CTMA Connector

Advanced Sensing and Blockchain Technologies Optimize Supply Chain Readiness

As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains in vital industries, the CTMA Program designed an initiative to prevent problems with the production and distribution of critical supplies in the event of future pandemics, natural disasters, cyberattacks, and emergencies such as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives (CBRNE) situations. The collaboration—Advanced Sensing and Blockchain Technologies to Optimize Supply Chain Readiness—brings together two industry
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Audit Readiness Tool Enhances Software with Embedded AI

As the tax filing deadline approaches, audits are the last thing many people want to discuss. Yet audits—in the broadest sense, not just tax-related—are beneficial for all organizations seeking to improve operations and achieve strategic objectives. A current CTMA project, Enhanced Audit Software Readiness Tool, brings together industry partner Ricardo Defense with the US Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM). The team is using the Army’s Audit Readiness Tool (ART) as a
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ROV Brings New Success to Naval Asset Inspections

For maintainers working to sustain large assets, such as Naval ships, it’s no longer necessary to perform the laborious, time-consuming work of manual structural assessments, using a hand-held probe, while elevated thirty feet in the air. A CTMA collaboration recently achieved exceptional success by using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with ultrasonic testing (UT) capabilities to inspect Naval assets. The initiative, a collaboration between the Office of the Secretary of Defense
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Celebrating the CTMA Program’s Longest-Running Technology: The Automated Wire Test Set (AWTS)

The Department of Defense (DOD) has thousands of aircraft consisting of a dozen unique aviation platforms with extremely complex electronics. Maintaining these electronics is a constant challenge. The issue of intermittent faults in electronic devices—which the DOD defines as a “momentary discontinuity, a malfunction of a device or system that occurs at regular intervals”—will always exist, and currently costs the DOD billion annually. Intermittent faults are exceptionally difficult to
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BlastOne International

BlastOne International is a leading global supplier of surface preparation products and technologies, including blasting and painting equipment, facilities, and abrasives. With 50 years of experience in the corrosion control industry, they help make abrasive blasting and industrial painting faster, safer, and cleaner. BlastOne works with heavy industries, facilities, and contractors to deliver long-term coating integrity, and has collaborated with the Navy and Army. Their focus is on
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Air Force Collaboration Secures US Global Cybersecurity Dominance Through a Lean-Agile Framework

Last year’s ransomware attacks on the Colonial gas pipeline and JBS, a global leader in meat distribution, have exposed the need for commercial and government industries to prioritize their cybersecurity. To help this process, in November 2021 NCMS launched a collaboration between the US Air Force and BigBear.ai. This collaboration—Digital Transformation of Cyber Operations for Acquisition and Sustainment Operation—is using the US Air Force as a test bed to ensure that legacy acquisition and
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“T-Glass” Eyepiece Supports Maintenance Professionals

Imagine having the ability to instantly access needed technical manuals and part data without having to stop your work to search through heavy hardcovers or scroll through a digital text. That’s the goal of a current CTMA project that is producing the T-Glass, a wearable eyepiece with audible, hands-free search functions and data-gathering capabilities. While wearing the T-Glass, maintainers will be able to access needed data, in the periphery of their line of sight, so they can continue
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Tele-manufacturing Goes to Sea: Bringing Remote and Automated Processes onto Deployed Vessels

By Connie LaMorte, Howard Marotto, and Lindsey Lindamood In August 2022, EWI was selected by NCMS to attend the inaugural Repair Technology Engagement Exercise (REPTX) to demonstrate our technologies aboard the Navy’s Self-Defense Test Ship (SDTS). This event, held at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, CA, was sponsored by the NAVSEA Technology Office and provided an opportunity to showcase technologies that can solve fleet expeditionary maintenance and battle-related support
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2022 Year in Review: Live Events Return

  CTMA Partners Meeting After a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly two hundred leaders from government, industry, and academia gathered at NCMS’s 2022 CTMA Partners Meeting, held May 3-5 in Virginia Beach, VA. Focused on advancing the development and adoption of key maintenance and sustainment (M&S) technologies, the Partners Meeting provided a forum for experts to exchange information about successful projects and to address challenges. Keynote speakers
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Advances in Lithium-Ion Battery Materials Expected to Lower US Electric Vehicle Costs

