Research Tool & Die Works (RT&D) emerged onto the marine industry in the early sixties. RT&D demonstrated to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard their capabilities, producing stronger, more versatile and cost effective parts than what the Navy produced themselves. That was the beginning of Research Tool and Die Works' major presence in the marine market.
There are various forms of approval in the marine industry including ABS approval, Coast Guard Approval, and the very coveted Department of the Navy Approvals. This later approval has been achieved on most of the RT&D products, demonstrating their superior design, strength, and durability. In addition to designing a better “mousetrap”, you must prove to the Navy through High Strength Shock Testing and Strenuous Vibration Testing that you have developed an enhanced product that withstand the excessive wear and tear of installation on a Combat Surface Vessel. Most of the RT&D marine products have proudly achieved this naval approval distinction. Many other items have the ABS approval.
Through out the years, Research Tool & Die Works’ reputation for building one of the strongest and most durable products on the market has afforded them the opportunity to work closely with the individual shipyards in problem solving and new product development. RT&D is not the expert in shipbuilding installation, but they are the source to rely on for products that can improve or enhance the installation process, knowing full well that these products are of superior strength and durability.
In past Navy development projects it was discovered that the cable configuration at the bulkhead reached temperatures of over 200 degrees which could de-rate the cable. Accordingly the shipyard worked closely with RT&D to develop a new wireway system that allowed for more cables in a smaller space. This development allowed the cable run to be placed in the companion ways where the heat was not so intense. This new systems allowed for longer crosstiers, lengthier downcomers, and at the same time reduced the spacing necessary between tiers. The cooperative working relationship that RT&D has developed over the past several decades of marine hardware manufacturing has contributed to the development of multiple new products that meet the every changing demands of the marine industry.
