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Innovative Metal-Joining Project Reduces Warfighter Vehicle Weight while Offering Superior Safety and Build Efficiency

ANN ARBOR, MI – November 29, 2011. The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) was awarded its tenth National Center for Advanced Technologies (NCAT) Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award at the 2011 Defense Manufacturing Conference (DMC) this week in Anaheim, CA. Attracting more than a 1,000 attendees from the DoD, Armed Services, Industry, and Academia, the conference strengthens military and industrial capability through innovation, collaboration and strategic investment.

The award-winning collaborative team, managed by NCMS, brought together several small companies including Gravikor, the Michigan Research Institute, and SpaceForm Welding Solutions as well as the U.S. Army PM Light Tactical Vehicles division and the Marine Corps Maintenance Center Albany. The project team’s objective was to develop solutions for lighter, stronger military vehicles, allowing for the utilization of the latest lightweight armor solutions and improving overall maintainability. The awarded project, Deformation Resistant Welding of Space Frame Structures to Reduce Weight in DoD Ground Vehicles,¨ applied new innovations in welding techniques to dramatically reduce time and weight associated with traditional vehicle space-frame construction.

The team created a design for a new cage structure that would completely replace the current body structure in the military’s ubiquitous HMMWV (Humvee) platform. The NCMS team scrapped traditional old-school welding techniques in favor of deformation resistance welding an approach that produces atomically clean surfaces between metals to be joined. The result is a near-perfect surface bond with many benefits over the traditional approach:

• Elimination of weld fillers cuts weight, corrosion targets, and weak spots
• Deformation-welded surfaces offer a considerably stronger bond
• Easily supports joining of unlike metals, such as aluminum and titanium
• Fully compatible with advanced composite armor technologies
• Entire weld process is nearly 1,000 times faster than the traditional method

The solution is cost-feasible as well, requiring little additional equipment and practically zero added investment. We needed a cost effective, producible cage structure that will support mounting lighter composite armor and various vehicle attachments,¨ said Dr. Chuck Ryan, Vice President, Technology at NCMS and Program Manager of the project. It needed to be stronger, lighter, and very importantly cheap and production ready. With this technology we achieved those goals and significantly reduced the overall vehicle weight.¨

The Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA)-funded project demonstrated the potential for a substantial weight saving (~1,500 lbs) with a comparable protection level to the current FRAG 7 HMMWV.

Other advantages through the use of the DRW Space Frame Design include:

• ~50% reduction in required parts
• Rapid manufacturing process for cage structure
• Fully bolt in kit (no welding at the depot level)
• Requires no major modification to current HMMWV chassis
•  Improved ingress and egress for end user
•  Increased rollover protection versus standard HMMWV

Rick Jarman, President & CEO of NCMS, was asked to present all of the evening’s Defense Manufacturing Excellence Awards, including the honor his own company received for this project. These are the types of innovative technologies collaboration produces,¨ said Jarman, “at NCMS, we believe that true innovation lies at the intersection of talent, investment and infrastructure an intersection that you can only reach by collaborating. This project is another win for our portfolio of successful collaborations. I couldn’t be more proud of the team and its innovation not just for this success, but because solutions like this save lives every day.¨

About NCMS:
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, the largest cross industry collaborative Research & Development consortium in North America, is dedicated to driving innovation in commercial, defense, robotics and environmentally sustainable manufacturing. NCMS has over 25 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector. For more information on NCMS, visit http://www.ncms.org/

About CTMA:
The lifesaving Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program is a Department of Defense supported NCMS initiative that ensures American troops and their equipment are ready to face any situation, with the most up-to-date and best-maintained platforms and tools on earth.

National Center for Manufacturing Sciences 3025 Boardwalk Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108-3230 (800)222-6267

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Award Eligibility

The award is open to all.  Nominees (as many as desired) may be submitted by all the affiliated Associations/Societies of the Multi-Association Industry Affordability Task Force in any or all of the three award categories: individual, small team/group (large business), and small team/group (small business).  Although companies are strongly encouraged to (and usually do) submit nominations through one of the Associations, occasionally nominations from one of the companies represented on the Multi-Association Industry Affordability Task Force will be sent to NCAT directly.  These are considered valid nominations, but will be attributed to the most applicable association to be considered for the award.  Each Association is limited to three nominations in each of the three categories, and each association is responsible for submitting at least one nomination, including all categories.

Note:  Joint Industry/Government teams are eligible.  There are no restrictions on who can be nominated for the Individual award category—both Government and Industry individuals have won this award, often with a record of service in both regimes.

The nominees must be living at the time of their nomination.  Any individual or small group/team in the defense manufacturing community that has significantly contributed to the understanding, development, or application of manufacturing techniques, processes, methods, practices, or management throughout the nation is eligible for this award.

• Individual category nominations may be either for (1) a specific achievement in defense manufacturing which culminated during the past year or (2) a sustained record of performance and distinguished contributions in the defense manufacturing arena over a longer period.
• Small team/group from large (over 500 employees) companies should be for a specific achievement in the field of defense manufacturing which culminated during the past year.  Award is limited to 10 team members.
• Small team/group from small business (less that 500 employees) companies should be for a specific achievement in the field of defense manufacturing which culminated during the past year.  The small business should have performed the majority of the work. Award is limited to 10 team members.

2011 Nominating and Award Selection Procedure

Nominations should be provided electronically and include the following information:

• Nominator’s name, mailing address, and electronic communications contact information (phone, fax, and e-mail)
• Nominator’s title and organization/affiliation (company or association)
• Nominee’s name and title, institutional or company affiliation, and address.  For team categories please include the name of the project here.
• Category: Specify whether the nomination is for the individual or one of the small team/group categories (large or small business).  If for the team/group categories, all of the members’ names should be included as nominees (exactly as they would appear in the Award Program, should the team/group be selected).
• A summary of the action(s): the basis for the nomination (approximately 100-150 words).  This will form the basis for the “citation” to be published in the Award program distributed at the presentation ceremony should the nominee win.  Hint:  It also “grabs” the attention of the members of the Award Committee who will be evaluating the nomination.
• A separate longer statement, not to exceed three, single spaced pages (12 point “Times New Roman” or similar font preferred), with one inch margins. This will form the basis for the comparative evaluation by the Award Committee of the award nominees and selection of the award recipient(s).  Nomination details should include:

1. Technical/managerial challenges overcome
2. Significance of the accomplishment
3. Financial or technical performance benefits (should be as specific as possible, without the use of any proprietary data. In needed, use normalized data.)
4. Potential for solution to be subsequently applied beyond the original applications.

• A resume of the nominee or a brief biography for each nominee.  In the case of the team award (optional), a brief description for each of the team members and a biography/resume for the team leader(s) are appropriate.

Completed nominations should be submitted to the Awards Coordinator, The National Center for Advanced Technologies, e-mail mark.gordon@ncat.com, phone 813-899-4545, Fax 813-425-7774. Questions regarding nomination procedures or other matters may also be addressed using this contact information.

The deadline for award nomination submissions is COB, Friday, October 28, 2011.  All nominating materials become the property of NCAT.

As mentioned, for 2011 the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the lead association for the award selection process and will sponsor the award presentation at DMC.  Ms. Rebecca Taylor will chair the 2011 Industry Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award Selection Committee.  Past lead associations/societies have included:  NSIA (1995), AIA (1996, 2000, 2010), GEIA (1997, 2005), AMT (1998, 2007), AFCEA (1999), SME (2001, 2008), NACFAM (2002, 2009), NDIA (2003), and  NCMS (2004).

