Advanced Manufacturing Technologies for Hydrogen Energy Systems

NCMS and the U.S. Department of Energy have partnered on a cross-industry collaborative program targeting the development of manufacturing technologies for affordable hydrogen-powered energy systems including fuel cell components and hydrogen storage systems. The program seeks to identify promising manufacturing technologies, prioritize their potential impact on manufacturing cost and scalability, identify key steps to develop affordable production of hydrogen systems and implement selected collaborative projects to move the technology forward.

Light Weight Automotive Materials

NCMS and the U.S. Department of Energy have partnered to develop and validate cost-effective high-strength materials technologies that could significantly reduce vehicle weight without compromising cost, performance, safety, or recyclability. Cost is the greatest barrier to the use of lightweight materials, and this program will develop and validate technologies that reduce the cost of materials, components, and structures and/or improve their manufacturability. The NCMS/DOE program for lightweight automotive materials aims to develop crosscutting technologies, simulations, and processes designed to lead the manufacturing innovations vital to meet these challenges.

Compliance Assistance Centers

NCMS, in partnership with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has created a series of websites to help specific industry sectors learn about and comply with environmental regulations. These websites are part of the Compliance Assistance Center program, sponsored and funded by EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA). There are currently thirteen such Centers, most of which are operated by nonprofit organizations in partnership with the leading national trade organizations representing the respective industries. NCMS is responsible for six of the Centers, and for the Compliance Assistance Platform, a new type of resource specifically designed to create and operate additional Centers efficiently, using the infrastructure already in place.

Sustainable Manufacturing

Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA)

Founded in 1998, Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) is primarily composed of NCMS members and representatives for the DoD maintenance activities. Since the program’s inception, more than 60 collaborative projects have been formed, totaling nearly $118 million. Approximately 70 percent of this investment is provided by industry participants with the remaining 30 percent of matching funds being contributed by the DoD

Navy Region Northwest Counter-Terrorism Program

Anti-Terrorism / Force Protection systems are essential to protecting the Navy’s most critical assets. The Navy relies on electronic technology as a force multiplier as well, allowing critical human resources to respond to on-going anti-terrorism requirements. NCMS is enabling Navy Region Northwest to transition out of obsolescence and into supportable and interoperable Navy Enterprise solutions through strong systems, engineering disciplines and implementation of state of the art technologies.

http://ctma.ncms.org

Nano-Particulate Additives for Diesel Fuels

NCMS and the Department of Transportation are collaborating on a project to evaluate new nanoparticulate materials that could be used as an additive in diesel fuels to increase fuel economy of heavy vehicles while reducing noxious exhaust emissions. While the initial focus is application in heavy vehicles, the potential benefits are expected to have applications for diesel-powered passenger vehicles and stationary diesel power plants.