While a variety of commercial electric vehicles (EVs) are available on the US market, there are several barriers to address before they achieve widespread adoption. Consumers are cost-conscious, averse to long charge times, and concerned about vehicle safety. A current CTMA collaboration is addressing these issues, aiming to increase the public’s adoption of electric vehicles and reduce the country’s petroleum dependence. “If you think about what’s going to stop somebody from buying an
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Meet ARSOME Technology

As many schools, companies, and organizations pivoted to online school and work during the pandemic, investments in digital and immersive programs skyrocketed. While most organizations have returned to in-person or hybrid environments, there is still a strong and growing market for digital programs, systems, and applications. ARSOME Technology (ARSOME) provides full-service augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR/VR/XR) software development, working with companies and organizations to develop
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Cutting the Fossil Fuel Tether

Rising gas prices, along with environmental concerns and governmental regulations, have amplified interest in reducing fossil fuel consumption, in part by transitioning to electric vehicles. A CTMA collaboration has helped America move closer to accomplishing this goal. Launched in 2021 and scheduled to wrap up in early 2023, the collaboration—Electric Propulsion and Storage Technologies to Increase Reliability and Reduce Reliance on Fossil Fuels—analyzed the costs and logistical hurdles
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Joint Intermittent Testing Working Group Announces Two New Military Performance Specifications (MIL-PRF) for Electronic Test Equipment

The Joint Intermittent Testing Working Group (JIT WG) announced that MIL-PRF-32516A and MIL-PRF-32516/1 were both published on August 4, 2022. These new specifications represent new standards for electronic test equipment that must be met by military personnel who work on diagnosing intermittent faults. MIL-PRF-32516A “Electronic Test Equipment, Intermittent Fault Diagnostic (Electrical)” supersedes the March 2015 base document and covers the minimum performance requirements for
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NCMS Hosts Sold-Out Technology Showcase at Corpus Christi Army Depot

NCMS’s July Technology Showcase at Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD)—the first showcase NCMS has held at this depot—was a huge success, attracting nearly 50 world-class exhibitors to demonstrate their maintenance and sustainment technologies to a sold-out crowd. “We could not be more pleased with the outcome of this technology showcase,” said Debbie Lilu, NCMS Vice President of Maintenance & Sustainment and Business Development. “We’re especially honored that the CCAD depot’s commander,
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Navy REPTX Event Tested Ship Maintenance Technologies Aboard Decommissioned Destroyer

At the time this issue of the CTMA Connector went to press, the first-ever Repair Technology Exercise (REPTX) had just wrapped up in Port Hueneme, CA. NCMS was pleased to assist the US Navy with this successful exercise focused on keeping ships in top shape while at sea. REPTX was designed for government, academia, and industry participants to demonstrate and evaluate the viability and efficacy of products and services that expand the Navy’s ability to perform expeditionary maintenance
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NCMS Investigates Best Practices for Technology Transition

The term “valley of death” is used throughout the business world to describe the difficulty of developing, demonstrating, and scaling promising new inventions into sustained use. The term is ubiquitous because only a tiny percentage makes the journey. Many have tried, but most have failed. In the summer of 2022, two NCMS interns, Katie Wells and Braden Crimmins, worked on cracking the code of technology transition through an internship program run by the University of Michigan’s Tauber
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Meet Globe Tech

Over the last twenty years, what was once a one room tool and die shop has grown to a world-class facility with more than 70 diverse and dynamic employees. Globe Tech was founded in 2003, and although its core business has evolved, its primary principle remains unchanged: Globe Tech serves those who serve. As a woman-owned small business (WOSB), Globe Tech manufactures world-class systems and components to serve a broad array of customers, ranging from all military branches, to tier-one
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NCMS Opens New Office in Norfolk, Virginia

NCMS has expanded its operations by opening a new office in Norfolk, VA. This new location is the fifth for the organization, joining existing offices in Ann Arbor, MI; Bremerton, WA; Aberdeen, MD; and Washington, DC. This new facility represents a deep commitment to our partners and will provide dedicated space for NCMS’s network to meet and plan collaborative projects. NCMS recently hosted the 2022 Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) Partners Meeting where attendees
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Initiative Defines Requirements for Applying Predictive Maintenance Capabilities to Autonomous Vehicles

