National Shipbuilding Research Program
Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise
5300 International Boulevard
North Charleston, South Carolina 29418
For Immediate Release
February 12, 2007
NSRP PROJECT RESULTS IN COMMERCIALIZATION
AUTOMATIC DECK STRAIGHTENER RELEASED FOR COMMERCIAL SALE
An NSRP-funded project led by Northrop-Grumman Ship Systems and Native American Technologies, Inc. developed a
portable automated plate straightener to remove distortion from the shipboard decks caused by fitting and welding during
construction. Tests indicate that the machine straightens deckplates about twice as fast as manual flame straightening and
removes the worker from the heat source, freeing craftsmen to do other needed jobs and reducing ship construction costs
for the Navy and other U.S. shipyard customers.
On January 15, 2007, after completion of a research and development effort that started less than two years earlier, N. A.
Tech released the Portable Automated Straightener for Deckplates (PAS-Deck) product for commercial sales. The PASDeck machine uses induction heating to replace manual flame straightening for ship deck plate. This machine is a
significant breakthrough in automation of shipbuilding – a completely new technology. The beta release of the machine
has been in use at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard for the past several months on Navy and
Coast Guard ships under construction. In a cooperative
effort between Northrop Grumman and N. A. Tech.
personnel, the system was thoroughly tested and the
machine is now working in a full production capacity.
The PAS-Deck machine offers many advantages over
manual flame straightening, in addition to the labor cost
savings of the straightening operation. These include:
 Reduced Energy Cost – PAS-Deck uses an
estimated $550 of electricity per year a savings of
$2,000 to $15,000 compared to fuel gas and oxygen
used by manual flame straightening each year.
 Reduced Paint Repair Cost – Data indicates that
the damage to underside painted surfaces is
significantly less with the PAS-Deck machine.
This results in an estimated 25% reduction in paint
repair cost.
 Improved Work Environment – Smoke and
fumes which are commonplace using manual flame straightening are reduced or completely eliminated with PASDeck. This results in less work interruption, especially by other skilled craftsmen working in the same general area.
There is less need for ventilation and fewer “sick calls” by workers overcome by the smoke and fumes caused by
manual flame straightening.
 Good Return on Investment – Analysis of data developed during the past several months of PAS-Deck operations at
NGSS-Pascagoula shows the machine can pay for itself in approximately nine months, and the projected net present
value of a PAS-Deck machine after eight years of use would be more than four times its acquisition cost.
This project has taken a completely new technology from research and development through testing to commercialization
in about two years. These types of collaborative efforts, made possible through NSRP, accelerate the development of new
technology that greatly reduces the cost of ship construction and repair for the U.S. Navy and other U.S. shipbuilding
industry customers.
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For more information on Portable Automated Straightener for Deckplate (PAS-Deck), please visit the PAS-D website
(http://www.natech-inc.com/PAS-D.htm).
NSRP is a collaboration of 11 U.S. shipyards working with government, industry, and academia to achieve the continuous
product and process improvements necessary for the U.S. shipbuilding industry to reduce the cost of ship construction and
repair. NSRP’s mission is to manage and focus national shipbuilding and ship repair research and development funding
on technologies that will reduce the cost of warships to the U.S. Navy by leveraging commercial practices and improving
the efficiency of the U.S. shipbuilding and ship repair industry. NSRP also provides a collaborative forum to improve
business and acquisition processes. NSRP is sponsored by the U.S. Navy and managed through the Naval Sea Systems
Command.
Questions about this press release may be directed to the Program Office (Advanced Technology Institute):
Tel: 843-760-3486
Email: pelto@aticorp.org
Fax: 843-760-4098
Internet: http://www.nsrp.org
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