Computer Programmed Milling Machine Operations. High-Technology Training Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Dennis

This learning module for a high school metals and manufacturing course is designed to introduce the concept of computer-assisted machining (CAM). Through it, students learn how to set up and put data into the controller to machine a part. They also become familiar with computer-aided manufacturing and learn the advantages of computer numerical…

Virtual Reality Simulations and Animations in a Web-Based Interactive Manufacturing Engineering Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ong, S. K.; Mannan, M. A.

2004-01-01

This paper presents a web-based interactive teaching package that provides a comprehensive and conducive yet dynamic and interactive environment for a module on automated machine tools in the Manufacturing Division at the National University of Singapore. The use of Internet technologies in this teaching tool makes it possible to conjure…

R&D issues in scale-up and manufacturing of amorphous silicon tandem modules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arya, R.R.; Carlson, D.E.; Chen, L.F.

1999-03-01

R & D on amorphous silicon based tandem junction devices has improved the throughtput, the material utilization, and the performance of devices on commercial tin oxide coated glass. The tandem junction technology has been scaled-up to produce 8.6&hthinsp;Ft{sup 2} monolithically integrated modules in manufacturing at the TF1 plant. Optimization of performance and stability of these modules is ongoing. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}

A hybrid life-cycle inventory for multi-crystalline silicon PV module manufacturing in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Yuan; Chang, Yuan; Masanet, Eric

2014-11-01

China is the world’s largest manufacturer of multi-crystalline silicon photovoltaic (mc-Si PV) modules, which is a key enabling technology in the global transition to renewable electric power systems. This study presents a hybrid life-cycle inventory (LCI) of Chinese mc-Si PV modules, which fills a critical knowledge gap on the environmental implications of mc-Si PV module manufacturing in China. The hybrid LCI approach combines process-based LCI data for module and poly-silicon manufacturing plants with a 2007 China IO-LCI model for production of raw material and fuel inputs to estimate ‘cradle to gate’ primary energy use, water consumption, and major air pollutant emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, and nitrogen oxides). Results suggest that mc-Si PV modules from China may come with higher environmental burdens that one might estimate if one were using LCI results for mc-Si PV modules manufactured elsewhere. These higher burdens can be reasonably explained by the efficiency differences in China’s poly-silicon manufacturing processes, the country’s dependence on highly polluting coal-fired electricity, and the expanded system boundaries associated with the hybrid LCI modeling framework. The results should be useful for establishing more conservative ranges on the potential ‘cradle to gate’ impacts of mc-Si PV module manufacturing for more robust LCAs of PV deployment scenarios.

Amorphous silicon photovoltaic manufacturing technology, phase 2A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duran, G.; Mackamul, K.; Metcalf, D.

1995-01-01

Utility Power Group (UPG), and its lower-tier subcontractor, Advanced Photovoltaic Systems, Inc. (APS) have conducted efforts in developing their manufacturing lines. UPG has focused on the automation of encapsulation and termination processes developed in Phase 1. APS has focused on completion of the encapsulation and module design tasks, while continuing the process and quality control and automation projects. The goal is to produce 55 watt (stabilized) EP50 modules in a new facility. In the APS Trenton EUREKA manufacturing facility, APS has: (1) Developed high throughput lamination procedures; (2) Optimized existing module designs; (3) Developed new module designs for architectural applications; (4) Developed enhanced deposition parameter control; (5) Designed equipment required to manufacture new EUREKA modules developed during Phase II; (6) Improved uniformity of thin-film materials deposition; and (7) Improved the stabilized power output of the APS EP50 EUREKA module to 55 watts. In the APS Fairfield EUREKA manufacturing facility, APS has: (1) Introduced the new products developed under Phase 1 into the APS Fairfield EUREKA module production line; (2) Increased the extent of automation in the production line; (3) Introduced Statistical Process Control to the module production line; and (4) Transferred-progress made in the APS Trenton facility into the APS Fairfield facility.

