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Retractable Bow Planes System Improvements Increase Efficiency and Reliability, Saving Millions of Dollars

On Dec. 6, 2018, the ATI-managed Naval Shipbuilding and Advanced Manufacturing Center (NSAM) received a Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award (DMTAA) in the Readiness Improvement category at the Defense Manufacturing Conference in Tampa, FL. The award recognized NSAM’s work to increase the usable life of submarines and improve the mission readiness of these submarines. This is the sixth DMTAA for ATI.

Working with the Institute for Manufacturing and Sustainment Technologies and General Dynamics Electric Boat, the NSAM team developed a thermal spray coating solution for extend/retract cylinder rods in the submarine’s bow plane system. This coating will prevent the build-up of calcareous deposits on the cylinder rods and will reduce the need for unscheduled maintenance. Projected savings from the project are more than $9m per hull over the life of each platform, with a total submarine life cycle cost savings of approximately $300m.

Three other ATI-led NSAM projects were nominated for awards. The Dynamic Change Awareness project, providing identification of baseline process gaps to reduce process times, was nominated in the Technology Enabler category. The Enhanced Task Assignment and Progressing (eTAP) project, which streamlines tasking assignment work for shipyard foremen, was nominated in the Cost Reduction/Rate or Safety Improvement Category. Finally, the Machine Readable Material Transactions project, which reduces the cycle times of material transactions using machine-readable data entry, was nominated in the Supply Chain Improvement category.

The awards, sponsored by the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel (JDMTP), are given to teams comprised of both Government and private sector members who are responsible for outstanding projects in manufacturing technology. Nominees are evaluated on three criteria: manufacturing technology achievement, transition/implementation, and potential or realized benefits. The selection committee consists of the JDMTP Principals and the OSD ManTech director.

“We are honored and delighted to receive this recognition,” said ATI Vice President Marty Ryan. “The bow planes system improvements project combines efficiency and cost savings with innovation to increase the mission readiness of our warfighters. We congratulate the project team on another significant success and look forward to continuing NSAM’s efforts to develop meaningful manufacturing improvements.”

About ATI:

Advanced Technology International (ATI), a nonprofit organization headquartered near Charleston, S.C., lessens the burden of government by coordinating and managing our nation’s most innovative research initiatives. Our core business is building and leading teams to execute research and development portfolios on behalf of Federal Government clients through large Other Transaction Authority and FAR-based consortia. Using a collaborative approach that can be applied to any set of complex challenges, we lead diverse industry and academic organizations that develop technology solutions. Our current R&D portfolio represents a broad array of technology areas, including shipbuilding and ship repair, advanced materials, medical technologies, electromagnetic spectrum capabilities, space technologies, and rapid prototyping.

Published On: February 9th, 2018Categories: NewsTags: ,