Award Nomination and Selection Process

NCAT forms the Award Selection Committee each year from representatives of the affiliated Associations and Societies.  The Associations and Societies solicit nominees from their member companies and then forward their nominations to NCAT by the Nomination due date.  NCAT in turn consolidates and forwards copies of each of the nomination packages to each member of the Award Selection Committee.  The members of the Award Committee then individually evaluate and rank order all of the nominees in each of the three award categories and forward their three sets of rank orders to NCAT.  NCAT then tallies the votes.  In each of the three categories the entry with the most first-place votes is the winner.  If there is a tie for number of first place votes, it will be resolved using the rank ordering (number of second place votes; if that does not resolve the tie, number of third place votes, etc.).  The Committee then meets, usually in mid November, to ratify the NCAT tally (one ratification vote per Association/Society present) and approve the selection of the winner(s) in the three categories of the Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award.

Award Ceremony

The Awards will be presented at the Defense Manufacturing Conference (Las Vegas, Nov 28-Dec 1, 2011)  The recipients of the Award(s) will be notified in advance so they can arrange to attend the awards presentation ceremony at the Defense Manufacturing Conference and receive their awards in person if they desire.  Also, the winners usually will be asked to provide a picture of the winning individual/groups for inclusion in the Awards Program.  Note:  All award recipients have in fact chosen to receive their awards in person, although sometimes not all members of the winning team have been able to attend.

NCAT Role

The National Centerfor Advanced Technologies supports the entire process including solicitation of members for the Award Selection Committee, processing the nominations and tallying the votes, putting together the Award Program, and orchestrating the Award presentation ceremony.  NCAT also hosts the ratification meeting of the Award Selection Committee (usually a luncheon meeting) and any necessary teleconferences during the nomination/selection process.

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Jon Riley will Present “Transforming the Way America Builds:Implementation Roadmap for a National Innovation Network, ” at the 2011 HyperWorks Technology Conference, held June 22-23 in Orlando, Florida

Abstract: Just as the assembly line and electric power infrastructure were the keys to a strong manufacturing base a century ago, a Digital Manufacturing infrastructure is critical to the future of American industry.  Economic uncertainty and leaden growth have slowed innovation, but access to cutting edge tools such as high performance modeling and simulation provide a bold path forward, essentially transforming the way America builds.  In this presentation NCMS will document the overall strategy, outline the progress made towards implementation and share means of engagement for interested organizations.

Hyperworks Technology Conference

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On April 12, Michigan Robotics Day was held at NCMS  Headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan to coincide with National Robotics Week. NCMS partnered with The Michigan Defense Center (MEDC) and Soar Technologies for this event to celebrate robotics in the State of Michigan. Industry leaders addressed a capacity crowd while the corridors and rear parking lot of NCMS were overrun by robots and enthusiastic students.

The event brought together the state robotics community to discuss how to best leverage its industrial and academic resources to make Michigan a global leader in this emerging field. Students were exposed to companies and researchers who are creating jobs and award winning technology in their own backyard. Judging by the optimism and creativity of the attendees robotics has a bright future in Michigan.

The event was emceed by Andrew Dallas, Vice President (Soar Technologies), a nationally recognized leader in the robotics industry.

NCMS President & CEO Rick Jarman shared his vision of Michigan companies using collaboration to be a global leader in the design and manufacturing of advanced robotic technologies. Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), who was detained in Washington to due to the budget crisis, welcomed attendees via video and expressed his enthusiasm for the event.

Keynote speaker Jim Overholt, Senior Research Scientist of Robotics for the U.S. Army, gave an entertaining and enlightening talk on the state of robotics technology. Overholt was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Sara Blackmer (Michigan Defense Center- MEDC) titled Robotics in the 21^st Century (and Beyond), bringing together local industry experts to provide insight into the future opportunities for Michigan companies.

The afternoon began with Professor Ed Olson (University of Michigan) detailing the award-winning efforts of Team Michigan in the Multi Autonomous Ground-Robotic International Challenge (MAGIC 2010) last year in Australia. He also brought along some of his robots to demonstrate their capabilities.

The speaking agenda concluded with a panel discussion with noted experts in various disciplines critical to the success of robotics in Michigan.

The rest of the day was dedicated to experts from industry and academia interacting with the Michigan FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) teams who were displaying their robots. They also appreciated the opportunity to see firsthand a DARPA challenge vehicle provided by Cybernet Systems Company which navigated autonomously through the rear parking lot.

The event is the latest effort by NCMS to help support the development of robotics on a national scale. The Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC), an NCMS subsidiary, was formed in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Defense Department and other Government organizations.

Michigan Robotics Day Web Site (Agenda, Webcast Info, More)

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ANN ARBOR, MI – March 31, 2011. The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Defense Center and SoarTech will host a Michigan Robotics Day on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at NCMS headquarters in Ann Arbor.

The event will showcase innovations and demonstrations in robotics and the program will include presentations from robotics industry luminaries as well as the region’s brightest robotics students. This event will be a celebration of the advances made by robotics companies and the growth of Michigan’s robotics technology sector, along with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Michigan.

Rick Jarman, President & CEO, NCMS

“Michigan is positioned to be a global leader in robotics innovation based on the talent and infrastructure that already exists here in the state,” said NCMS President & CEO Rick Jarman. “Design and deployment of robotics technology will ultimately depend on advanced manufacturing – exactly the kind of capability in which Michigan companies excel. Our day long event will highlight the robotics successes in Michigan, confirming the region as an economic development engine for the State.”

Dr. Jim Overholt, Chief Scientist for Robotics with the United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), in Warren, Michigan will present the keynote address. Overholt is a recognized leader in the field of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence, with over 25-years of experience in military robotics. Dr. Overholt earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Lawrence Technological University and a master and doctorate in systems engineering from Oakland University.

Sara Blackmer, Defense Sector Development Director, Michigan Defense Center

“When someone says ‘ROBOT’, many think of automated assembly lines or the stuff of some science fiction movie like The Terminator. But the reality is much more practical. We need to start thinking of the robotics discipline less as a replacement for people and more as an enabling technology that further national and regional goals. Things like energy efficiency and fuel economy,” said Sara Blackmer, of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “Federal agencies are looking for ways to smartly achieve these goals, and it is significant that the Defense of Department located their Chief Ground Robotics Scientist right in the middle of the nation’s premiere automotive and advanced manufacturing resources. He sees part of his mission as leveraging regional excellence to raise ground robotics reliability and strategically insert autonomous technologies to help solve tough challenges.”

The program will feature a panel of prominent local roboticists representing the defense, transportation, industrial, entrepreneurial, medical, and agriculture sectors – highlighting Michigan industry and its growing role in robotics. Also on the agenda is demonstration of the award-winning Multi Autonomous Ground-Robotic International Challenge (MAGIC) technology developed by Assistant Professor Ed Olsen and his team at the University of Michigan,, The demonstration will be webcast and followed with a panel discussion for the school robotics teams in attendance, highlighting the importance of STEM education and the next generation of robotics and roboticists.

Andrew Dallas, Vice President, Federal Systems, SoarTech

“STEM is crucial to helping grow robotics in Michigan,” said Andrew Dallas Vice President, Federal Systems, SoarTech. “Students can participate on robotics teams in high school, do ground-breaking research at our universities, and work in this growing industry. In fact, the future of robotics in Michigan is really bright. We have the knowledge, we have the infrastructure and the drive to make this state a global leader.”

The event will conclude with a demonstration of high school robotics teams and an informal networking and feedback from the industry panel experts.

Attendance is free and open to the public. The event takes place on April 12, 2011, starting at 9:00 a.m. Attendee registration, webcast information, agenda, and speaker bios for this event are available at:

http://www.mirobotics.org

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest collaborative R&D consortium in North America and dedicated to driving innovation and competitiveness among manufacturers in commercial, defense, robotics, and related industries.  NCMS has 25 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.  NCMS is the home of the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC), which has more than 180 members from industry and academia from around the country including 13 from Michigan.