Chemical Bonding Technology: Direct Investigation of Interfacial Bonds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koenig, J. L.; Boerio, F. J.; Plueddemann, E. P.; Miller, J.; Willis, P. B.; Cuddihy, E. F.

1986-01-01

This is the third Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project document reporting on chemical bonding technology for terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules. The impetus for this work originated in the late 1970s when PV modules employing silicone encapsulation materials were undergoing delamination during outdoor exposure. At that time, manufacturers were not employing adhesion promoters and, hence, module interfaces in common with the silicone materials were only in physical contact and therefore easily prone to separation if, for example, water were to penetrate to the interfaces. Delamination with silicone materials virtually vanished when adhesion promoters, recommended by silicone manufacturers, were used. The activities related to the direct investigation of chemically bonded interfaces are described.

TiO x -Based Thermoelectric Modules: Manufacturing, Properties, and Operational Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Hans-Peter; Pönicke, Andreas; Kluge, Martin; Sichert, Ina; Rost, Axel; Conze, Susan; Wätzig, Katja; Schilm, Jochen; Michaelis, Alexander

2016-03-01

Substoichiometric titanium oxides are attractive thermoelectric materials for high-temperature modules. Their advantages are availability, economy, and safety. This paper gives results of thermoelectric data on scale-up titanium suboxides, manufacturing technologies of TiO x modules, glass coating as an option for oxidation protection, and test results of TiO x modules. The thermoelectric efficiency of TiO x is low compared with established thermoelectric materials. However, TiO x is very attractive for economic reasons, and there are still expectations for efficiency rise by modification of the material's microstructure. TiO x can be produced in large quantities of several tens of kilograms. A manufacturing process for TiO x -based unileg n-type modules has been established, including all technological steps. The design of the TiO x -based modules was optimized for the thermoelectric conversion process and thermal robustness. A test device was used for experimental analysis with maximum temperature of 600°C at the hot side and 100°C at the cold side. This initial test revealed similar power output and internal resistance of all fabricated modules. Furthermore, thermal cycles with increasing and decreasing temperatures at the hot side were realized to characterize the reliability and stability of the modules. Additionally, modules were tested in a hot gas test rig to simulate the thermal stresses during power generation in the exhaust line of a passenger car.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-06-01

This Boeing photograph shows the Node 1, Unity module, Flight Article (at right) and the U.S. Laboratory module, Destiny, Flight Article for the International Space Station (ISS) being manufactured in the High Bay Clean Room of the Space Station Manufacturing Facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The U.S. Laboratory (Destiny) module is the centerpiece of the ISS, where science experiments will be performed in the near-zero gravity of space. The U.S. Laboratory/Destiny was launched aboard the orbiter Atlantis (STS-98 mission) on February 7, 2001. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

The vital role of manufacturing quality in the reliability of PV modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusch, Peter

2014-10-01

The influence of manufacturing quality on the reliability of PV modules coming out of today's factories has been, and is still, under estimated among investors and buyers. The main reason is perception. Contrary to popular belief, PV modules are not a commodity. Module quality does differ among module brands. Certification alone does not guarantee the quality or reliability of a module. Cost reductions in manufacturing have unequivocally affected module quality. And the use of new, cheaper materials has had a measureable impact on module reliability. The need for meaningful manufacturing quality standards has been understood by the leading technical institutions and important industry players. The fact that most leading PV panel manufacturers have been certified according to ISO 9001 has led to some level of improvement and higher effectiveness. The new ISO 9001 PV QMS standards will be a major step in providing a tool to assess PV manufacturers' quality management systems. The current lack of sufficient standards has still got a negative influence on the quality of modules being installed today. Today every manufacturer builds their modules in their own way with little standardization or adherence to quality processes and methods, which are commonplace in other manufacturing industries. Although photovoltaic technology is to a great extent mature, the way modules are being produced has changed significantly over the past few years and it continues to change at a rapid pace. Investors, financiers and lenders stand the most to gain from PV systems over the long-term, but also the most to lose. Investors, developers, EPC, O&M and solar asset management companies must all manage manufacturing quality more proactively or they will face unexpected risks and failures down the road. Manufacturing quality deserves more transparency and attention, as it is a major driver of module performance and reliability. This paper will explain the benefits of good manufacturing quality and the dangers in poor manufacturing quality. The paper also explains why buyers and long-term investors need to pay close attention to the day-to-day manufacturing quality of module manufacturers. We demonstrate how these quality risks can be assessed and mitigated by independent diligence, professional contracting and smart quality assurance processes that can be easily built into any module procurement process. We highlight the steps to ensure that every module used in a PV system is built to quality standards that support the long-term reliability of a PV system.

