The CTMA Connector September 2011 DOD Maintenance


September 2011Welcome to The CTMA Connector, a monthly newsletter designed to provide news and ideas about the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program. The CTMA program is a joint Department of Defense/National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (DoD/NCMS) effort promoting collaborative technology development between industry and the DoD maintenance and repair facilities. This newsletter highlights ongoing projects, serves as a forum for promoting new project ideas, and provides other news of interest to the program. Our goal is to stimulate your participation and solicit your input. Feel free to submit items for the newsletter as well as any suggestions to make it more useful. More information about the program can be found at http://ctma.ncms.org/.To subscribe or unsubscribe to the CTMA Connector, send a message to:listserv@listserv.ncms.org with “subscribe CTMANewsletter” or “unsubscribe CTMANewsletter” in the message body.

Plan to visit the NCMS/CTMA Booth at the Defense Maintenance Symposium, Fort Worth, November 14-17.

Four projects are being featured at this year’s booth:

Imaginestics – IUID for Legacy Parts

Ecylpse International – Enhanced Wiring Integrity Systems

ID Systems – Centralized Fleet Automated Management Systems

Advanced Tooling Corporation – No Mask Tooling for Plating Baths

While you are at the Maintenance Symposium, come vote for one of the three CTMA projects entered into Great Ideas Competition including:

  1. Automated Process and Inspection Guide
  2. Modernization of Metal Electroplating with No-Mask Conforming Anodes
  3. Composite Structure Inspection and Repair Preparation Cell (IRPC)

 

 

 

For companies exhibiting at the Maintenance Symposium, NCMS member company, TOP, Inc., can provide booth transportation services, including booth setup and breakdown.  Contact Todd Eggler at TOP for more information, todd@cwsmail.com, 507-273-7938.

 

If you are at the Materials Science & Technology 2011 Conference:

Come see Connie Philips present the CTMA-project brief entitled “Laser-Based Material Deposition, Consolidation, & Removal Technologies:Road to Adoption” .  Connie will outline the advances made by the Additive Manufacturing project team, and what steps are being taken to more quickly bring this far-ranging technology onto the production floor.  The brief will be at the Mechanical Properties of Additive Manufactured Materials and Components session on Tuesday, October 18 at 10:20 am.  Further information can be found at http://www.matscitech.org/.

CTMA Project Extension: Metal Finishing Development Program Phase II

(DoD Partners:Corpus Christi Army Depot; Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center; Navy Fleet Readiness Center SW)

Phase II of the highly-successful Metal Finishing Development Program is being launched.  In Phase I, a 5 module, 3½ hour Computer Based Training (CBT) course in basic hard chrome plating was developed and made available to the participating DoD Partners.  This course uses a newly published Hard Chrome Training Handbook developed under a separate EPA grant as its companion reference text.

The objective of Phase II is to expand the learning experience into a real games-based learning approach. Phase II allows platers (both new and seasoned alike) through computer simulation to run a plating process that allows them to select parts, plate the parts, vary parameters (anode distances, current, masking, current diverters/robbers), observe results and make adjustments to improve the process.  Platers are able to “learn by doing” in an instructive, engaging and entertaining way on how best to electroplate from a cost, quality, safety and environmental viewpoint.  What made this games-based simulation possible was being able to adapt some powerful electro-chemistry process simulation software, originally developed by Elsyca for commercial purposes, into a learning tool.  The modified software generates results that are true to life and accurate for the components chosen to simulate.

The plan is to integrate/enhance the simulation software with Flash animations, tutorials, etc. to make the simulated plating shop experience as representative of the real world as possible for the learner.  Additionally, troubleshooting modules (based on real life experiences of the depots) are being developed to supplement the simulation.

The NCMS Contact is Bill Chenevert, billc@ncms.org, 734-995-7989.

 

Make plans next year for the 2012 CTMA Symposium

26-29 March, San Diego

We appreciate your feedback. Please contact Chuck Ryan with suggestions or input on other topics that would be of interest to you in this newsletter. The CTMA Program is sponsored by the Department of Defense; the content of this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the government; no official endorsement should be inferred.
© 2011

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