Advanced Materials Manufacturing
Abstract
Advanced Materials Manufacturing is a series of efforts addressing advanced manufacturing technologies for a wide range of materials such as composites, metals, ceramics, nanomaterials, metamaterials, and Low Observables. Through productivity and efficiency gains, these manufacturing technologies will accelerate delivery of technical capabilities to impact current warfighting operations, while reducing the cost, acquisition time and risk of our major defense acquisition programs. Advanced materials manufacturing technologies undergoing development include materials for ballistic survivability and rapid fabrication of structural components. Cold Spray Phase I (FY 2014) : Create a production ready supply chain that will cost-effectively deliver magnesium transmission housings and other high value, high failure-tolerant components repaired with cold spray technology. Reclaim parts that are unserviceable due to corrosion, wear, chafing, or other damage. Develop automated, flexible, and repeatable repair process for production implementation of cold spray. Applications include establishing a new manufacturing capability that can be used to repair other materials (i.e. Al, Ti, steel & Bronze) and produce other coatings (Ni, MCrAlY). Reduced condemnations in the AMCOM SAFR Program. Other applications: 120mm, 155mm, F-35, Seawolf, F-15, F-16, F-18, and B-1. Cold Spray - Phase II Large Structures (FY 2016): Expand the Cold Spray product envelope from 5 ft. to a target of 40 ft. to enable large tubular component repair. Applications include Seawolf Class Submarine Periscopes and TD-63 Actuators. Cast Eglin Steel (FY 2014): Develop affordable casting processes to defeat >5X scalable objective underbody vehicle threats; single piece casting for MK82/SDB I to meet lethality requirements to defeat area targets. Applications include replacing DoD non-compliant weapon systems by 2018 per OSD directive. Estimated $30K savings/vehicle through process change from welded components to a cast underbody. Estimated $5K savings/bomb to replace the 110,000 non-compliant wide area cluster munitions. Fastener Fill (Exposed Outer Mold Line Fastener Sealing) (FY 2014): Achieve shorter fastener installation times, (i.e., less than 30 seconds per fastener), and minimal residual cleanup to realize a savings of up to 1,000 hours/aircraft in direct labor, saving 312,000 man-hours/year at F-35 full rate production. Applications include F-35 and other aircraft requiring critical LO performance characteristics. Low Observables (LO) - Phase II (FY 2014): Phase I initiated with Industrial Base Innovation Resources. No manufacturing capability exists for systems to meet mission survivability against advanced threats. The objective is a minimum 10x reduction in cost and minimum 50x increase in availability. Applications include multiple DoD platforms for survivability enhancement. 40MM M433 Warhead Producibility (FY 2014/2015): Achieve improved anti-personnel lethality at the squad level, increasing first shot effectiveness against personnel targets through optimization of production process prior to transition to Full Rate Production, avoiding high cartridge unit costs. Projected $17/round cost reduction. Primary applications include Mk 19 GMG, M203 GL, M320GL, and M32 MSGL. Secondary applications include Cannon and Tank Calibers, and Hand Grenades. Automated and Rapid Boot Installation (FY 2014-2016): Achieve an F-35 Program-wide 30% reduction in touch labor for boot installation and boot hole cutting. Improve fit and finish, reducing production span times (20s/fastener to 3s/fastener for boot hole cutting), reducing kitting, eliminating time for adhesive mixing, application, and vacuum bagging. Applicable to LO aircraft acquisition and sustainment communities. Dimensions from Day One (FY 2014-2016): Demonstrate a methodology that accurately predicts and accounts for the numerous geometric, tooling and material factors impacting finished composite parts enabling the correct upfront process and tooling decisions to yield first article parts meeting the “dimensional requirements on day 1”. Applications include F-35/ UCLASS/F/A-XX/Long Range Strike for maintaining part and aircraft tolerances, which enables survivable, supportable and affordable air vehicles. Large Scale Encapsulate Ceramics - Phase II (FY 2016): Phase I initiated using Industrial Base Innovation Fund Resources. Enable combat vehicles to defeat the large caliber Kinetic and Chemical Energy objective threats within the allocated weight parameters. Help address affordability of the armor. Armor panels will be producible in the shapes required by individual vehicles. Estimated cost reduction of $10K /sq. foot. Applications include Abrams, which has a known protection limitation. GCV and other vehicles will use this technology to design those areas of vehicles subject to large caliber KE and CE threats.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2016
- Source ID
- f8ec43bdb414835e694aa68398d13029