In recent years, maintenance and sustainment professionals have increasingly been advancing predictive maintenance capabilities to catch and solve problems before they cause catastrophic failures. As the software and hardware used in vehicle systems becomes more complex, reactive vehicle maintenance becomes more challenging and expensive, necessitating increased investment in improving proactive maintenance. Recently, the CTMA Program launched an initiative designed to boost predictive
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Project Improves Sustainment Strategies for Critical but Rarely Used Equipment

Across the US, commercial and governmental organizations maintain fleets of critical equipment that must be kept ready for handling emergencies, natural disasters, and hazardous materials. As this equipment ages, many municipalities struggle with sustaining these assets in a streamlined and cost-effective manner. Likewise, the Department of Defense faces similar challenges, particularly with the Boeing E-6B Mercury. This aircraft provides command and control of US nuclear forces, should
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CyManII To Survey Manufacturers Moving Toward Digital Transformation

The US Department of Energy’s Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) has launched a survey based on its Cybersecurity Manufacturing Roadmap, which highlights 17 key challenges that manufacturers face during their digital transformation. The purpose of this survey is to understand industry priorities among these 17 challenges. Feedback regarding these challenges will be critical for CyManII as it continues its work to make US manufacturers the most cyber secure in the
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New Member Spotlight: Engineering USA

Engineering USA provides Industry 4.0 digital engineering and manufacturing technologies across multiple industries, including automotive, aerospace, and defense. With clients such as NAVSEA, NAVAIR, NATO members, and defense manufacturers, the company improves weapons systems and mission readiness through digital transformation solutions for part design, redesign, production, supply chain, automation, depot and facility optimization, and monitoring the field. Engineering USA’s technologies
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Upcoming Tech Showcase to Connect Industry Partners with Navy Base’s Technology Insertion Group

NCMS will host a Technology Showcase with Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) on September 14–15, 2022, at the Kitsap Conference Center in Bremerton, Washington. Participating in this Technology Showcase will provide an unparalleled opportunity to spotlight new innovations for the PSNS & IMF Technology Insertion Group, which is committed to transitioning needed technologies into the shipyard. In recent years, the command’s innovation team
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Deadline Approaches for CTMA Projects To Use FY22 Funds

The window to obligate expiring funding through the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA)’s Cooperative Agreement will be closing soon. Funding must be received in-house no later than Monday, August 8, 2022, to leverage this contract vehicle for funds expiring in FY22. Consider utilizing the CTMA Cooperative Agreement to obligate your expiring funds to secure demonstrations, evaluations, and validations of maintenance and sustainment technologies. Please plan
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Corpus Christi Army Depot Seeks Innovative Solutions for NCMS Technology Showcase

Register now for this rare opportunity to showcase your innovative technology solutions to a wide range of M&S leaders, managers, and artisans at the NCMS Technology Showcase held for the first time at Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) this July 13-14, 2022. Since the event coincides with CCAD’s next change of command, the depot’s commander and managing directors will be in attendance. CCAD—the Army’s premier helicopter overhaul and repair facility—is recognized as a DOD Center of
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New Tool Monitors Maintainers’ Health and Safety in Confined Spaces

Insufficient oxygen supply, flammable or explosive atmospheres, and toxic gases are just a few of the hazards that maintainers could encounter while working in confined spaces. Because many atmospheric hazards are not detectable by sight or smell, technological innovations that detect and mitigate threats to maintainers’ safety are both necessary and valuable. To provide this vital technology, NCMS launched a collaboration in 2020 to develop and demonstrate a confined spaces monitoring
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CTMA Team Developing and Transitioning Cadmium and Hex Chrome-Free Solutions

Cadmium (Cd) and hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) have long been widely used in DOD weapons systems, along with many aircraft, automobiles, trucks, and other large commercial vehicles because of their corrosion and wear-inhibiting properties. Yet both cadmium and hexavalent chromium (hex chrome) are known carcinogens. To protect maintainers and the environment, the CTMA Program launched a collaboration to replace parts plated with Cd and CR6+ for Army ground vehicles. The replacement chosen is
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Member Spotlight: Concurrent Technologies Corporation

Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) is an independent, nonprofit, applied scientific research and development (R&D) professional services organization. CTC collaborates with its technology transition affiliate, Enterprise Ventures Corporation (EVC), to seamlessly provide solutions from concept to production and beyond. Together they offer the unique ability to fully design, develop, test, prototype, and build. CTC supports clients’ missions with customized, full life-cycle
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2022 CTMA Partners Meeting Gathers Leaders from Government, Industry, and Academia to Advance Maintenance and Sustainment Technologies

