Before the Casting Alloy Data Search (CADS) tool, casting suppliers lacked a way to efficiently identify casting design options that would meet requirements. The American Foundry Society (AFS), through the American Metalcasting Consortium's Innovative Casting Technologies (ICT) program, has continued to improve CADS by adding a mechanical property slide bar search.
Forging furnace fuel consumption, constant refractory maintenance and unscheduled downtime are significant cost drivers for the forging process. A Forging Defense Manufacturing Consortium project led by Thermal Coating Solutions in partnership with ITC Coatings, installed ITC Coating on two partner forging furnaces, resulting in reductions in fuel consumption from both plants.
Starting in 2021, the National Spectrum Consortium (NSC) launched working groups that serve as a collaborative platform between industry, academia, and government, to leverage expertise to inform national policy and commercial standards.
The American Metalcasting Consortium's (AMC) Integrated Casting Ordering Network (ICON) won the 2020 Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award, announced at the Defense Manufacturing Conference in Colorado in December!
ATI established the Resilient Infrastructure + Secure Energy (RISE) Consortium™ based on a recognized need to address climate and energy security crises. ATI assumed a leadership position and partnered with industry expert Converge Strategies, LLC to establish RISE and to help align industry and stakeholder efforts to accelerate energy and infrastructure modernization.
Recently, NSTIC awarded a project for a Containerized Littoral Launch System, which provides surface-to-surface missile capability to littoral combat ships. This launcher technology supports the Navy’s efforts to help increase survivability and lethality of its ships, and help protect and defend against enemy warships.
When the Maritime Sustainment Technology and Innovation Consortium (MSTIC) award was announced in June 2021, the collaboration already had a head start atypical of other new consortia.
In September 2021, the Naval Energetic Systems and Technologies (NEST), a partnership between the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division and the National Armaments Consortium, released 56 statements of need for prototype munition technologies, including hypersonic weapons, different kinds of propellants, warheads, logistical equipment, and propulsion systems. More rounds of solicitations are planned every six months.
A recent Center for Naval Metalworking project looked at optimizing methods for installing machinery foundations on ships. The optimized processes are estimated to save $830,000 over five years.
In February 2021, ATI worked with the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics to create the Defense Electronics Consortium (DEC). This DoD-sponsored consortium is helping the government identify challenges, needs and opportunities in defense electronics, which have been impacted by the contraction of U.S. electronics manufacturing and other factors.
