November 2008

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.

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CTMA project, 3Fast, wins award

Congratulations to the winner of the New Ideas Competition at the 2008 Defense Maintenance Symposium, CTMA's own 3Fast project.  Presented by LCDR David Schaff, of the DoD Joint Oil Analysis Program Technical Support Center, the 3Fast project eked out a narrow victory over another CTMA entry, Enhanced Wiring Integrity System.

The 3Fast project is developing hand-held capability for analyzing fluid quality, particularly important to condition-based maintenance in the field.  3FAST technology is focused on delivering a tool that maintainers can use to assess their fluids (lubricant, hydraulics, transmission) in near real-time. The initial needs statement was provided by Army ground maintainers in Iraq and:

  • Provides an expeditionary fluid analysis capability
  • Supplements AOAP lab analysis by developing same capability for in-field use
  • Increase the capabilities of maintainers in the field (expeditionary maintenance)
  • Condition based maintenance for fluids supported with on-demand testing, rather than on hard-time or hard-mileage intervals.
  • Speed up and streamline the maintenance of fluid-wetted components
  • Portable 3FAST tools revitalize the way our military maintains its equipment

DoD estimates an annual savings of $15 million as the technology is put to practice.  For further information, contact the NCMS project manager, Debbie Lilu, debral@ncms.org, 734-995-7038.

Save the Date for the 2009 CTMA Symposium - "Motoring through Technology Transitioning"

Monday, 30 March - Thursday, 2 April

at the MGM Grand Detroit in America's newest vacation destination:

Detroit, Michigan

The focus for this year's symposium will be technology transition, what are the hurdles and how projects can more quickly be put into practice at the DoD facilities.  Featuring real experiences from both a DoD and Industry perspective, we will try to outline a how-to guide for attendees.  In addition, panel discussions will look at future sustainment issues:

  • Weapon System Sustainment – what is the future direction for sustainment of weapon systems?   
  • Autonomic Systems – how are autonomic systems being utilized in future missions and what types of sustainment issues will surface?

Stay tuned to future newsletters for registration and agenda details.

 
Project Funding Available for Environmental Research and Development


 

The Department of Defense (DoD), through the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), is seeking to fund environmental research and development in the Weapons Systems and Platforms focus area.  The development and application of innovative environmental science and technology supports the long-term sustainability of DoD’s installations and ranges, as well as significantly reduces current and future environmental liabilities.  The Weapons Systems and Platforms focus area concentrates on alternative environmentally benign technologies and materials that reduce, control, or eliminate the waste and emissions associated with the manufacturing, maintenance, and use of DoD weapons systems and platforms. SERDP intends to fund multiple projects that respond to the following five focused Statements of Need (SON) in Weapons Systems and Platforms:

 

  1. Scientific Understanding of the Impact of Lead-Free Electronics

  2. Environmentally Benign Alternatives to Sulfur Hexafluoride in Department of Defense Applications

  3. Sustainable Materials and Processes for Resins and Fibers Used in Military Composites

  4. Environmentally Friendly, Non-Aqueous Cleaners for Use on Weapons Systems and Platforms

  5. Environmentally Benign, High-Performance Non-Media Paint Strippers

 

Proposals responding to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 SONs will be selected through a competitive process.  PRE-PROPOSALS FROM THE NON-FEDERAL SECTOR ARE DUE BY THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009.  PROPOSALS FROM THE FEDERAL SECTOR ARE DUE BY THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2009.  The SONs and detailed instructions for federal and private sector proposers are available on the SERDP web site at www.serdp.org/funding.

 

Learn more at the Partners in Environmental Technology Technical Symposium & Workshop, December 2-4, 2008, in Washington, DC, where SERDP’s Executive Director Dr. Jeffrey Marqusee will present a Funding Opportunities session on December 4, 2008, 12:15-12:45 pm EST. This presentation will offer valuable information for those who are interested in new funding opportunities available in FY 2010 as well as answer questions about the funding process, proposal submission, and both the current FY 2010 SERDP solicitation and upcoming FY 2010 ESTCP solicitation. To learn more about the Symposium or to register, visit www.serdp-estcp.org/symposium.

 

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.