In addition to collaborative R&D management, the company is an active advocate and innovator in building, providing, and aligning new solutions and processes to improve the competitiveness of North American manufacturers.
For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org

About SoarTech

SoarTech makes the vision of true autonomy a reality every day. By combining artificial intelligence with cognitive and social psychology SoarTech builds intelligent systems for defense, government and commercial applications that bring human-level intelligence and decision making to robotic systems. Their goal is to enhance human operations and abilities by creating thinking partners. Partners that work to make humans more prepared, more informed and more capable.

For more information, visit http://www.soartech.com

About MEDC

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is the State of Michigan’s one-stop resource for businesses seeking to grow in Michigan.  As a public corporation created through an interlocal agreement between state and local governments, the MEDC is a liaison with local communities and agencies across the state. It is guided by a board comprised of members who represent a cross section of the state economy, business owners and executives, local economic developers and college presidents. The MEDC brings together supply and demand and matches up resources and services with the needs of our business customers.

For more information, visit http://www.michiganadvantage.org/

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Join Altair and NCMS on March 10^th at 11:00 a.m. EST to learn how a new generation business intelligence technology, HiQube, can simplify and automate root cause analysis and provide deeper insight into plant operations performance.

HiQube Manufacturing Intelligence Webinar

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Winner Collaborative Team Small Business Category
While people may not pause to consider electroplating, the fact is, today’s world would be impossible without it. Cadmium, Zinc, Gold, Silver, Platinum, Titanium, Chrome; those and many more are integral to our daily lives.  Despite a role in every aspect of modern society, the process and technology for metal electroplating has gone largely unchanged for the past 100 years. While safety and environmental hazards have been slightly reduced, electroplating remains a toxic, wasteful, inefficient, time consuming process.

The basic electroplating process consists of taking a base part and carefully mask off any areas needing protection from the plating process, using tape and wax. Then insert it into a metal-containing solution, apply electricity around a metallic anode, and wait.   Hours or days later the part is plated.

Time consuming (masking takes hours and requires the best platers in a shop), inefficient (as much as 90% of the electrical power used to plate is wasted), dangerous (plating baths can be incredibly toxic, as is used maskant). There simply has to be a better way.

Working in tandem with CCAD and FRC West engineers, ATC, and CAI Resources, NCMS managed an innovative R&D project that sought to address the cost and environmental issues with a single, powerful solution. The project’s outcome is a completely unique approach. Called No Mask Conforming Anodes, it eliminates the masking step altogether. Each is custom-made to the part it will plate, acid-proof PVC masking is incorporated into the anode itself, which is configured to the specific part shape. This increases speed and uniformity of the metal deposit. Areas not to be plated remain protected and do not electrically communicate with the plating bath. Parts can even be plated outside a tank, with plating fluid pumped through at high speed to realize an optimal metal coat with almost no danger of hydrogen embrittlement, and reduced energy and toxic chemical usage through the elimination of typical in-tank processing facility.

During this three-phase project, the team designed and implemented several no-mask anodes for hard chromium and nickel plated parts. The particular parts were selected based on their volume, long plating cycles, labor-intensive masking and machining, and relatively high reject/rework rates.  Additionally, one part, the CH-47 Chinook Rotor Blade Tip, was selected because no repair process existed at all, so damaged parts were discarded and replaced at a cost of $258,000 annually.
By the end of the project, the new tooling developed during the course of the work had been incorporated into the each of the facility’s electroplating operations, with new tooling also provided to Warner Robbins, Aniston, and Cherry Point.

Pilots for these no-mask anodes were conducted at CCAD and FRC Southwest, and the results were nothing short of astonishing:

• 95% reduction in pre-plating part preparation
• 45% reduction in plating time
• 78% reduction in scrap or reject parts
• 50% increase in plating tank capacity, improving overall throughput
• $990,000 in immediate savings from the two most recent pilot parts tested alone

As impressive as these achievements are, one final item must not be forgotten: the technology completely eliminates the mountains of used maskant, which had to be disposed of as hazardous waste so toxic that even brief exposure could lead to serious injury or environmental catastrophe. The overall reduction in hazardous waste at the Depots is enormous.

The team estimates that if No-Mask Conforming Anodes were deployed across the DoD, a savings of over $50,000,000 could result over the next three years alone, with an overall process time improvement of 35-50%, all translating into improved readiness for the warfighter.  As a direct result of this CTMA project, Anniston, Cherry Point, Warner Robins and FRC East have been provided production-ready tooling which has generated an additional $7,280,000 savings to date.

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NCMS recently collected its R&D 100 award for its Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT) project, which pioneered an innovative process in volumetric error compensation for large machine tools.  NCMS has won five R&D 100 Awarda which are recognized as the “Oscars of Innovation,” and honor excellence in high technology products.

Learn More about VALMT

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The Rock Island Arsenal sponsored an open house on November 2, 2010 to highlight Aspire Solutions, Inc (ASI) data capture project sponsored by NCMS.  This project provides high quality document scanning combined with meta-data capture designed to simplify document management and make it easy to share documents across the enterprise.

Converting paper into digital files only provides a partial solution.  Many companies stop just after scanning the document, but ASI takes it a step further and offers extremely high quality, full color digital documentation  Unlike traditional services, ASI extracts information from the document using automated metadata capturing heuristics to make locating a file easy.  The document is then transformed into a text searchable file utilizing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, which allows the user to search for any keyword in the entire file.  The file is then optimized in order to minimize the file size and drastically reduce storage space costs.

Major General Kurt Stein, commander of the US Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, attended the open house and saw many applications and benefits of the ASI data capture project both for RIA and the entire Army.  The open house was also attended by senior RIA leadership who were updated on the project’s progress and shown examples of the information being captured.

The benefits of ASI’s document scanning and data capture process go beyond just transforming paper filing cabinets into a digital format.  The documents are instantly available throughout the system, which can reduce cycle time and improve customer service.  The table to the left highlights key features and attributes of the ASI toolset.  ASI has the capability to scan many different file times including propriety (PII) sensitive material.  It is cost effective and ensures 100% visibility and accountability of all paper documentation.

For more information on Aspire Solutions, Inc. please contact: info@aspiresolns.com

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“VALMT will save ship and aircraft manufacturers millions of dollars,” said NCMS Vice President Chuck Ryan. “Machine tool calibrations used to take an entire week, with VALMT the same process can be performed in a day. The benefits of this technology aren’t just time savings; it will allow for more accurate parts, reducing or eliminating expensive re-work during assembly.”

The NCMS Collaborative R&D Process teamed private industry (Automated Precision Inc., The Boeing Corporation, Siemens Energy and Automation and MAG Cincinnati Machine, LLC) and the Department of Defense (U.S. Air Force Logistics Center, Naval Foundry and Propeller Center, U.S. Navy Fleet Readiness Center East, and the U.S. Army Anniston Depot) for the VALMT project, quickly developing the groundbreaking technology affordably, and with less risk than alternative “go it alone” R&D methods.

“The secret to the success of NCMS R&D is collaboration,” said NCMS President & CEO Rick Jarman. “Collaboration maximizes benefits and reduces risk and cost. This award is the latest validation that the NCMS collaborative model works.”

Winners of the R&D 100 Awards are selected by an independent judging panel and the editors of R&D Magazine. The publication and its online portal serve research scientists, engineers, and other technical staff members at high tech industrial companies and public and private laboratories around the world.

R&D 100 is not the only award to honor VALMT: the technology also received a coveted Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award for outstanding cooperative efforts on technology development between government, industry and academia (the seventh for NCMS). Northrop-Grumman recently selected VALMT to improve accuracies on their large-volume machine tools used for production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

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NCMS will celebrate the deployment of a new automated test capability system for night vision components at the Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD). This CTMA collaborative project has developed automated test equipment for night vision tubes to replace the outdated manual test equipment presently used by government and industry. This capability will reduce cycle time for returned night vision devices and significantly reduce costs by increasing the reuse of image intensifier tubes while providing better test repeatability and efficiency.   Some 10,000 tubes are returned annually from the field and are demilitarized (destroyed) due to a lack of retest verification. However, image intensifier tubes “classified for demil” in the field have subsequently successfully passed MIL-specs during re-evaluations. This automated equipment will be capable of rapidly performing all optical A-tests as required by government and industry for image intensifier tubes. Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) is the largest, full-service electronics maintenance facility in the Department of Defense (DoD). TYAD’s mission is total sustainment, including design, manufacture, repair and overhaul of hundreds of electronic systems that include satellite terminals, radio and radar systems, telephones, electro-optics, night vision and anti-intrusion devices, airborne surveillance equipment, navigational instruments, electronic warfare and guidance and control systems for tactical missiles. TYAD is the DoD’s recognized leader in the areas of automated test equipment, systems integration and downsizing of electronics systems.

