Problem:
In 2003 DoD mandated Item Unique Identifier (IUID) markings for all end items of value greater than $5,000. DoD has roughly 500,000 active legacy NINs in active inventory. Marking these parts requires that an engineer determine a safe marking location on the part, determine what type of marking to apply, and then prepare an Engineering Change Order (ECO) to update the Technical Data Package (TDP) accordingly. DoD determined that the necessary Non Recurring Engineering cost is between $3,000 and $8,000 per NIN. Simple math yields an expected cost of roughly $1.5 to $4.0 billion dollars. About 80% of the legacy NINs have name or data plates that already identify a safe marking location. Computer automation applied to the remainder of the task could dramatically reduce the cost but legacy tech data is generally only raster images of 2D engineering drawings scanned long ago and stored in DoD’s JEDMICS system. Raster images have no structure that can be used for computer automation.
Solution/Approach:
Imaginestics LLC combined and enhanced technologies from several prior CTMA projects to produce a web based system that can clean and straighten raster images, stitch multiple frames, convert raster images to vector images, locate name or data plates if they exist, excise that section of the drawing for ECO documentation, create an AutoCAD drawing of a new name or data plate that includes an IUID mark, and populate an ECO form using data from the part drawings. The system does in seconds what would take an engineer hours to accomplish.
Benefit:
With NRE cost reduced by an order of magnitude or more, DoD can save about a billion dollars. Those funds can be diverted to new weapons system acquisition or to extending the life or enhancing the capabilities of old weapons systems.
Impact on Warfighter:
IUID markings provide the foundation for lifecycle management. Capturing operating history on weapons systems enables early identification of problem parts. The data also enables Condition Based Maintenance which can reduce field failures.
DoD Participation:
U.S. Air Force (AFMC)
U.S. Air Force (OC-ALC)
Industry Participation:
Imaginestics LLC
NCMS Project Manager: Tony Haynes (734) 995-4930