After a two-year hiatus, nearly two hundred leaders from government, industry, and academia gathered at NCMS’s 2022 Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) Partners Meeting, held May 3-5 in Virginia Beach, VA. Focused on advancing the development and adoption of key maintenance and sustainment (M&S) technologies, the Partners Meeting provided a forum for experts to exchange information about successful projects and to address
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Advancements in Reverse Engineering Capabilities Improve Readiness, Lower Ongoing Maintenance Costs of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles

When the military identifies an immediate need for new defensive equipment and vehicles, it pulls out the stops to rapidly field a solution. However, one challenge of rapid fielding is that often traditional documentation processes lag the production cycle, resulting in a lack of technical data packages (TDPs) detailing product fabrication requirements. This was the case concerning soldiers’ critical need for mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles. When circumstances required a
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Member Spotlight: GVS-RPB

At the start of the pandemic, the world came to know and appreciate the importance of quality respirators and the ability to have easy access to them. GVS-RPB, a global filtration, and personal safety device manufacturer have earned its place in the spotlight for delivering these critically needed products. For decades, the team at GVS-RPB has been dedicated to the development of filtration and personal safety technologies and designing and manufacturing respiratory protection solutions. As
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Advances in Cold Spray and Additive Manufacturing to be Featured at Upcoming Pair of Meetings

Worcester, Mass., a regional hub for tech startups in the Northeast, will host a pair of high-tech industry events relevant to maintenance and sustainment professionals in June. The Cold Spray Action Team (CSAT), and the Large Scale Additive Action Team (LSAAT) will convene June 21-23; CSAT will be at the DCU Center on June 21-22 and LSAAT will be at Polar Park on June 23. The two-day CSAT Hybrid 2022 event will focus on all aspects of cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM), with speakers
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Corpus Christi Army Depot to Hold its First Technology Showcase in July

The largest helicopter repair site in the world, Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), will host its first NCMS Technology Showcase this July 13-15, 2022. CCAD, a 61-year-old depot located on the site of the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station (NAS), serves as the Army’s premier helicopter overhaul and repair facility. Also known for delivering world-class maintenance and overhaul training, CCAD represents a DOD Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for rotary wing aircraft. The NCMS
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2022 CTMA Partners Meeting Registration Deadline Extended to April 22

Event To Offer Unparalleled Opportunities for M&S Community Register now for the 2022 CTMA Partners Meeting, the only event that brings DOD, industry, and academia together to solve maintenance and sustainment (M&S) challenges, develop new partnerships, and learn about innovative existing and emerging technologies. It will be held in-person May 3-5, 2022, at the Delta Hotels Virginia Beach Bayfront Suites in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Note that the deadline to register has been
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Rapid and Agile 3D Scanner with Micron Accuracy Advances Non-Destructive Inspection

Sustaining jet engine blades requires maintainers to identify problems including geometric wear, poor surface quality, leading-edge wear, coating wear-off, and the location and size of cavities. Prompt repairs of these issues prevents engine failures and saves expensive assets. Yet each maintenance action increases costs. The DOD prioritizes maintenance expenditure reduction by its increasing use of condition-based maintenance (CBM+). To enhance materiel availability at the lowest possible
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CTMA Collaboration Integrates Teamcenter at NAVAIR FRCs to Support Aircraft Sustainment

Over the past decade, numerous industries have adopted product lifecycle management (PLM) software that integrates design, engineering, production, cost, and maintenance data into a digital thread, providing manufacturers and end users a multi-functional view of a product’s life cycle. PLM software facilitates quality improvements, cost reductions, supply-chain flexibility, and more informed decision making. In 2020, the CTMA Program completed a collaboration with Siemens that utilized PLM
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Member Spotlight: Atmospheric Plasma Solutions

Winner of the 2019 CTMA Technology Competition, Atmospheric Plasma Solutions (APS) is dedicated to advancing plasma technology. Located in the world-renowned Research Triangle region of North Carolina, APS is a leader in the cutting-edge, rapidly expanding field of plasma technology. The company designs and currently builds in-house high-performance plasma power supplies and delivery systems that harness plasma’s power for a wide variety of applications and industries. APS has strategic ties
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Keynote Speakers Announced for Upcoming CTMA Partners Meeting