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For more information about this project please contact Phil Callihan, NCMS Executive Director of Communications, at (734) 995-2046 or email philc@ncms.org.

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NCMS is seeking participants for a new forming NMRPP project, New Technology Metal Deposition Repair for Navy Ship/Submarine Components.

Current methods of Metal Deposition Repair (MDR) for worn and corroded components are primarily limited to electroplating/conventional welding processes, which have significant limitations for component repair.  New MDRs are needed for valve bodies, valve balls, pump housings, compressors, impellers, shaft components/seals, and many other general wear and sealing areas on ships and submarines.

A number of existing metal deposition capabilities are available which could be applied to Navy component repair, building on existing, proven capabilities.
This project anticipates development of a wider range of repair options for problematic applications.  Significant ROI potential is possible by salvaging components previously scrapped, increased repair longevity, increasing operational availabilities and reducing repair costs of current repair processes (a previous aluminum laser deposition resulted in a cost savings of $35K per torpedo/target shell).  The objectives of the NMRPP New Technology MDR project are:

• perform component selection/ROI analysis
• develop repair process applicable to selected components, including performing metallurgical analyses
• obtain NAVSEA certification for up to three Fleet components.

Additionally, this project seeks to engage machinery OEMs, materials and software developers to achieve the necessary collaborations to develop the potential of these technologies for DoD and industrial applications.  This project currently seeks commercial and Department of Defense participants with an interest in electron beam deposition-welding, direct metal deposition, friction stir processing, metallurgical analysis, laser deposition, kinetic-spray, high velocity oxygenated fuel, and similar technologies related to component repair processes.  NCMS is a non-profit membership organization.  Project Participants must become NCMS members for those collaborative teams who are asked to submit a larger proposal. 

For more information please contact:

Heidi Hottinger heidih@ncms.org (360) 782-1370.

Photo credit U.S. Navy.

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NCMS is seeking participants for a new forming NMRPP project, Environmentally Friendly Cutting Solutions.

The current method employed for large-scale cutting and ship disposal (Oxy-Fuel) creates large quantities of visible emissions, metal fumes and debris.  Federal and State Clean Air Acts prohibit visible emissions greater than 20% opacity.  Attempts to control emissions to comply with these requirements have results in increased project costs and longer schedule duration.  This project will:

1. Develop and implement process improvements to control emissions associated with current cutting methods
2. Investigate steel cutting technologies with productivity comparable to standard flame cutting while meeting environmental requirements
3. Demonstrate effectiveness of these technologies on multiple cutting applications, where opacity levels, dry dock discharges and hazard waste reduction levels meet requirements of local, state and federal laws.

This project currently seeks commercial and Department of Defense participants with an interest in diamond rope cutting, plasma-arc welding, waterjet cutting, laser cutting, or other technology related to large equipment cut-up with minimized opacity generation.   NCMS is a non-profit membership organization.  Project Participants must become NCMS members for those collaborative teams who are asked to submit a larger proposal.

For more information please contact:

Heidi Hottinger heidih@ncms.org (360) 782-1370.

Photo credit U.S. Navy.

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On 28 – 29 April, FRC East hosted a Technology Showcase sponsored by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) through its Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities program (CTMA).  The showcase brought leading technology companies into FRC East to see first hand the challenges our maintainers face in order to identify innovative commercial solutions.

The Technology Showcase opened with Col. Loch providing an overview of FRC East operations and Mr. Greg Kilchenstein from OSD’s Maintenance Policy and Programs office providing an overview of maintenance technology’s role in DoD’s overarching strategy and he outlined the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities program as proven technology transition venue.  NCMS member companies were given a comprehensive tour of FRC East operations and facilities.  Next on the agenda were table top displays, strategically located throughout the depot to ensure easy access for all base personnel to see the technologies  The table top displays provided industry representatives a unique opportunity to learn about challenges faced directly by the maintainers.  The first day concluded with a networking event at the “The Pitt.”  The second day was dedicated to one-on-one industry presentations with base personnel regarding solutions with immediate potential for deployment at FRC East.

The Technology Showcase was a powerful example of how the CTMA Program fast tracks innovative technical solutions from private industry directly into the hands of DoD personnel to increase systems availability while reducing cost.

NCMS members displaying technology included DIT-MCO International, Aging Aircraft Consulting, LLC, Superior Controls, iMAST/ARL (Penn State), Stratasys, Eclypse International, Adapt Laser Systems, Automated Precision, Inc., Aerowing, Imaginestics, LLC, Spatial Integrated Systems, Inc.,  Spectro Inc., GSA Service Company,  POM Group, REI Systems, Inc., and Pendaran Inc.,

Three CTMA projects have been formed to immediately meet FRC East needs:

• Wiring Shop Modernization – upgrade the capability to build and test wiring harnesses, currently very labor and time intensive.
• Automated Robotic Blade Stripping System (ARBSS) – Provide a reliability upgrade and training.  In addition, assess the challenges for wider deployment of automated paint stripping technology.
• Large Area Inspection of Composite Parts- evaluate and identify improved methods for detecting damage to composite aircraft components.

The Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) Program is collaboration between the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, its member companies, and the Department of Defense (DoD).  Under an historic Cooperative Agreement between NCMS and the OSD Office for Maintenance Policy and Programs,, NCMS and its member companies co-sponsor technology development, deployment and validation with DoD organic maintenance activities.  The current focus is the use of maintenance related technologies to reduce the costs associated with maintenance and rebuild of weapons systems as an element of the overall DoD maintenance strategy.

By partnering with NCMS government services members, the organic DoD maintenance activities are able to quickly assess the benefits of new manufacturing technologies in their own facilities, working side-by-side with industry leaders solving manufacturing problems through collaboration.

NCMS is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortium in the U.S. devoted exclusively to maintenance technologies, processes and practices. NCMS has nearly 25 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.

The next Technology Showcase will be 8 – 9 June at the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany Maintenance Center in Albany, Georgia.

The post NCMS Technology Showcase Brings Industry Innovation to FRC East appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

To achieve this end, the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences is developing a national innovation network: a knowledge infrastructure which leverages the wealth of talent, ideas and facilities within our nation’s universities, national labs and industrial research centers so that we can innovate smarter, faster, and more predictably.

The post How Predictive Innovation will Change Manufacturing Forever appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Aerospace Engineering & Manufacturing Magazine has a great article highlighting the success of the award-winning NCMS-CTMA Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT) project.

…One of the most vexing catch-22s in large-part machining appears to have finally been caught. Rapid volumetric compensation for high accuracy in large-scale five-axis machining is now within the grasp of the manufacturing community.

Why is this significant? Large components are often painstakingly crafted from numerous smaller components because the best machining technologies are not accurate enough to achieve the tight tolerances on large monolithic parts that could reduce part count and assembly time

…A joint project of the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences called Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT)—involving Mag Industrial Automation Systems, Automated PrecisionInc. (API), Boeing, and Siemens—recently completed development of a rapid, and hence game-changing, approach to volumetric error compensation. Created especially for large and multi-axis machines, the system achieves the goals set by the design consortium: to reduce the downtime needed to determine necessary volumetric compensations from weeks to a day or less via a simple automated process that improves a machine tool’s volumetric performance by 50% or more.