Thin-film filament-based solar cells and modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuttle, J. R.; Cole, E. D.; Berens, T. A.; Alleman, J.; Keane, J.

1997-04-01

This concept paper describes a patented, novel photovoltaic (PV) technology that is capable of achieving near-term commercialization and profitability based upon design features that maximize product performance while minimizing initial and future manufacturing costs. DayStar Technologies plans to exploit these features and introduce a product to the market based upon these differential positions. The technology combines the demonstrated performance and reliability of existing thin-film PV product with a cell and module geometry that cuts material usage by a factor of 5, and enhances performance and manufacturability relative to standard flat-plate designs. The target product introduction price is 1.50/Watt-peak (Wp). This is approximately one-half the cost of the presently available PV product. Additional features include: increased efficiency through low-level concentration, no scribe or grid loss, simple series interconnect, high voltage, light weight, high-throughput manufacturing, large area immediate demonstration, flexibility, modularity.

CAD/CAM. High-Technology Training Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuleger, Robert

This high technology training module is an advanced course on computer-assisted design/computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM) for grades 11 and 12. This unit, to be used with students in advanced drafting courses, introduces the concept of CAD/CAM. The content outline includes the following seven sections: (1) CAD/CAM software; (2) computer…

Some failure modes and analysis techniques for terrestrial solar cell modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shumka, A.; Stern, K. H.

1978-01-01

Analysis data are presented on failed/defective silicon solar cell modules of various types and produced by different manufacturers. The failure mode (e.g., internal short and open circuits, output power degradation, isolation resistance degradation, etc.) are discussed in detail and in many cases related to the type of technology used in the manufacture of the modules; wherever applicable, appropriate corrective actions are recommended. Consideration is also given to some failure analysis techniques that are applicable to such modules, including X-ray radiography, capacitance measurement, cell shunt resistance measurement by the shadowing technique, steady-state illumination test station for module performance illumination, laser scanning techniques, and the SEM.

Challenges to Scaling CIGS Photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanbery, B. J.

2011-03-01

The challenges of scaling any photovoltaic technology to terawatts of global capacity are arguably more economic than technological or resource constraints. All commercial thin-film PV technologies are based on direct bandgap semiconductors whose absorption coefficient and bandgap alignment with the solar spectrum enable micron-thick coatings in lieu to hundreds of microns required using indirect-bandgap c-Si. Although thin-film PV reduces semiconductor materials cost, its manufacture is more capital intensive than c-Si production, and proportional to deposition rate. Only when combined with sufficient efficiency and cost of capital does this tradeoff yield lower manufacturing cost. CIGS has the potential to become the first thin film technology to achieve the terawatt benchmark because of its superior conversion efficiency, making it the only commercial thin film technology which demonstrably delivers performance comparable to the dominant incumbent, c-Si. Since module performance leverages total systems cost, this competitive advantage bears directly on CIGS' potential to displace c-Si and attract the requisite capital to finance the tens of gigawatts of annual production capacity needed to manufacture terawatts of PV modules apace with global demand growth.