The highly anticipated 2022 CTMA Partners Meeting, scheduled for May 3-5 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has announced this year’s keynote speakers: Steven J. Morani Steven J. Morani is a member of the Senior Executive Service and currently serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment. In this capacity, he is the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and the principal logistics official within the
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CTMA Collaboration Helps to Build One of the Largest 3D Metal Printers

The US Army’s Jointless Hull project is developing one of the world’s largest 3D metal printers—capable of printing components as large as 20 feet x 30 feet x 12 feet—thanks in part to the work of a CTMA collaborative project entitled “Optimizing Facilities to Ensure Reliability and Maintainability of Large 3D Metal Printers.” The CTMA initiative combines the expertise of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and three Department of Defense partners: US Army Combat Capabilities Development
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Naval History Group’s Display Aircraft Inspection Initiative Safeguards Valuable Artifacts

Public displays of US Navy aircraft, spanning a sixty-year history from WWII to Desert Storm, demonstrate the technological advancements that have made our country’s air power the most formidable force on earth. Yet, until 2014, the Department of Defense (DOD) had not been briefed on the condition of approximately 1,200 static historical displays of Navy aircraft on loan to 256 borrowers globally. That year, NCMS launched a multi-phase CTMA collaboration, “Naval History and Heritage Command
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New Member Spotlight: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)

HII is a global engineering and defense technologies provider with a 135-year history of trusted partnerships. A leader in mission-driven solutions, HII assists the Department of Defense (DOD) by developing, integrating, and managing the sensors, systems, and other assets necessary to support intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. The ISR group handles exploitation and analysis for a variety of government agencies. Its range of solutions includes sensors and systems,
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AMPED Project Advances Additive Manufacturing in Army Aviation

In recent years, the US Army aviation community has made great progress in utilizing metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology to fabricate individual structural components needed to repair aircraft. Now the Army wants to advance metal AM manufacturing capacity to produce primary structure and mission-critical parts. “This CTMA project, Additive Material Property Evaluation, and Demonstration (AMPED), will accelerate the use of AM for Army aviation,” says Colton Butcher, the NCMS Project
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Member Spotlight: DAES Group

DAES Group is a global equipment and solution source supporting aerospace OEMs, commercial airlines, military, and MROs since 1994. DAES drives value to our clients through consulting support, business operations management, technical assistance, quality control, training, facilities improvement, capital equipment, tools, component repair and after-sales services. When working with DOD partners, our focus is delivering maintenance technologies that contribute to improved and sustained mission
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Registration Opens for 2022 CTMA Partners Meeting

NCMS is thrilled to announce that, after a two-year hiatus, our highly anticipated 2022 CTMA Partners Meeting will be held in person May 3-5, 2022, at the Delta Hotel in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We cordially invite you to attend this special event—the only forum exclusively devoted to improving Department of Defense (DOD) maintenance and sustainment. Register now, as attendance will be capped to 200 individual attendees and 30 exhibitors to ensure that all participants will have the
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Member Spotlight: Boston Engineering

Boston Engineering Corporation (www.boston-engineering.com) has been providing engineering consulting services for over 25 years. As an engineering design firm, Boston Engineering supports the entire product development process—from providing product engineering consulting to delivering the product lifecycle management
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Air Force to Use Computed Tomography to Ensure Quality Control for Additive Manufacturing Parts

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been a game-changing technology for rapid prototyping and production in many industries, enabling more components to be manufactured domestically. As the Air Force increases its need for producing hard-to-source parts via AM, it is essential to develop quality control processes to validate flight-critical components. To achieve this objective, NCMS has collaborated with the Air Force and Comet Technologies USA for a CTMA project. Titled Computed Tomography for
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Simulators to Improve Medical Equipment Maintenance and Sustainment Training

When service members’ lives are endangered during tactical operations, natural disasters, accidents, and medical emergencies, MEDEVAC personnel serve as a lifeline by providing care and transportation to treatment facilities. Increasingly, military forces operate over extended distances, requiring longer travel to medical centers for surgery or other procedures, which can put critical patients at risk. During transit by ground or air, MEDEVAC responders must maintain patients’ stability. As
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