Full Article

VALMT Podcast

The post Aerospace Engineering & Manufacturing- VALMT Project Game Changer in Large-Part Machining Accuracy appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

NCMS is partnering with the Department of Energy (DOE) to identify and develop critical manufacturing technologies vital to the affordable manufacturing of alternative energy systems.  The call for Concept Papers will be used to select projects to be funded by this program.

NCMS is interested in Concept Papers in the following areas:

• Advanced composite manufacturing technologies that will enable process automation for wind blade manufacturing including process automation and advanced curing technologies for higher throughput.
• Advanced joining technologies to reduce the cost of manufacturing and installing wind turbines.

Collaborations are expected.

Available Funding / Cost Share Requirements

Approximately $220,000 of funding is available for each project, which will require an additional 1:1 cost share.

Timeline

Two page Concept Papers need to be emailed to Chuck Ryan, chuckr@ncms.org by 5 pm EST, March 31, 2010.  Please follow the attached template.  Selected teams will be asked to develop a larger proposal (12-15 pages) based on the same template.

NCMS Membership Requirement

NCMS is a non-profit membership organization.  Project Participants must become NCMS members for those collaborative teams who are asked to submit a larger proposal.   Please see the web site for details:  www.ncms.org

Please direct questions to Chuck Ryan via email.

Chuck Ryan, Ph.D.
Vice President, Technology
chuckr@ncms.org

The post Call for Concept Papers – Wind Blade Manufacturing appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

The NCMS Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT) project is the subject of an article in the latest issue of Quality Digest.

…The entire measurement process can be accomplished in a matter of hours rather than days, resulting in more accurate measurements and eliminating costly machine downtime. Calibration is performed in a single set-up with automated measurement of hundreds of points and is completed in just a few hours compared to alternate methods that can take much longer. By accomplishing the measurement task in such a short timeframe, the measurement data is far more reliable.

The VALMT project has pioneered an innovative process in establishing a new methodology in volumetric error compensation for large machine tools which can save the Department of Defense (DOD) and the commercial aircraft industry millions of dollars anually.

Full Article

The post VALMT Project in Quality Digest appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Jim Dallam from MAG Industrial Automation Systems joins NCMS radio to discuss the award winning Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT) project.  

VALMT has pioneered an innovative process in establishing a new methodology in volumetric error compensation for large machine tools which will reduce the amount of reworking of machined parts during onsite vehicle assembly and save the Department of Defense (DOD) and the commercial aircraft industry millions of dollars. 

NCMS Radio- “Collaborate, Innovate, Commercialize- Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT) Project Success Story”- Jim Dallam  MAG Industrial Automation System (13:39)

Subscribe to NCMS Radio on iTunes- search for NCMS.

The post NCMS Radio Podcast: Collaborate, Innovate, Commercialize- Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT) Project Success Story appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

NCMS and one of its consortia teams have been active, along with SME, industry and government advocates, in the formation of the ASTM F42 Additive Manufacturing Committee.  Constance Philips, Senior Program Manager for NCMS' RARE Parts through Rapid Manufacturing & Repair consortium, which has been continuously working to apply rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing technologies since 1991, began serving a second term as Membership Secretary to the F-42 Additive Manufacturing Committee in January 2010.  She is also a contributing member of the Terminology Subcommittee F42.91.

Other F-42 Committee Officers are:
Chairman: Brent Stucker, Utah State University
Vice Chairman: Carl Dekker, Met-L-Flo Inc.
Recording Secretary: Richard Hague, Loughborough University

Full Press Rlease

For more information please contact:

The post NCMS Contributes to New Additive Manufacturing Standard appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Current DoD Participants: Marine Corps Maintenance Center, Albany; Marine Corps Maintenance Center, Barstow; Army Project Manager, Light Tactical Vehicles; Marine Corps Program Executive Officer, Land Systems

The DoD is facing severe challenges in their tactical ground combat equipment to provide added ballistic protection and survivability to the warfighters, but the added weight increases rollover events, and decreases vehicle performance such as fuel economy, speed, and acceleration.  In addition, vehicle suspension and engine wear are further taxed by the added weight.

This project will work with the PM-Tactical Vehicles to identify weight savings opportunities on the HMMWV applicable to currently fielded vehicles.  The project will:

1. Design an appropriate solution retrofit structure applicable to the deformation resistance welding (DRW) method for the HMMWV.
2. Fabricate the retrofit DRW subcomponent/frame.
3. Mount the subcomponent/frame onto the platform.
4. Validate the performance of the retrofitted platform.
5. Assess the technology as a repair manufacturing method for other systems such as pipe repair on ships.

For more information please contact:  

NCMS Vice President Chuck Ryan, chuckr@ncms.org, (734)995-4905.

The post CTMA Project Opportunity- NCMS Lightweight Structure Fabrication Using Deformation Resistance Welding appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Don Bell (WR-ALC), Sam Easley (Boeing), Ben Thompson (FRC-East), Rick Jarman (NCMS),

Rich Curless (MAG Industries), Lisa Phelps (Boeing)

Members of Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT) project team collect the Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award at the 2009 Defense Manufacturing Conference.  It is the seventh such award for NCMS.  The Defense Manufacturing Excellence Awards are presented by the National Center for Advanced Technologies (NCAT) for outstanding cooperative efforts on technology development between government, industry and academia.

The VALM project team pioneered an innovative process in establishing a new methodology in volumetric error compensation for large machine tools.  The costs for current assembly practices of measuring and fitting are substantial; reducing the amount of reworking of machined parts during onsite vehicle assembly will save the Department of Defense (DOD) and the commercial aircraft industry millions of dollars. 

The post NCMS Project Team Collects Defense Manufacturing Award appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

"…The kind of innovation that Tony and the guys at NCMS are bringing to the table is exactly what the manufacturing industry in the U.S. needs.  Saving millions through enhanced efficiency is a building block to substantially increased competitiveness on a global stage."

Full Article- Industry is Cool: National Center for Manufacturing Sciences

The post MFG.COM VALMT Project Q&A with Tony Haynes appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Ultra Precise Calibration Process Will Save DOD Millions Annually

ANN ARBOR, MI – December 2, 2009.  The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) today announced that its Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT) project has pioneered an innovative process in establishing a new methodology in volumetric error compensation for large machine tools.  The costs for current assembly practices of measuring and fitting are substantial; reducing the amount of reworking of machined parts during onsite vehicle assembly will save the Department of Defense (DOD) and the commercial aircraft industry millions of dollars. 

“The innovative VALMT project will save the DOD millions while ensuring weapon systems are mission ready and available for our warfighters when they need them,” said NCMS Vice President Chuck Ryan.  “This technology will also pave the way for reducing the manufacturing costs of commercial ships and aircraft, benefiting both government and industry.”

The success of the VALMT project was recognized this week with a Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award presented by the National Center for Advanced Technologies (NCAT), the seventh award of its kind given to NCMS for its outstanding cooperative efforts on technology development between government, industry and academia.

“This groundbreaking process will dramatically reduce assembly and fitting costs which represent up to 1% of the total cost per aircraft,” said Sam Easley, Engineer/Scientist, Metallic Processes at The Boeing Company.  “On large programs like the F-18 or the 700 series, we could save $100 Million per year.”

“VALMT has the potential to save the U.S. Navy money and shave valuable time off of vessel construction costs, putting assets where they are most needed, with the warfighter.” said Faris Ibrahim, Mechanical Engineer of the Naval Foundry and Propeller Center.
 
The VALMT project teamed private industry (Automated Precision Inc., The Boeing Corporation, Siemens Energy and Automation and MAG Cincinnati Machine, LLC) and the DOD (U.S. Air Force Logistics Center, Naval Foundry and Propeller Center, U.S. Navy Fleet Readiness Center East, and the U.S. Army Anniston Depot) using the NCMS R&D collaborative process to quickly develop this groundbreaking technology.

“The success of the VALMT project rests heavily on the technical expertise and collaborative R&D experience of the NCMS and its partners,” stated Richard Curless, CTO at MAG Industrial, “The NCMS has been a leader in bringing government and industry together to create usable technologies for over 23 years and this project is just another of many feathers in their proverbial cap.”

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortia effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. NCMS has over 20 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.

For more information please contact:

NCMS Program Manager Tony Haynes at (734) 995-4930 or tonyh@ncms.org

The post NCMS Team Honored With Record Seventh Defense Award appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

The NCMS-CTMA project, Laser Coating Removal of Composite Helicopter Blades, successfully installed a production-ready paint stripping unit at Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) East. The ribbon-cutting ceremony included remarks by RDML Tim Matthews COMFRC, Col.Scott Loch (Commander FRC East), CAPT Stephen E. Iwanowicz (Commander, NUWC Division Keyport) as well as remarks from maintainers from the paint stripping shop. Following the ceremony, attendees took a tour of the FRC East facilities.

12►

The post Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Photos from the Fleet Readiness Center East (Cherry Point) appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

NCMS won the award for the best booth in the large booth category at the Symposium.  The NCMS booth showcased four of our collaborative project teams: Kinetic Spray, AP&IG, 3FAST, and CH-53E Readiness & Reliability.

The Marines won the booth competition in the military category.  This is noteworthy because NCMS produced their video and presentation that was the centerpiece of their booth.  This broad exposure of our capabilities is leading to new business from the show.

The post 2009 Department of Defense Maintenance Symposium and Exhibition Report appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

The NCMS-CTMA project, Laser Coating Removal of Composite Helicopter Blades, has successfully installed the paint stripping unit at Cherry Point, which is certified for production use. We welcome people interested in seeing this unit work in production as we celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Cherry Point, North Carolina.

The ribbon-cutting will include remarks by RDML Tim Matthews (COMFRC/AIR), Col.Scott Loch (Commander FRC East), CAPT Stephen E. Iwanowicz (Commander, NUWC Division Keyport) as well as testimonies from the artisans from the paint stripping shop. Following the ceremony, attendees are invited on a tour of the FRC East facilities in the afternoon.

For more information please contact:

NCMS Program Manager Debbie Lilu at (734) 995-7038 or debral@ncms.org.

The post Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at the Fleet Readiness Center East (Cherry Point), Wednesday, November 18, 2009 appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

NCMS is seeking participants for a new forming project, Trivalent Chrome Phase II. This project will complete the initial work of Phase I, where the team developed a new chrome plating process using a trivalent chrome bath to replace the highly-toxic hexavalent chrome bath. The trivalent chrome process must produce hard chrome components that perform equally or better to the older process while still meeting all military specs. 
 
In Phase II, rigorous testing will be performed of the trivalent process to determine its applicability as a viable replacement for hexavalent chrome plating.

The Air Force and NAVAIR are the primary sponsors of the project  and additional project participants are welcome but must bring value to the collaboration.

For more information please contact:  

NCMS Program Manager Bill Chenevert at (734) 995-7989 or billc@ncms.org

The post CTMA Project Opportunity- NCMS Seeks Participants for the Trivalent Chrome Phase II appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Please stop by Booth 333 to see these member companies showcasing technology created using the NCMS collaborative process.

• REI Systems , complete predictive diagnostic and repair suite for aircraft
• Aspire Solutions, Inc., automated process & inspection guide.
• Spectro, Inc., FluidScan, quickly evaluates fluid quality using infrared spectroscopy
• Centerline, LTD., advanced kinetic spray repair process.

 For more information contact Debbie Lilu at debral@ncms.org or call (734) 995-7038.

The post NCMS Promotes Member Technology at 2009 Department of Defense Maintenance Symposium and Exhibition appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

NCMS Member company Stratasys has been recognized by the UK based magazine the Economist as being the market leader in fused deposit modeling 3-D printing in the quarterly technology feature.

…Stratasys, based in Minneapolis, is the market leader in this field. This approach involves unwinding a filament of thermoplastic material from a spool and feeding it through a moving extrusion nozzle, heating the material to melt it and deposit it in the desired pattern on the build tray. The material then hardens to form the solid parts required in each layer. As subsequent layers are added the molten thermoplastic fuses to the layers below. In areas such as overhangs, physical supports can be added and removed later, or water-soluble materials can be deposited and then washed away. Full Article

Stratasys has been a member of NCMS since 1999 and is a technology provider to the Rapid Manufacturing and Repair program.

About the RM&R RARE Parts program

The RM&R program introduces DoD organic maintenance activities to the range and capabilities of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and the benefits that can be derived through their use within the DoD maintenance base.  AM technologies can provide timely solutions to RARE part replacement (legacy parts, obsolete parts, parts no longer available due to diminishing manufacturing resources.)  In addition to its technology insertion work, the RM&R program champions and advocates AM industry advancements and maturation through activities such as the establishment and participation on the ASTM F-42 Additive Manufacturing Standards Committee.

For more information about the Rapid Manufacturing and Repair program please contact:

NCMS Program Manager Connie Philips conniep@ncms.org

The post NCMS Member Stratasys recognized as “market leader” appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

NCMS seeks participants for a new forming project, IUID Markings for Legacy Parts. The project will demonstrate a system that can locate dataplates on raster images of 2D part drawings, determine a location for placing a 2D data matrix marking, create a pdf overlay of the new marking location, and create an AutoCAD Engineering Change Order for delivery to the cognizant engineering authority for action. Imaginestics is the technology provider. 

The Air Force is the primary sponsor but both Army and Navy entities will participate. As with all CTMA funded projects, additional participants are welcome but must bring additional value to the collaboration.

For more information please contact:

NCMS Program Manager Tony Haynes at (734) 995-4930 or tonyh@ncms.org.

The post NCMS Seeks Participants for the IUID Marking of Legacy Parts Project appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

NCMS has made arrangements with the Department of Defense (DoD) to sponsor a technology showcase at the Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD). This unique opportunity to present innovative technology solutions and meet directly with maintenance personnel is only available to NCMS members.

Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) is the largest, full-service electronics maintenance facility in DoD and employs over 5700 workers.. TYAD’s mission is total sustainment, including design, manufacture, repair and overhaul of hundreds of electronic systems that include satellite terminals, radio and radar systems, telephones, electro-optics, night vision and anti-intrusion devices, airborne surveillance equipment, navigational instruments, electronic warfare and guidance and control systems for tactical missiles.

The displays will be strategically located in Maintenance Building 1C offering the opportunity for Army personnel to visit with the various companies throughout the day. The event will conclude with a networking reception for depot personnel and participants.

Technology Showcase Web Site

For more information contact Debbie Lilu at debral@ncms.org or call (734) 995-7038.

The post NCMS Member Event- Technology Showcase October 14, 2009 appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Current decontamination methods used by maintenance personnel result in exposure to dangerous chemicals and pose disposal problems.

We propose to develop and prototype a state-of-the-art automated cleaning system for weapons components, with applicability to aviation, transportation and other industry applications.  Using surface chemistry modeling methods and analysis of existing component substrates, and considering specific contaminants of each component, HPC computer modeling will pre-determine the chemical agents required to affect optimum cleaning with minimal waste generation.  The prototype cleaning system will be capable of mixing the precisely determined chemical solutions designed to break down the specific hazardous substances on contaminated, reusable components.  What we call the “C5” Unit (Chemical Composition Cleaner for Contaminated Components) will employ techniques such as high voltage ionization, phased plasma and/or ultrasonic principles, coupled with applicators, attachments, or enclosures designed specific to user needs. 

A prototype portable, on-site hazardous waste treatment system will be developed; utilizing the onboard chemical elements and/or heat, this unit will completely neutralize or effectively reduce known byproducts generated by the cleaning phase.  (The vehicle may vary dependent on specific industry/component requirements). This will further reduce personnel exposure (for example, in the case of torpedo cleaning, by eliminating the requirement for worker-staffed deep sinks and manual hazmat-grit removal) and waste generation. 