Manufacturing of highly integrated mechatronic modules by using the technology of embedding stereolithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rechtenwald, Thomas; Frick, Thomas; Schmidt, Michael

The embedding stereolithography is an additive, hybrid process, which allows the construction of highly integrated 3D assemblies for the use in automotive applications. The flexible process of stereolithography is combined with the embedding of functional components and supplemented by the additive manufacturing of electrical or optical conductive structures. This combination of sub-processes implies a high potential regarding the obtainable integration density of mechatronical modules. This work considers basic restrictions, which limit the mechanical stability of the manufactured modules by calculating the superposition of residual and external stress using a thermo-mechanical finite element model and develops a procedure to qualify stereolithography matrix materials for the process of the embedding stereolithography.

Scalable fabrication of perovskite solar cells

DOE PAGES

Li, Zhen; Klein, Talysa R.; Kim, Dong Hoe; ...

2018-03-27

Perovskite materials use earth-abundant elements, have low formation energies for deposition and are compatible with roll-to-roll and other high-volume manufacturing techniques. These features make perovskite solar cells (PSCs) suitable for terawatt-scale energy production with low production costs and low capital expenditure. Demonstrations of performance comparable to that of other thin-film photovoltaics (PVs) and improvements in laboratory-scale cell stability have recently made scale up of this PV technology an intense area of research focus. Here, we review recent progress and challenges in scaling up PSCs and related efforts to enable the terawatt-scale manufacturing and deployment of this PV technology. We discussmore » common device and module architectures, scalable deposition methods and progress in the scalable deposition of perovskite and charge-transport layers. We also provide an overview of device and module stability, module-level characterization techniques and techno-economic analyses of perovskite PV modules.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Zhen; Klein, Talysa R.; Kim, Dong Hoe

Perovskite materials use earth-abundant elements, have low formation energies for deposition and are compatible with roll-to-roll and other high-volume manufacturing techniques. These features make perovskite solar cells (PSCs) suitable for terawatt-scale energy production with low production costs and low capital expenditure. Demonstrations of performance comparable to that of other thin-film photovoltaics (PVs) and improvements in laboratory-scale cell stability have recently made scale up of this PV technology an intense area of research focus. Here, we review recent progress and challenges in scaling up PSCs and related efforts to enable the terawatt-scale manufacturing and deployment of this PV technology. We discussmore » common device and module architectures, scalable deposition methods and progress in the scalable deposition of perovskite and charge-transport layers. We also provide an overview of device and module stability, module-level characterization techniques and techno-economic analyses of perovskite PV modules.« less

CVD diamond substrate for microelectronics. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burden, J.; Gat, R.

1996-11-01

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) of diamond films has evolved dramatically in recent years, and commercial opportunities for diamond substrates in thermal management applications are promising. The objective of this technology transfer initiative (TTI) is for Applied Science and Technology, Inc. (ASTEX) and AlliedSignal Federal Manufacturing and Technologies (FM&T) to jointly develop and document the manufacturing processes and procedures required for the fabrication of multichip module circuits using CVD diamond substrates, with the major emphasis of the project concentrating on lapping/polishing prior to metallization. ASTEX would provide diamond films for the study, and FM&T would use its experience in lapping, polishing,more » and substrate metallization to perform secondary processing on the parts. The primary goal of the project was to establish manufacturing processes that lower the manufacturing cost sufficiently to enable broad commercialization of the technology.« less

Outlook and Challenges of Perovskite Solar Cells toward Terawatt-Scale Photovoltaic Module Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Kai; Kim, Donghoe; Whitaker, James B

Rapid development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) during the past several years has made this photovoltaic (PV) technology a serious contender for potential large-scale deployment on the terawatt scale in the PV market. To successfully transition PSC technology from the laboratory to industry scale, substantial efforts need to focus on scalable fabrication of high-performance perovskite modules with minimum negative environmental impact. Here, we provide an overview of the current research and our perspective regarding PSC technology toward future large-scale manufacturing and deployment. Several key challenges discussed are (1) a scalable process for large-area perovskite module fabrication; (2) less hazardous chemicalmore » routes for PSC fabrication; and (3) suitable perovskite module designs for different applications.« less

A preliminary 'test case' manufacturing sequence for 50 cents/watt solar photovoltaic modules in 1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bickler, D. B.

