The capabilities of FORAN are strongly supported by advanced information technologies related to data management, visualization, geometric modelling and by other technologies specifically related to ship design and manufacturing.

• Proprietary kernel

At the core of the System, an in-house kernel, finely-tuned for the demands of users in the shipbuilding industry, provides command handling, advanced surface and solid geometric modelling, topological relationships, real time clash detection and interactive 3D visualization. The development of its own shipbuilding-specific kernel gives SENER an edge in the market and ensures the compatibility and control of future developments.

• Best-in-class components

The architecture of the System combines SENER kernel with commercial-off-the-shelf basic software components in a layered distribution which is easy to maintain and compatible with future innovations.

High-performance application development frameworks provide a common look and feel to the modern modules of FORAN and include tools for embedded development and internationalization. The data management layer is built on top of the Oracle® database server, which ensures high scalability, high reliability, data integrity, comprehensive administration and powerful configuration. A robust drafting kernel provides the ability to integrate 2D drawings and 3D model and full compatibility with industry standards. 

•  Standard hardware

FORAN pioneered shipbuilding CAD ability to run under Microsoft Windows® and continues to offer enhanced capabilities that enable ship designers to take advantage of the ever-increasing processing power of modern computers and graphics cards. Other platforms can be supported on demand.

• Multi-site operation

FORAN supports the broadest range of concurrent and distributed engineering environments, from WAN through terminal servers to multi-site synchronous database replication. These possibilities allow designers and builders to efficiently share the 3D model from different sites when multiple teams are working on the same project.

• Enterprise IT infrastructure

As an integral part of the enterprise IT infrastructure, FORAN offers the possibility of expanding ship design and engineering data throughout the organization, by interfacing with existing legacy software, PLM, ERP and MM systems, FEM structural analysis tools and other specific CAE applications. FORAN can exchange data in multiple formats such as DWG, DXF, IGES, VDA, VRML and XML. It is also ready to use the STEP application protocols being introduced in the shipbuilding industry.

• Production technology

FORAN incorporates many advanced CIM features to help shipyards optimize fabrication and can be customised for any type of production equipment or process, including but not limited to plate marking and cutting; plate bending by roll or line-heating; profile marking, cutting and bending; welding robots; panel lines; pin or plate jigs for curved panels; grinding; painting; dimensional control; and pipe cutting and bending.

FORAN® is a registered trademark of SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas S.A.
Windows® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Oracle® is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation