Engineers are the secret to this research vessel’s success

Armed with a 3D printer, compact CNC mill and design software, engineers on the research vessel JOIDES Resolution fix just about anything.

Marine Electronics Specialist Jurie Kotze works with the software paired with the CNC machine on board the ship. (Image: Erin Winick Anthony)

Marine Electronics Specialist Jurie Kotze works with the software paired with the CNC machine on board the ship. (Image: Erin Winick Anthony)

When you work in a factory environment and something breaks, it’s simple to order a new part online or head to the manufacturing floor to make a quick fix. Replacement stock and expedited spares shipping is easy to take for granted as a manufacturing engineer.

But engineers and scientists working in extreme environmental conditions don’t have those conveniences and must be able to adapt on the fly.

That’s the case aboard the JOIDES Resolution (JR), a scientific research vessel that conducts months-long research missions at sea without any resupply shipments or stops at port. The vessel is equipped with a large drill researchers use to collect rock cores from beneath the sea floor for scientists to study past climate, life in extreme conditions and much more.

Operating in this capacity since the 1980s, the JR recently wrapped up its Expedition 401, which studied a period 5-8 million years ago when the Mediterranean Sea disconnected from the Atlantic Ocean, causing it to largely dry up and form a 1,500-meter-thick layer of salt on the sea floor. This had a huge impact on Earth’s oceans and climate. By studying this period, scientists hope to understand how Earth responded to this extreme period and how to use that knowledge to improve our climate models for the future.

Conducting this type of science is a complex endeavor, and not just because of the research. It involves numerous moving parts, more than 100 people working on the ship for two months and keeping a decades-old ship running smoothly.

Meet the manufacturing crew

To ensure the ship’s expeditions stay on track, the science operations team outfitted the JR with a miniature machine shop. Although space is limited, resources are finite and there is no supply chain, the team has evolved the shop into an effective at-sea problem solving facility.

When you need something fixed at sea—whether it is a complex piece of laboratory equipment or a scientist’s glasses—Expedition 401’s Marine Electronics Specialists Etienne Claassen and Jurie Kotze are there to get it done. In his 15 years of service aboard the JOIDES Resolution, Claassen has collectively spent more than six years at sea, sailing, machining and fixing just about everything on the boat. Kotze succeeded his father on the ship after getting a background in biomedical engineering. The South African pair bring their wealth of design and manufacturing experience to every out-of-commission saw and part they create in SolidWorks.

Manufacturing tools located in the lower decks of the JOIDES Resolution. (Image: Erin Winick Anthony

Manufacturing tools located in the lower decks of the JOIDES Resolution. (Image: Erin Winick Anthony

“In the middle of the ocean, you can’t possibly prepare for everything. These days everything has little plastic gears and parts in it. That stuff gets worn out so quickly. A little drop and it just breaks, so there are a million parts here that you will never have on board,” says Kotze.

Since the ship operates 24 hours a day for two months straight, each of the specialists works a 12-hour shift—from noon to midnight or midnight to noon—ensuring someone is always awake if a machine goes down.

The tools on the ship are kept in a room off the scientific labs deep in the ship’s hull in a room with low ceilings. The walls are lined with drawers filled with tools and materials.

When Claassen first started on the ship, the main tool was a hand mill, but the equipment selection has improved significantly over time. A small hand lathe was the first big addition, but when that broke, they took a big jump to a CNC mill, a Tormach 770, a compact mill designed for prototyping.

The JOIDES Resolution can’t handle larger pieces of equipment you might typically find on a manufacturing floor. However, their reasonably-sized CNC mill paired with their RAISE3d Pro2 3D printer can address most of their manufacturing needs. Combined with some hand saws, a lathe and mill, the technicians make the most of the space on board. Devices like the 3D printer are securely attached to tables or the floor to ensure even in waves and extreme weather, they will stay in place.

A compact CNC mill. (image: Erin Anthony Winnick)

A compact CNC mill. (image: Erin Anthony Winnick)

In addition to the tools, some raw materials and other critical supplies are kept on hand. Drawers are stacked full of resistors, transistors, caps and power supplies for repairing old electronics. Next to the machines are stashes of large pieces of brass, bronze, aluminum, plastic, Delrin, nylon, wood and Teflon stock.

“We would rather go and buy something bigger and we can always size it down. We have quite a lot of stock. Not like a machine shop, but enough we can get by,” Claassen said. “And as soon as we use it and we know we are going to use it again we order more.”

Their most commonly used materials are aluminum, wood, Delrin, and PLA plastic filament for the 3D printer. Although PLA is by far the most used 3D printing material at sea, ABS, polycarbonate, nylon, and flexible Ninjaflex filament is also kept on hand.

On-site manufacturing to the rescue

The machines and devices Kotze and Claassen must repair are extremely diverse. Sometimes it is cutting-edge geological research equipment. Other times it is a decades old piece of hardware.

“A lot of stuff on the ship is obsolete. We have to take both new stuff and old stuff and make it work,” Claassen said.

The 3D printer came in handy when the engine room of the ship was looking to replace some caps. No longer manufactured or available to purchase, Kotze was able to take one of the parts, model it in SolidWorks, and 3D print all new replacements in PLA.

“The 3D printer [was something] we got as a little side thing. But over the years it has become such an important tool,” Kotze said.

Despite PLA parts being considered relatively weak when exposed to outdoor environments for long periods, Kotze has even seen great success using 3D printed parts to create high-use outdoor items.

“I know PLA is very weak against sun and water, but the mechanism we have on the Vibration Isolated Television (VIT) to take water samples we 3D printed with PLA. After many deep runs into the ocean, the PLA parts still work,” Kotze said.

And deep runs is right. The VIT contains a camera and tools that are sent down to the ocean floor. For some expeditions, that can be thousands of feet below the surface. That means the 100% infill PLA parts that help sample water have been able to withstand high ocean pressures, salt water and extended periods in the sun.

But plastic does not do it all. Repair tasks can require a more durable part. That is where the mills and lathes come into play.

When a small but crucial part of the ship drill’s top drive failed, the drill floor crew came to Claassen for a quick fix. Without it, the drill was out of commission and the science came to a halt.

“A small thing took me an hour to make, but it would have put the whole expedition in jeopardy because of one little part,” Claassen said. “I’m not saying I saved the expedition, but unfortunately if you don’t have that part, you can’t drill.”

Creating your own distributed manufacturing location

While the JOIDES Resolution may be a unique floating laboratory, there’s many more people taking advantage of manufacturing facilities in remote locations. Astronauts are 3D printing tools on the International Space Station. Military operations are looking at manufacturing options in distant outposts.

Of all the tools he works with on the ship, Kotze really sees a 3D printer as the most important asset for these types of manufacturing scenarios.

“I think if you have a 3D printer, stable power, and design software and you’re in the middle of nowhere, you can make any part that’s within a foot cube of size,” Kotze said.

Claassen and Kotze also recommend either a hand mill, or if you can get one, a CNC.

“If you really have something on a remote location, lets saying you’re building a new Antarctic base, a CNC machine is important,” Claassen said.

With the advancement of 3D printing paired with compact CNC technology, remote manufacturing outposts have the opportunity to create truly self-reliant hubs.

Written by

Erin Winick Anthony

Erin Winick Anthony is the founder of STEAM Power Media, a science communication company focused on digital storytelling. She holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Florida, and uses her technical background to serve as a translator between scientists, engineers, and the public. She previously worked as a science communication specialist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for the International Space Station where she was awarded NASA’s Silver Snoopy, and as a reporter for MIT Technology Review. You can find her on social media @erinwinick sharing space, science, and pinball content.