1979-01-01

The paper describes a 'test case' manufacturing process sequence for solar photovoltaic modules which will cost 50 cents/watt in 1986. The process, which starts with the purification of silicon grown into 75-mm-wide thin ribbons, is discussed, and the plant layout is depicted; each department is sized to produce 250 MW of modules/per year. The cost of this process sequence is compared to present technology at various companies showing considerable spread for each process; data are tabulated in a composite state-of-the-art cell processing cost summary for these processes.

A Profile of Defense Manufacturing Costs and Enabling Technologies

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

RECEIVE MODULE F Missiles 75mm Cadmium Zinc Telluride F 94 GHZ MILLIMETER WAVE TRANSCEIVER F COMPOSITES FOR PASSIVE THERMAL MANAGEMENT F COMPOSITES FOR... PASSIVE THERMAL MANAGEMENT F Design standards for surface mount devices I Electro-optic Components Advanced Manufacturing PrDcess I FIBER OPTIC

Manufacturing Processes: New Methods for the "Materials Age." Resources in Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Technology Teacher, 1990

1990-01-01

To make the best use of new materials developed for everything from computers to artificial hearts to more fuel-efficient cars, improved materials syntheses and manufacturing processes are needed. This instructional module includes teacher materials, a student quiz, and possible student outcomes. (JOW)

High Throughput Manufacturing of Thin-Film CdTe Photovoltaic Materials; Final Subcontract Report, 16 November 1993-31 December 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandwisch, D. W.

1999-09-02

This report describes work performed by Solar Cells, Inc. (SCI), during this Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT) subcontract. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is recognized as one of the leading materials for low-cost photovoltaic modules. SCI has developed this technology and is preparing to scale its pilot production capabilities to a multi-megawatt level. This four-phase PVMaT subcontract supports these efforts. The work was related to product definition, process definition, equipment engineering, and support programs development. In the area of product definition and demonstration, two products were specified and demonstrated-a grid-connected, frameless, high-voltage product that incorporates a pigtail potting design and a remote low-voltagemore » product that may be framed and may incorporate a junction box. SCI produced a 60.3-W thin-film CdTe module with total-area efficiency of 8.4%; SCI also improved module pass rate on the interim qualification test protocol from less than 20% to 100% as a result of work related to the subcontract. In the manufacturing process definition area, the multi-megawatt manufacturing process was defined, several of the key processes were demonstrated, and the process was refined and proven on a 100-kW pilot line that now operates as a 250-kW line. In the area of multi-megawatt manufacturing-line conceptual design review, SCI completed a conceptual layout of the multi-megawatt lines. The layout models the manufacturing line and predicts manufacturing costs. SCI projected an optimized capacity, two-shift/day operation of greater than 25 MW at a manufacturing cost of below $1.00/W.« less

An Analysis of the Cost and Performance of Photovoltaic Systems as a Function of Module Area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Horowitz, Kelsey A.W.; Fu, Ran; Silverman, Tim

We investigate the potential effects of module area on the cost and performance of photovoltaic systems. Applying a bottom-up methodology, we analyzed the costs associated with mc-Si and thin-film modules and systems as a function of module area. We calculate a potential for savings of up to $0.04/W, $0.10/W, and $0.13/W in module manufacturing costs for mc-Si, CdTe, and CIGS respectively, with large area modules. We also find that an additional $0.05/W savings in balance-of-systems costs may be achieved. However, these savings are dependent on the ability to maintain efficiency and manufacturing yield as area scales. Lifetime energy yield mustmore » also be maintained to realize reductions in the levelized cost of energy. We explore the possible effects of module size on efficiency and energy production, and find that more research is required to understand these issues for each technology. Sensitivity of the $/W cost savings to module efficiency and manufacturing yield is presented. We also discuss non-cost barriers to adoption of large area modules.« less