We will test the prototype and analyze by-product levels to meet EPA safe levels.

This project currently seeks commercial and Department of Defense participants with an interest in aerospace; heavy equipment/auto repair; military aircraft/ship/mechanized overhaul and weapon turn-around facilities.

For additional information contact:

NCMS Program Manager, Jeff Walker, jeffw@ncms.org (360) 782-1370, or Heidi Hottinger, heidi@ncms.org (360) 782-1370

The post CTMA Project Opportunity- Chemical Composition Cleaner for Contaminated Components: “C5 Unit” appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

National R&D Consortium Roadmaps Automotive Supplier to Diversification and Growth

June 30, 2009. The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) and Koops, Inc. welcomed Second District Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) to Koops world headquarters in Holland, Michigan today to celebrate the successful commercialization of a revolutionary new laser stripping technology created in collaboration with NCMS. This new technology has expanded the Koops business, allowing the firm to grow in a time when many Michigan companies are downsizing.

“NCMS roadmapping services helped Koops create a strategic vision for growth and diversification. During the roadmapping process, we identified competencies and opportunities in the defense and aerospace sectors; opportunities that Koops is now actively exploring. It allowed the company to expand beyond its roots,” said Rick Jarman, President & CEO of NCMS. “Koops can now commercialize an incredible new technology, diversify its capabilities, and add more jobs in Michigan.”

Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) and Rick Jarman NCMS President & CEO

Congressman Hoekstra, a longtime advocate of growth and diversification of Michigan businesses to improve employment and stabilize the economy, views the success of Koops as an example to be replicated throughout the State. Diversifying the industrial base of Michigan has the potential to help the State survive the current automaker crisis and generate employment and revenue that will lead to true economic recovery.

The technology, a robotic laser stripping system, is capable of stripping paint from a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter blade in less than two hours – a time savings of 75% over hand-sanding. The laser system is so precise that it can remove only the top layers of paint, leaving the primer layer intact and not damaging the blade substrate. “When it was done by hand, technicians wore hazmat suits, worked in sweltering heat with toxic stripping chemicals,” said Mike Gnam, NCMS Project Manager. “Even a small mistake could result in irreparable damage to a $110,000 helicopter blade. This elegant laser system removes that risk. It’s going to save the Department of Defense about 80% in blade refurbishing costs, not to mention the huge time savings. And for Koops, it represents a valuable market opportunity, since the technology has far, far more potential uses than just taking the paint off helicopter blades.”

“It means more equipment available to our warfighters, which has a positive impact on National Security,” said Wesley Koops, founder of Koops, Inc. “On the home front, our participation in this project allowed us to add a strategic new product to our portfolio. NCMS managed the project and provided the strategic roadmapping we needed to move out of our traditional role of automotive supplier. Thanks to this project, we’ve been able to build our knowledge base, develop additional complimentary technologies, and add jobs as the business grows.”

For more information, contact Phil Callihan, NCMS Executive Director of Communications, at (734) 995-2046 or email philc@ncms.org.

The post NCMS-Backed Project Recognized by U.S. Congressman Pete Hoekstra appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Some 10,000 tubes are returned annually from the field and are demilitarized (destroyed) due to a lack of retest verification. However, image intensifier tubes “classified for demil” in the field have subsequently successfully passed MIL-specs during reevaluations.
This automated equipment will be capable of rapidly performing all optical A-tests as required by government and industry for image intensifier tubes.

Implementation of an automated test capability will provide better test repeatability, reproducibility, and improve cycle time versus the present manual test equipment.
Potential customers and/or end users will be U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps depots, as well as image intensifier tube manufacturers.

For additional information contact-

NCMS Program Manager, Lee Patch, leep@ncms.org, 734-995-4972.

The post CTMA Project Opportunity – Automated Intensifier Measurement System (AIMS) appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

ilumisys Partners with National Center for Manufacturing Sciences for
Department of Energy Solid-State Lighting Program

DoE program to develop eco-friendly LED products, recycling procedures

TROY, Mich. – April 15, 2009 – ilumisys, Inc., developer and producer of next-generation solid-state lighting technology, announces a partnership with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) in conjunction with a Department of Energy grant for product lifecycle design for solid-state lighting.

The purpose of the DoE grant of more than $590,000 to the NCMS is to develop a sustainable design and manufacturing strategy that addresses product use, recycling and disposal scenarios for LED-based lighting.  

“NCMS has been successfully commercializing and standardizing innovative technology for decades,” said Rick Jarman, President and CEO of NCMS. “This partnership with ilumisys will strengthen the growing solid-state lighting industry both in Michigan and nationwide.”

Full Press Release

The post ilumisys Partners with National Center for Manufacturing Sciences for Department of Energy Solid-State Lighting Program appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

Geoff Wood- Profile Composites, Craig Snyder- Bayer, Michael Fancher- NCMS

NCMS was formally recognized last week for the creation of a new process for creating high pressure hydrogen storage tanks for vehicles.  The JEC Innovation awards identify the most innovative composite solutions worldwide and contribute to the advancement of the composite industry.

NCMS brought together Profile Composites, Inc; Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America; Bayer MaterialScience, LLC; MAG Cincinnati Automation; and A&P Technology to design a new manufacturing process to increase production volume. The team used a resin material custom formulated by Bayer and applied it to a dry fiber preform, rather than the conventional – and slow – filament winding process of the traditional model. As a result, a new tank is ready for market 18x faster than filament winding, and project partners are confident that speeds can be doubled with additional improvements to the process.

NCMS is no stranger to global recognition for its collaborative R&D management model: the Michigan-based non-profit has won six Defense Manufacturing Excellence Awards and five consecutive R&D 100 Awards. NCMS also administers the Robotics Technology Consortium for the Defense Department, overseeing over 100 participating companies and a budget in the hundreds of millions. Recently, another collaborative NCMS DoE project made headlines as two recently developed fuel cell stacks served as the sole source of power for an Oakland, California passenger bus for more than 130 hours over two weeks, a fantastic example of NCMS innovation taking one step closer to mass-market reality.

The post NCMS Alternative Energy Project Collects International Innovation Award appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

McLean, Va., January 8, 2008 – QinetiQ North America, a global developer of innovative technology solutions for national defense, today announced that its FluidScan™ monitor has won the 2008 Great Ideas Competition Award presented annually by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) at the Department of Defense (DoD) Maintenance Symposium & Exhibition.  The competition recognizes promising new technologies, processes or business practices that participants decide will have a positive impact on DoD equipment maintenance.

…This device has the potential, in its simplest application, to provide lab-quality results in real-time for the soldier, marine, airman and sailor in the field under urgent conditions,” said LCDR David Scalf, Commander of the JOAP (Joint Oil Analysis Program) together with DoD’s NCMS/CTMA (National Center for Manufacturing Sciences/Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities) program.  NCMS/CTMA championed this product within the DoD community and was responsible for its submission for this competition.

Full Press Release

The post FluidScan Monitor Wins Great Ideas Symposium Award appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

New Technology will Revolutionize Commercialization of Alternative Energy Vehicles

ANN ARBOR, MI – January 28, 2009. The prestigious JEC Innovation Award for Innovation in Transportation Technology was presented to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) Hydrogen Cylinder Manufacturing (HCM) project team this week, sharply underscoring the value of collaborative research and development in a global manufacturing marketplace. The HCM project was honored by an international panel of renowned engineering, manufacturing, R&D, and innovation experts in the Transportation category for its commercial potential, financial impact, and originality.

Formed in response to a key Department of Energy milestone, HCM addresses a crucial obstacle for the Hydrogen Economy: making high pressure hydrogen tanks economically feasible for mass production. The team’s development of a reliable high-pressure hydrogen storage tank, suitable for volume manufacture will further the possibility of commercializing alternative fuel vehicles by cutting the production cycle time for a single tank from six hours to an amazing 20 minutes. The project results indicate that further refinements will eventually cut the production cycle time to less than 10 minutes per tank.

