The CTMA Connector

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

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the CTMA Connector, send a message to listserv@listserv.ncms.org with "subscribe CTMANewsletter" or "unsubscribe CTMANewsletter" in the message body.

We welcome the following companies into NCMS:

Morris Technologies, Inc. (www.morristech.com)

Morris Technologies is an innovative comprehensive and collaborate product development company that specializes in short run parts.

Superior Controls, Inc. (www.superiorcontrols.net)

Superior Controls is a dynamically growing manufacturing and information technology company. They are a global provider of industrial automation and control solutions, factory information systems, asset management systems, conveyance systems and specialized capital equipment including dimensional gauging systems, in-process verification systems and powertrain test machines.

Exclusive NCMS Member Opportunity: Technology Showcase: Last Chance

Barstow Marine Corps Logistics Base/Barstow, California- Wednesday, June 24, 2009

NCMS is holding an exclusive technology event for its member at the Barstow Marine Corp Logistics Base.

The Technology Showcase will feature table top displays highlighting project technologies located throughout the base to maximize access for military personnel.

A networking reception will immediately follow the Technology Showcase to promote further discussion between Marine Corps personnel and participants.

Please visit http://www.ncms.org/09Barstow/

or contact Debbie Lilu at debral@ncms.org (734) 995-7038 for additional information.

CTMA Project Completion: Durable, Non-Skid Coating for Carriers

DoD Partners: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard; Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard; NAVSEA 04; PEO Aircraft Carriers

Flight deck non-skid coatings on aircraft carrier (CVN) and amphibious assault (LHA/LHD) platforms must withstand extreme service conditions, including impact, abrasion, exposure to organic fuels and lubricants, as well as frequent cleaning. The function of non-skid coatings is two-fold:

Protect the substrate from corrosion
Provide traction for foot and vehicular traffic on flight decks, hangar bays, ramps and passageways.

The objective of this project was to develop an extended durability non-skid coating for use on CVN flight decks and LHA/LHD ships.

Coatings were developed that met or substantially exceeded all MIL-PRF-24667B(SH) requirements for Type I (High-Durability) non-skid coatings. Additionally, the project participants developed a coating that substantially exceeded the MIL-PRF-24667B(SH) requirements for Type V (Extended Durability) non-skid coatings in the following tests:

Resistance to Wear
Resistance to Impact
Resistance to Accelerated Aging by Light and Water
VOC
Flash Point
Resistance to Chemical Solutions
- Grease in accordance with DOD-G-24508
- JP5 jet fuel in accordance with MIL-DTL-5624
- Hydraulic fluid in accordance with MIL-PRF-83282
- Aircraft engine turboshaft lubricating oil in accordance with MIL-PRF-23699
- Detergent in accordance with MIL-D-16791, 0.5% solution in synthetic sea water in accordance with ASTM D1141
- Aqueous firefighting foam in accordance with MIL-F-24385, 10% solution in synthetic sea water in accordance with ASTM D1141
- Deicing-defrosting fluids in accordance with SAE AMS1424.
  Candidate coatings will now proceed with shipboard testing and demonstration in 2-3Q 2009.

Benefits:

The Resistance to Wear, Resistance to Impact and Resistance to Accelerated Aging by Light and Water test results indicate that the developed coating is between 5-10 times more durable than is required for Type I coatings. As a result, the successful application of this coating will:

Increased readiness time
Longer repair frequency cycle
Long-term cost reduction for repair
Improved personnel and equipment safety
Improved flight operations
Reduction in aircraft “bumps and crunches.”

Current repair techniques require non-skid coatings be applied with each deployment. With the CTMA coating lasting through two deployments, the Navy will save approximately $5M for a fleet of 12 aircraft carriers compared to use of current non-skid formulations which require approximately 80% of non-skid coating to be replaced every deployment cycle.

Other military applications for this coating that could be implemented are:

AM2 landing mats for Marine Corps expeditionary units
Topside surfaces of ground vehicles (tanks, amphibious, etc.)

The NCMS contact is Steve Hale, steveh@ncms.org, 734-995-2195.

Attention DoD Personnel

Do you have improvement funds that can be applied to technology transitioning or technology pilots at your facility? The CTMA program is working on a memorandum of understanding with the Army Contracting Center of Excellence to turn around MIPR's within 30 days. What this means is that we can get your funds obligated in about 45 days within the construct of the CTMA program. Plus, in many cases, CTMA funds will be used to further leverage the technology transitioning effort. Take advantage of this opportunity by working with the NCMS program management staff or through Chuck Ryan at chuckr@ncms.org.

SAVE THE DATE- C3A Conference: September 28-30, 2009: New Orleans, LA

High Performance Computing — was once reserved for national laboratories, universities, and government. But HPC is leaving the lab, invading business and manufacturing, as affordable high-speed computing becomes available to organizations of any size. Imagine access to tools that simulate your activities on a massive scale, taking the guesswork out of product design, manufacturing processes, business activities, prototyping, risk assessment, and much more. HPC is going to revolutionize the way business gets done and products get made. Come join us for an eye-opening conference that will introduce you to the potential of the HPC invasion, and how you can use it to compete in entirely new ways.

For more information please visit http://www.ncms.org/c3a

Note of personal thanks to all your cards, notes, and prayers following my recent heart bypass surgery. They have certainly helped in my healing process.

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