August 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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We welcome the following new NCMS member companies:

Raytheon Company (www.raytheon.com)

Raytheon is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security, and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning more than 80 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services.

Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc. (www.cdti.com)

Clean Diesel is a cleantech company that develops, designs, markets and licenses sustainable solutions to reduce emissions, increase energy efficiency and lower the carbon intensity of on- and off-road engine applications.

Join us at the DMSMS 2008, 22-25 September, Palm Springs, CA

Standardization for Rapid Manufacturing Technologies

The CTMA program has organized a breakout session designed to speed the approvals for the use of new production processes at the annual conference addressing Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS).   This Breakout Session, occurring on Thursday afternoon, will be the first working session exploring the issues associated with approvals of new revolutionary processes within the DoD Standardization program, and the creation of an official working group working toward acceptance of new processes such as Rapid Manufacturing technologies as alternative production solutions for obsolescent parts and diminishing manufacturing. Industry and government participation is being solicited.

Issues to be discussed include:

•         DoD – Industry – Other Government examination of the standardization and qualification needs for Rapid Manufacturing (RM) processes and RM produced parts to replace obsolescent or unavailable parts and tooling

–        Diminishing manufacturing has created readiness-voids posing serious maintenance issues

–        How fast can we close those voids?

•         Initiate a cross DoD – Industry working group to facilitate standardization of RM produced parts / processes / materials

–        Launch Official DoD Standardization Program Effort

–        DoD specific or NGS, what is the best tactical course of action?

–        Working Group formation

In addition, Kyle Morris (NUWC Keyport) is featured in an earlier session to brief about "Rapid Manufacturing and Repair Using Rapid Prototyping Technologies, Standardization Issues" (Tuesday, 23 September at 1:30pm).

Conference information and registration can be found at: http://www.dmsms2008.com/index.html  

Abstracts for the breakout session can be found on the same website.

Questions about the session should be directed to Connie Philips, conniep@ncms.org.
 

New CTMA Project Approval: Metal Finishing Development Program


Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), Oklahoma City Air Logistic Center (OC-ALC), the Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) East and the FRC Southwest want to protect their technical knowledge base in metal finishing. They share many of the same metal finishing processes and are very concerned how they can continue to provide quality processes. Their workforce must have a sound understanding of basic electrochemistry as well a good working knowledge in metal finishing processes on the shop floor. The material must be geared to the shop floor and not at the engineer’s level. Currently, this type of training is not readily available.

The purpose of this project is to develop a comprehensive computer-based training (CBT) program to educate and train the metal finishing workforce to supplement the knowledge being lost as the current skilled workforce retires across all Department of Defense (DoD) Maintenance Activities. Training courses will cover common metal finishing processes including electroplating (chromium, cadmium, nickel, copper, and silver), anodizing (aluminum) and conversion coatings (cadmium, aluminum and magnesium). Foundation courses in basic electroplating, electrochemistry/electricity, applied chemistry, troubleshooting, and metallurgy/material sciences will also be developed. The courses will be available to all DoD Maintenance Activities.

Immediate expected benefits include a reduction of rework and part damage caused by metal finishing processing errors. Cycle time reduction and improved quality are anticipated by performing processes correctly the first time. Long-term benefits include a standardized training program transferable across DoD Activities creating a workforce with a higher level of technical agility (they will know the theory behind what they are doing) and competency which ultimately increases Depot readiness.
 

The NCMS contact is Bill Chenevert, billc@ncms.org, 734-995-7989.
 

Participants needed on New Project Ideas:  Submit and view project ideas at http://ctmaideas.ncms.org.  Add your comments to new project ideas and indicate your interest in helping to define and participate in the project.

We now have over 100 new project ideas submitted for the CTMA program.  These projects are all being reviewed with the individual services in order to seek funding to augment the 2008 CTMA funding directed by Congress.  Keep the ideas coming, because they also serve to illustrate the tremendous need for new technologies to increase weapon systems readiness.  DoD staff - keep an eye out for opportunities to apply year-end funds to the CTMA program.

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.