75 FR 52322 - Nationwide Limited Public Interest Waiver Under Section 1605 (Buy American) of the American...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-25

... ancillary solar Photovoltaic (PV) equipment, when this equipment is utilized in solar installations... following solar PV equipment: (1) Domestically- manufactured modules containing foreign-manufactured cells... effect. Solar cells are the basic building block of PV technologies. The cells are functional...

High Efficiency Solar Integrated Roof Membrane Product

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Partyka, Eric; Shenoy, Anil

2013-05-15

This project was designed to address the Solar Energy Technology Program objective, to develop new methods to integrate photovoltaic (PV) cells or modules within a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) application that will result in lower installed cost as well as higher efficiencies of the encapsulated/embedded PV module. The technology assessment and development focused on the evaluation and identification of manufacturing technologies and equipment capable of producing such low-cost, high-efficiency, flexible BIPV solar cells on single-ply roofing membranes.

Industrialization of Superconducting RF Accelerator Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peiniger, Michael; Pekeler, Michael; Vogel, Hanspeter

2012-01-01

Superconducting RF (SRF) accelerator technology has basically existed for 50 years. It took about 20 years to conduct basic R&D and prototyping at universities and international institutes before the first superconducting accelerators were built, with industry supplying complete accelerator cavities. In parallel, the design of large scale accelerators using SRF was done worldwide. In order to build those accelerators, industry has been involved for 30 years in building the required cavities and/or accelerator modules in time and budget. To enable industry to supply these high tech components, technology transfer was made from the laboratories in the following three regions: the Americas, Asia and Europe. As will be shown, the manufacture of the SRF cavities is normally accomplished in industry whereas the cavity testing and module assembly are not performed in industry in most cases, yet. The story of industrialization is so far a story of customized projects. Therefore a real SRF accelerator product is not yet available in this market. License agreements and technology transfer between leading SRF laboratories and industry is a powerful tool for enabling industry to manufacture SRF components or turnkey superconducting accelerator modules for other laboratories and users with few or no capabilities in SRF technology. Despite all this, the SRF accelerator market today is still a small market. The manufacture and preparation of the components require a range of specialized knowledge, as well as complex and expensive manufacturing installations like for high precision machining, electron beam welding, chemical surface preparation and class ISO4 clean room assembly. Today, the involved industry in the US and Europe comprises medium-sized companies. In Japan, some big enterprises are involved. So far, roughly 2500 SRF cavities have been built by or ordered from industry worldwide. Another substantial step might come from the International Linear Collider (ILC) project currently being designed by the international collaboration GDE (`global design effort'). If the ILC will be built, about 18,000 SRF cavities need to be manufactured worldwide within about five years. The industrialization of SRF accelerator technology is analyzed and reviewed in this article in view of the main accelerator projects of the last two to three decades.

Phase 1 of the automated array assembly task of the low cost silicon solar array project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coleman, M. G.; Pryor, R. A.; Grenon, L. A.; Lesk, I. A.

1977-01-01

The state of technology readiness for the automated production of solar cells and modules is reviewed. Individual process steps and process sequences for making solar cells and modules were evaluated both technically and economically. High efficiency with a suggested cell goal of 15% was stressed. It is concluded that the technology exists to manufacture solar cells which will meet program goals.

