Have you ever seen a really big ship in a harbor and wondered how it stays afloat? It’s all about math and physics. It has to do with the weight and density of the ship against the weight and density of the water in which it floats. Even ancient shipbuilders understood some of these basic principles and found ways to make their crafts float. But today’s shipbuilders don’t need to guess what will and what won’t float and how to build their vessels. By using computer aided drafting and design (CADD), they can plan, design and build huge modern ships that can easily cross oceans.

Today’s ships are really big and really expensive. The Allure of the Seas cruise ship is more than 1,100 feet long, weighs 100,000 metric tons and cost $1.5 billion to construct. And the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, considered one of the most powerful warships in the world, cost a whopping $13 billion.

Because shipbuilding represents such a huge investment, it’s easy to understand why CAD operators draft plans on their computers to consider every little detail long before the construction actually begins.

CAD operators plan out size, structure, dimensions, components and all the schematics for the ship’s electrical systems, computers and controls. They run virtual tests on the materials that will be used in construction to determine their strength, corrosion resistance, and overall life expectancy. The CAD programs they use allow them to see 2D and 3D images of the vessel as it’s being ‘built’ so everyone involved in the project can evaluate, track and modify the designs when necessary. Having all the information about the ship in a single database ensures quality control, promotes safety and cost-efficiency and creates documents and blueprints for current and future projects.

Does building ships on a CAD system sound like a pretty amazing career? People trained in CADD work across industries helping to create computer-generated designs and simulations used in building structures and products like airplanes, spaceships, railways, buildings, bridges, roadways, plumbing systems, industrial products, video games, tiny little microchips, those really big ships, and a whole lot more.

At Porter and Chester Institute, our Computer Aided Drafting and Design program can train you to be a CADD professional in as little as one year. Our combination of technical instruction and hands-on training will lay the foundation you’ll need to enter this rewarding field. Contact us at 800-870-6789 to learn more today.