bending machine bends the metal sheets to ensure optimal performance by ensuring accurate dimensions and curvatures of the plates.
Diversity of Ships
To fabricate various components for different types of ships, roll bending machines come into play. These machines can handle thick plates exceeding 200 mm in thickness. By using bending rolls, shipbuilders can create custom-made parts tailored to the specific design requirements of each ship.
Plate bending/rolling machines can bend/roll plates with thicknesses greater than 200 mm. For instance, navy ships and fishing boats' thickness varies between 30 mm and 40 mm. (Remains nearly the same.) Here the width of the plate rolls is typically between 3 and 6 meters.
When it comes to submarines, they need high-resistance materials to withstand the immense pressures exerted by the surrounding water. The roll bending machines are, thus, 3 or 4m wide and the plate thickness can reach up to 120mm.
Design Flexibility
Different ships have different requirements. Plate rolling machines fulfill this by offering flexibility in shaping metal plates. You can customize and adapt the ship's profiles, sizes, and curvatures using the rolling machines.
Quality, Time and Cost
With the help of plate bending/rolling machines, you can minimize the cost of materials and labor. Moreover, the accuracy of these machines will cut the manual methods, helping you save time. Finally, this leads to maintaining consistent quality throughout the production of shipping components.
There are some of the major reasons why shipbuilding industries need plate rolling machines.
Why Choose Himalaya for Your Shipping Needs?
At Himalaya Machinery, we have a deep understanding of the shipbuilding industry’s requirements. We have developed advanced design and engineering capabilities at our expansive manufacturing facilities, enabling us to deliver efficient and precise solutions to the shipping industry. Our clients include Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Indian Navy, and Pipavav Shipyard Limited (PSL).
Here are a few of the main features that we offer to our clients.
Design: Our plate-bending machines can create symmetrical or asymmetrical patterns.
Durability and Longevity: Himalaya machines have a sturdy steel frame with a durable box design, ensuring precision and longevity.
Rolls: We design the rolls with the optimal diameter and use forged carbon steel rolls.
Crowning: Our rolls are also crowned to compensate for roll deflection during bending.
Energy Saving: Our machines reduce energy consumption by up to 50% at slower speeds.
Himalayan Planetary Driving System: We use the Himalayan Planetary Driving System to eliminate energy waste.
Operation: The plate rolling machines enable ease of operation and faster manufacturing.
Wrapping Up
With the advancement of the shipbuilding industry, the demand of plate rolling machines has increased significantly. The future of this industry demands larger and more complex ships, such as cruise liners and offshore drilling rigs. It is crucial that the shipbuilding industry focuses on making them robust.
Since we at Himalaya have the expertise in designing heavy-duty, high-precision metal-forming machines for the shipbuilding industry. Feel free to contact us for your metal fabrication needs.