Emerging photovoltaic module technologies at PVUSA: A five-year assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Townsend, Tim

1995-04-01

The Photovoltaics for Utility Scale Applications (PVUSA) project tests two types of photovoltaic systems: new modules fielded as 20-kW emerging module technology (EMT) arrays, and more mature technologies fielded as 20- to 500-kW turnkey utility scale (US) systems. This report summarizes experiences of the PVUSA project in operating the first six 20-kW EMT photovoltaic systems. Five systems are installed at Davis, California, and one at Kihei, Hawaii. Products selected for testing and demonstration were judged to have potential for significant technical advancement or reduction in manufacturing cost. Features leading to selection of each system and findings over the average 5 years of operation are compared in the report. Factory product qualification test experiences along with field acceptance test results are documented. Evaluation includes a broad range of performance parameters, including long-term efficiency, seasonal generation patterns, and maintenance. While some of the arrays have operated as well as any commercial system, others have fared poorly. Throughout the procurement and operation of these precommercial PV modules, PVUSA has provided feedback to vendors, critical for product improvement. The data and evaluations in this report will be of further benefit to manufacturers and provide general comparative information on a variety of technologies to researchers in utilities, government, and industry alike.

Mass production of silicon pore optics for ATHENA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wille, Eric; Bavdaz, Marcos; Collon, Maximilien

2016-07-01

Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) provide high angular resolution with low effective area density as required for the Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (Athena). The x-ray telescope consists of several hundreds of SPO mirror modules. During the development of the process steps of the SPO technology, specific requirements of a future mass production have been considered right from the beginning. The manufacturing methods heavily utilise off-the-shelf equipment from the semiconductor industry, robotic automation and parallel processing. This allows to upscale the present production flow in a cost effective way, to produce hundreds of mirror modules per year. Considering manufacturing predictions based on the current technology status, we present an analysis of the time and resources required for the Athena flight programme. This includes the full production process starting with Si wafers up to the integration of the mirror modules. We present the times required for the individual process steps and identify the equipment required to produce two mirror modules per day. A preliminary timeline for building and commissioning the required infrastructure, and for flight model production of about 1000 mirror modules, is presented.

Supply Constraints Analysis | Energy Analysis | NREL

Science.gov Websites

module cost, and future price could be critical to the economic viability of this PV technology. Even constraints on future CdTe PV module deployment and found that: CdTe PV modules can remain cost-competitive and 4070 GW of annual CdTe production by 2030. Cost estimates were based on NREL's manufacturing cost

78 FR 24234 - Certain Semiconductor Chips With DRAM Circuitry, and Modules and Products Containing Same; Notice...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-24

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-819] Certain Semiconductor Chips With DRAM Circuitry, and Modules and Products Containing Same; Notice of Request for Statements on the... order barring the entry of unlicensed DRAM semiconductor chips manufactured by Nanya Technology...

Information model construction of MES oriented to mechanical blanking workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jin-bo; Wang, Jin-ye; Yue, Yan-fang; Yao, Xue-min

2016-11-01

Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is one of the crucial technologies to implement informatization management in manufacturing enterprises, and the construction of its information model is the base of MES database development. Basis on the analysis of the manufacturing process information in mechanical blanking workshop and the information requirement of MES every function module, the IDEF1X method was adopted to construct the information model of MES oriented to mechanical blanking workshop, and a detailed description of the data structure feature included in MES every function module and their logical relationship was given from the point of view of information relationship, which laid the foundation for the design of MES database.

Advanced Thermoplastic Polymers and Additive Manufacturing Applied to ISS Columbus Toolbox: Lessons Learnt and Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrino, Marinella; Secondo, Ottaviano; Sabbagh, Amir; Della Sala, Emilio

2014-06-01

In the frame of the International Space Station (ISS) Exploitation Program a new toolbox has been realized by TAS-I to accommodate the tools currently in use on the ISS Columbus Module utilizing full-scale prototypes obtained with 3D rapid prototyping. The manufacturing of the flight hardware by means of advanced thermoplastic polymer UL TEM 9085 and additive manufacturing Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technology represent innovative elements. In this paper, the results achieved and the lessons learned are analyzed to promote future technology know-how. The acquired experience confirmed that the additive manufacturing process allows to save time/cost and to realize new shapes/features to introduce innovation in products and future design processes for space applications.

