Nanolathe technology

Nanolathe Technology was brought to the Federation by Aleksandrov DeScott and was quickly integrated as the best repair system known to the Federation. At this point the only other race to use Nanolathe Technology is the Borg.

=Process= Nanolathe process is hyper-efficient structural design and is used in almost every aspect of manufacturing at the Juno Fleet Anchorage.

Manufacture and Deployment
Nano-assemblers use raw materials to build nanites by the million, each a small, simply designed machine with basic propulsion and processer abilities. These nanites are then loaded into the Lathe machines which program them and pour them on to the structure they are to build

Application and Result
The nanites work through a hive computer that is observing the structure and quickly assemble themselves into the desired structure. For hulls it's plates which interlock on the microscopic level giving them a bond that is extremely strong. The nanites move into position then their processors superheat and melt the body of the nanite into a solid drop of material which is formed by other nanites which then melt. The process has been likened to watching metal grow like a tree ~Alexander DeScott

=Nanolathe Construction= The first station to make use of Nanolathe technology for general construction was Anchorage Prime, which used specialized ships to project the nanites onto a scaffold. The original designs were faced with serious structural issues because they were made of a single structure, but the technology advanced quickly and modern Nanolathe construction is done by cascading nanites onto a single base rod (or Keel) and composed by interlocking plates, allowing the ships to have the modular access of standard construction in half the time and with far less material waste.

Components
As the primary manufacturing center for a large region of space, Anchorage Industrial Manufacturing is always producing new items and components to refit, resupply, and build various items throughout the region. Items that are cost-prohibitive to replicate are manufactured using Nanolathe construction. At this point the only components that require traditional manufacturing are the ones used in nanite manufacturing (Noting the Pralor/Cravic Automated unit conflict) as each nanite manufacturing unit has a hypercomplex biological processing core that can only be manufactured with carbon-based neuron layering.

Ships
Most ships are now built using Nanolathe technology as it allows intricate details to be carried out rapidly and flaws to be corrected instantly. Nanites can also be used in minor deconstruction by being loaded with nanogram charges of antimatter, allowing them to clear microns at a time.

All ship construction must take place in a closed, zero-G dock, otherwise external influences will destroy the nanites This is why they have not been successfully weaponized. ~Alexander DeScott

Structures
Nanolathing is used to build small stations and modular components for larger stations. Stations themselves are built using close-quarters cascade and moving shelters to protect the delicate nanites from stellar winds and other external influences.

=Repairs= The true power of nanolathing is in repair operations. Bathing a ship in nanites can quickly patch even the most extensive damage, returning a ship to combat status in a few minutes on the battlefield, and in stations more detailed nanolathe repairs can take place, permanently repairing the damage.

Repair Docks
Repair docks have large storage tanks and can quickly repair even the most critically damaged ships. In the controlled dock environment they can rebuild subsystems and weapons and hulls quickly and cleanly, as well as perform radiation and chemical scrubbing.

Tenders
Ship Tenders carry huge tanks of Duranium nanites to perform rapid repairs on ships. Duranium is relatively strong and can function temporarily as any component on a starship except the actual power transmission and computer components, which are made from injected bioplastic nanites once the hull is patched. Tenders can repair a ship from derelict status in ten minutes even, and even carry stores of Warp Plasma to inject into the ship, jump-starting it for combat.

Carriers
Most carriers have small nanolathe bays for their fighters, but larger carriers like Battlecarriers and Supercarriers have large internal bays for ships as large as battlecruisers to dock in for nanolathe repairs. These systems are slower and more detailed then Tenders, but require a huge toll on the Carrier's processing systems, making it far more vulnerable then it would be otherwise.