Rapid Electrical Outfitting For Shipbuilding Navy SBIR FY2008.3 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2008.3 Topic No.: N08-211 Topic Title: Rapid Electrical Outfitting For Shipbuilding Proposal No.: N083-211-0095 Firm: Williams-Pyro,Inc. 200 Greenleaf St. Fort Worth, Texas 76107-1471 Contact: Roger Paulsel Phone: (817) 872-1500 Web Site: www.williams-pyro.com Abstract: Hull, Machine, and Electrical (HM&E) construction process modernization has lagged behind weapons and resulted in hull electrical wiring creating an expensive bottleneck during assembly of the otherwise modern ship modules that these HM&E systems support. Despite best plans and best practices in industry, much of the electrical wiring is done on the Navy ships after the ships modules (sections) are put in place. The Navy and shipbuilders need a viable modular cable solution that will reduce time and labor costs while also standardizing types and sizes and providing reliable, quick connectors. To support the Navy's Program Executive Office for Ships initiative to implement best manufacturing practices for new and existing Navy ships, Williams-Pyro, Inc., proposes to develop a Standardized Quick-connecting Electrical Distribution System (SQUEDS) product line. SQUEDS will facilitate Sectional Ship Wiring Harness (SSWH) construction with Logic Based Verification (LBV) for support of rapid electrical outfitting of HM&E systems on Navy ships. This approach to HM&E systems outfitting will reduce ship module assembly time by: permitting prefabrication of HM&E wiring harnesses, modularizing HM&E junction boxes, standardizing HM&E connections using a reduced set of NAVSEA approved connectors, and automating verification of wiring connections and routing. Benefits: Williams-Pyro's SQUEDS will have a huge impact on the time and effort it takes to install or upgrade the electrical backbone of a ship through its use of quick-connect technology and standard connector and cable types and sizes. Additionally, we estimate labor costs will shrink dramatically due to reduced man-hours and ease of use, requiring no significant training or highly skilled electricians. SQUEDS will also be safer to install, and it will work in harsh environments. The "up-front" materials cost of SQUEDS will actually be more than the current raw materials cost. However, SQUEDS is expected to save millions of dollars in labor per ship, with additional savings resulting from improving overall shipyard cycle times and throughput; reducing the number of parts to procure and store; and simplifying the processes of repairing and modernizing the ship in the future. We intend to work with the US Navy and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding to implement this technology on the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class of destroyers. Demand for SQUEDS extends beyond Navy ships to other government and commercial applications, such as commercial ships (cruise and cargo), modular buildings (pre-fab, pre-wired building modules such as temporary offices and homes), and oil/gas exploration (on-and off-shore drilling operations in remote, harsh environments). Return