Swire Marine Training Centre upgrades to projectiondesign
Published: ASIA
SINGAPORE: The Swire Marine Training Centre has upgraded two of its bridge simulation spaces with 26 F82 sx+ DLP projectors and WB1920 multi image processors from Norwegian manufacturer projectiondesign. The delivery was done in cooperation with local partner 1Ab Comms Pte Ltd.
The first facility of its kind in Asia, Swire’s Marine Training Centre has the ability to fully simulate the working environment of an offshore support vessel in a safe, well-managed setting. The facility’s bespoke simulators have been created to provide training in bridge management, anchor handling, dynamic positioning, and engine-room operations.
The first simulator to receive the upgrade is a 360-degree space powered by 12 projectors, with a further four providing a lower row of visualisation measuring 125-degrees horizontal and over 70-degrees vertical. The second system comprises eight projectors in a four-plus-four setup, and effectively duplicates the ‘aft’ view of the 360-degree space.
The WB1920 processors provide edge-blending and image-warping to create a seamless display in both locations. All content is computer-generated, and the simulators are used eight hours a day, five days a week, with predicted usage including testing and maintenance being more than 50 weeks per year.
‘As our fleet of vessels has expanded, so the need for additional training has increased, and we felt it was necessary to replace the original projection system which could no longer provide acceptable display performance or reliability,’ explained project manager Mark Randall, a ship’s captain by profession who has worked at the Marine Training Centre since it opened in 2007.
‘The brief was to source a projection system that would as far as possible be a drop-in replacement for the original system, be highly reliable, maintain an acceptable light output for better than 10,000 hours, and preferably be a three-chip, dual lamp design,’ he continued. ‘We also wanted low cost of ownership, which was to be a function of reliability, lamp running hours, lamp cost, minimum fixed service intervals and the ability to train in-house staff to provide on-site, real-time support.
‘After some 700-plus hours’ use, the projectors have been perfect and the system’s performance has been virtually flawless,’ concluded Captain Randall. ‘I spent three years with the original projection system and this solution is a huge improvement.’
‘We introduced the F82 sx+ projector to address the specific need for a three-chip projector capable of optimising pixel usage in 4:3 or closer-to-1:1 aspect ratios,’ added Mike Raines, visual simulation manager at projectiondesign. ‘These ratios have often been used in simulation and training displays, and are common in legacy systems where customers want to take the performance and reliability of their displays to a new level without completely dismantling the original installation.
‘The Swire Marine Training Centre is a prime example of this. The facility was built around its displays, so they needed high light output from compact packaging and flexibility in lens selection. The application requires a large vertical field of view facing ‘aft’, and the SXGA+ format is perfect for this. In addition, Swire determined that the external warping and blending the WB1920 processors provide was a benefit for future-proofing, a distinct advantage for the projectiondesign offer.’