Submarine Towed Array Wind Tunnel Model

Case Study 1

Client

Thales Underwater Systems

The Brief

To produce a scale model of a prototype submarine towed array suitably robust to withstand wind tunnel testing.

Prototype to be completed within 10 days.

The Solution

With such a tight delivery requirement we had to rely on a mixture of CNC machining and rapid prototyping to meet the deadline. The main body and wing were CNC machined from solid model board directly from the 3D CAD data.

The modules on the wing were produced using the SLA (Stereo Lithography) process in resin, again directly from the clients 3D CAD data. The SLA modules were fixed to the wing section using stainless steel fasteners and delivery was made in time to meet a wind tunnel testing slot.