Making Waves
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Blazepoint and ICL worked closely throughout the bid phase of the NavyStar Project. The solution offered by the ICL Team to the MoD drew on the expertise and experiences of ICL, in terms of systems integration and IT infrastructure and Blazepoint, in terms of IT ruggedisation in extended environments. On the award of the NavyStar contract Blazepoint undertook the task of designing mounting systems for the IT hardware, which included the PC workstations, TFT screens, workgroup printers, line printers and hubs. The basis of the ruggedisation for the project was the requirement to be highly compact, flexible, ergonomic and meet stringent standards in an unusual operating environment.

All the equipment was put through extensive testing using DERA’s test facility at Rosyth. Drew Selwood (Head of Design) of Blazepoint said: “Due to the short time scales the key issues were to agree the design on paper with ICL and MoD and pass shock tests first time”. This was achieved and all the mounting systems passed the initial tests of 30g and went on to pass the 70g test without the use of shock mounts. Thus removing the requirement for “x” mounts in certain locations and further reducing the space envelope and weight. The reduction of unit weight calculated across the installation base has a beneficial effect for naval ships, especially submarines, where weight and space are critical factors.