Handwheels are regularly used on Naval ships and any particular ship may have hundreds of different variations. They’re used to open and close a wide variety of valves in all types of service locations and conditions, and can be made from a number of different materials from polymers to metals.

These factors lead to a challenge for ships since it is untenable to keep a stock of every single variant onboard and this may result in delays as critical equipment lays dormant for want of a particular part. The viability of using additive manufacturing and other advanced techniques to produce a variety parts on demand has been demonstrated but challenges remain for both certification and design.

The Seeker is in need of an executable file that will take guided user input for the type of handwheel required, design parameters such as diameter, thickness, etc., manufacturing technique, and other critical parameters and automatically produce the CAD files necessary to allow on-demand production of the handwheel using the specified technique.

Your idea could win you $30,000! Enter today at the link below.