“This is an incredible honor,” said Rick Jarman, NCMS President & CEO. “Alternative energy is a global challenge, but it’s not just as simple as finding alternative fuel sources. We have to manufacture solutions that make those sources commercially viable. It’s exhilarating to have NCMS once again recognized for managing collaborative partnerships that shatter barriers and quickly bring innovation to market.”

NCMS is no stranger to global recognition for its collaborative R&D management model: the Michigan-based non-profit has won six Defense Manufacturing Excellence Awards and five consecutive R&D 100 Awards. NCMS also administers the Robotics Technology Consortium for the Defense Department, overseeing over 100 participating companies and a budget in the hundreds of millions. Recently, another collaborative NCMS DOE project made headlines as two recently developed fuel cell stacks served as the sole source of power for an Oakland, California passenger bus for more than 130 hours over two weeks, a fantastic example of NCMS innovation taking one step closer to mass-market reality.

For HCM, NCMS brought together a strong partnership with highly complimentary skills: Profile Composites, Inc; Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America; Bayer MaterialScience, LLC; MAG Cincinnati Automation; and A&P Technology worked together to design a new manufacturing process to increase production volume. The HCM team used a resin material custom formulated by Bayer and applied it to a dry fiber preform, rather than the conventional – and slow – filament winding process of the traditional model. As a result, a new tank is ready for market eighteen times faster than filament winding, and project partners are confident that speeds can be doubled with additional improvements to the process.

“The result is a massive reduction in production costs and, suddenly, full production of these tanks is now possible,” said Mike Fancher, NCMS Program Manager for the HCM project. “In fact, we believe that these tanks could be used in commercially available vehicles that will be launched as early as this year.”

The formal presentation of the award will take place at the JEC Innovation Awards Programme 2009 at the JEC Composites Show, March 24-26, 2009, in Paris, France. This show is one of the largest in the world, with 27,000 attendees and over 1,000 exhibits.

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America. It boasts a 22-year track record in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs to deliver innovative manufacturing innovations to market – faster, more affordably, with increased ROI and reduced risk compared to traditional methods.

For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org

About JEC Group

JEC is dedicated to promoting composites internationally. It supports the development of these materials by fostering knowledge transfer and exchanges between suppliers and users. To date, the JEC network connects more than 200,000 professionals worldwide from 96 different countries. For more information, visit http://www.jeccomposites.com/

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The CTMA project "Centralized Fleet Automated Management System", (CFAMS) has recently completed a successful pilot at Sierra Army Depot (SIAD).  To celebrate this milestane a Ribbon Cutting and Demonstration will be held from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25th . The Ribbon Cutting is being held by the CTMA program in conjunction with the Army Materiel Command and is being hosted by LTC Lee H. Schiller, Jr., Commander, Sierra Army Depot.

CFAMS is a vehicle management system that is "best practices" of the commercial sector now being applied to DoD. In industrial/distribution center settings it is used in 32 Ford plants, every Target distribution center, widely-used by WalMart, and by Daimler Chrysler, Nissan, Alcoa, John Deere, Caterpillar, and is being implemented by Mercedes-Benz. It is used in over 110 major postal service locations. The implementation of CFAMS at Sierra has been a successful public/private partnership.

Sierra Army Depot in Herlong, California is located approximately an hour's drive from Reno, Nevada. Below is the link to the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno where we have often stayed. NCMS has reserved a block of hotel rooms, which can be booked until Feb. 3 at $49 for a standard room per night, $80 for a Summit (tower) room per night (plus tax). The Group Name is "Sierra Army Depot Ribbon Cutting".

http://www.grandsierraresort.com

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The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is currently managing (on behalf of the U.S. Navy) a project designed to convert a legacy, paper-based maintenance manual to an electronic form that is compliant with the S1000D international standard for technical manuals. To better understand the scope and scale of the level of effort, NCMS seeks information on rough order of magnitude cost and an approximate schedule.

Information gathered will be used to structure an eventual award where a contractor will work hand-in-hand with U.S. Navy resources at Keyport Naval Undersea Warfare Center to perform a portion of the conversion and to train Keyport resources in the course of that work Infrastructure for authoring and content management is already in place with Arbortext for authoring and Contenta for content management.

For more Information contact:

Tony Haynes, tonyh@ncms.org (734) 995-4930.

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The Common ATE project targets the development of a CASS replacement system for Navy Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). The new system will be defined with industry standard interfaces between components to facilitate migration to new ATE components as they emerge. NCMS seeks information on applicable components, migration processes, and technology providers.

Project participation isn’t closed but potential new participants must demonstrate value to the project in terms of prior art or advanced capabilities.

For more Information contact Tony Haynes, tonyh@ncms.org, (734) 995-4930.

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The EWIS project is an example of how NCMS cross industry collaboration can speed the development and commercialization of innovative technology.

The Electrical Wire Integrity System (EWIS) project has resulted in a contract potentially worth over $60 million dollars to NCMS member Eclypse International Corporation of Corona and  saved the United States Air Force over $269,000 in the first six months of deployment.  This success resulted in EWIS being awarded a 2005 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award, which honors outstanding team performance to promote systematic process improvement and helps publicize best practices throughout the Air Force.

In 2006 EWIS was recognized with a Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award for outstanding cooperative efforts on technology development between government, industry and academia.

The post Project Video: Electrical Wire Integrity System (EWIS) appeared first on National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

ANN ARBOR, MI – April 16, 2008. The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) today announced that its award winning Electrical Wire Integrity System (EWIS) project has resulted in a contract potentially worth over $60 million dollars to NCMS member Eclypse International Corporation of Corona, California.  The EWIS project was funded through the NCMS Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program which matches commercial technology solutions with the needs of the Department of Defense (DoD).

“EWIS is the latest example of how NCMS member companies benefit from our collaborative projects,” said Rick Jarman, NCMS President & CEO. “Eclypse used our collaboration process to develop their technology for the Department of Defense.  The DoD is getting a proven solution at a fraction of the cost and time it would take for them to develop in-house. This technology offers many advantages for any organization with wiring and maintenance issues.”

The other commercial project participant, Sikorsky, A United Technologies Company used this project to become familiar with the Eclypse test equipment. When companies such as Eclypse and Sikorsky participate on cross-industry collaborative projects, they are afforded opportunities to work closely with the users, technology providers and developers to expand the range of their research and development efforts.  In addition, by participating on CTMA projects, companies gain a better understanding of the needs of the DoD through direct access to key military personnel throughout the armed services. 

 “Our collaboration with the NCMS/CTMA program has provided exciting new business opportunities for us,” said C. Alan Ferguson, President & CEO, Eclypse International Corporation. “The fielding of the initial tool sets resulted in valuable feedback which helped us refine tools to directly meet the need of the warfighter.  The immediate feedback from the field maintenance personnel gave us the edge to secure this contract with DoD.”

The NCMS EWIS project initially saved the United States Air Force over $269,000 in the first six months of deployment.  This success resulted in EWIS being awarded a 2005 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award, which honors outstanding team performance to promote systematic process improvement and helps publicize best practices throughout the Air Force. EWIS was also recognized with 2006 Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award which recognizes outstanding cooperative efforts on technology development between government, industry and academia. NCMS has received six of these awards for their efforts in cross-industry collaboration with the Department of Defense, Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program.
 

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortial effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. NCMS has over 20 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.

For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org

About Eclpse International

 The Eclypse International is a leading developer of Automated Test Equipment (ATE) and total test solutions for today's competitive manufacturing and maintenance environments.  We specialize in circuit analyzers for use in both controlled and harsh environments. Our equipment is currently in operation throughout the United States and abroad with both military and commercial organizations.

For more information, visit  http://www.eclypse.org/

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