Less than two millimetres. A margin of error so small, it’s indistinguishable from the naked eye.
This is the level of precision needed by our highly-skilled workforce at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia during construction of ship blocks as part of the Hunter Class Frigate Program’s prototype phase.
Program progress at Osborne is tangible – every time I’m in one of the manufacturing halls there’s a new accomplishment, and within weeks our teams will oversee the next big milestone: joining four units together to form the first prototype block.
During prototyping, we are constructing five representative ship blocks and in so doing, testing and refining the processes, systems, tools, facilities and workforce competencies ahead of ship 01 construction.
Each prototype block typically features four units, each individually fabricated before being constructed together into a block. The lightest prototype block weighs around 150 tonnes; the heaviest in excess of 240 tonnes. To put that in perspective, a Toyota Corolla (Australia’s most popular car) is approximately 1.3 tonnes.
Joining the blocks together requires a collaborative effort between our production and engineering teams as well as crane operators, which lift and position one 40-tonne unit on top of another.
It also requires painstaking attention to detail by our teams fabricating the units using state-of-the-art equipment, including the plate cutting line – where steel is marked and cut with precision before being welded using automated robot welders.
To put this outcome in perspective – this achievement is in line with the required tolerance targets of ship product.
We’ve learnt a lot so far in our prototyping phase – with the automation and digital innovations at Osborne contributing to delivery of greater efficiencies, precision and quality than traditional ship build methods.
By embracing innovations and adopting research outcomes, and by upskilling our workforce with world-leading capabilities, we have been able to adopt shipbuilding techniques that ultimately require less rework, delivering cost efficiencies and, more importantly, delivering safety outcomes and improvements.
But prototyping is only the beginning, providing a solid foundation for warship construction.
Each Hunter frigate comprises 22 blocks, and each block is made up of one to six units. If the physical description isn’t enough to convey the sheer scale of the program, consider that there will be shipbuilders in will work in this yard who haven’t even born yet.
And it’s the shipbuilders in the yard, right now, who are determining the workflows for future generations.
That our workforce is already working in harmony with the shipyard equipment provides confidence to the Commonwealth and the Royal Australian Navy that we will be successful in our endeavours to deliver the world’s most advanced major surface combatant in the world’s most advanced shipyard, a critical capability that will keep our country safe for generations.
Not only that, I would go further and say that we are working towards achieving a new world-wide benchmark in manufacturing efficiency and quality, right here in Adelaide.
And we’re doing this hand-in-hand with local industry, delivering jobs and enabling businesses to expand their operations while at the same time building Australian industry capability for our nation.