Investigation of Abnormal Grain Growth in a Friction Stir Welded and Spin-Formed Al-Li Alloy 2195 Crew Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tayon, Wesley A.; Domack, Marcia S.; Hoffman, Eric K.; Hales, Stephen J.

2013-01-01

In order to improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce structural mass and costs in the production of launch vehicle structures, NASA is pursuing a wide-range of innovative, near-net shape manufacturing technologies. A technology that combines friction stir welding (FSW) and spin-forming has been applied to manufacture a single-piece crew module using Aluminum-Lithium (AL-Li) Alloy 2195. Plate size limitations for Al-Li alloy 2195 require that two plates be FSW together to produce a spin-forming blank of sufficient size to form the crew module. Subsequent forming of the FSW results in abnormal grain growth (AGG) within the weld region upon solution heat treatment (SHT), which detrimentally impacts strength, ductility, and fracture toughness. The current study seeks to identify microstructural factors that contribute to the development of AGG. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to correlate driving forces for AGG, such as stored energy, texture, and grain size distributions, with the propensity for AGG. Additionally, developmental annealing treatments prior to SHT are examined to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of AGG by promoting continuous, or uniform, grain growth

Summary of flat-plate solar array project documentation. Abstracts of published documents, 1975 to June 1982

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Technologies that will enable the private sector to manufacture and widely use photovoltaic systems for the generation of electricity in residential, commercial, industrial, and government applications at a cost per watt that is competitive with other means is investigated. Silicon refinement processes, advanced silicon sheet growth techniques, solar cell development, encapsulation, automated fabrication process technology, advanced module/array design, and module/array test and evaluation techniques are developed.

Mobil Solar Energy Corporation thin EFG octagons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalejs, J. P.

1994-06-01

Mobil Solar Energy Corporation manufactures photovoltaic modules based on its unique Edge-defined Film-fed Growth (EFG) process for producing octagon-shaped hollow polycrystalline silicon tubes. The octagons are cut by lasers into 100 mm x 100 mm wafers which are suitable for solar cell processing. This process avoids slicing, grinding and polishing operations which are wasteful of material and are typical of most other wafer production methods. EFG wafers are fabricated into solar cells and modules using processes that have been specially developed to allow scaling up to high throughput rates. The goals of the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology Initiative (PVMaT) program at Mobil Solar were to improve the EFG manufacturing line through technology advances that accelerate cost reduction in production and stimulate market growth for its product. The program was structured into three main tasks: to decrease silicon utilization by lowering wafer thickness from 400 to 200 (mu)m; to enhance laser cutting yields and throughput while improving the wafer strength; and to raise crystal growth productivity and yield. The technical problems faced and the advances made in the Mobil Solar PVMaT program are described. The author concludes with a presentation of the results of a detailed cost model for EFT module production. This model describes the accelerated reductions in manufacturing costs which are already in place and the future benefits anticipated to result from the technical achievements of the PVMaT program.

On the Path to SunShot - Emerging Opportunities and Challenges in U.S. Solar Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chung, Donald; Horowitz, Kelsey; Kurup, Parthiv

Innovation-driven cost and performance improvements, along with strong projected solar demand in the United States and across the Americas, could increase the attractiveness of U.S.-based solar manufacturing (see Chung et al. 2016). Although improvements to standard PV modules have produced deep cost reductions over the past 5 years, the returns on such incremental improvements appear to be diminishing, and more dramatic innovations in module design and manufacturing are required to continue along the path of rapid progress. At the same time, major opportunities exist for innovation to unlock the potential of CSP technologies. This need for innovation could benefit U.S.more » PV and CSP manufacturers. The United States has been rated one of the world’s most competitive and innovative countries as well as one of the best locations for PV manufacturing. It is a global leader in PV and CSP R&D and patent production, and U.S. PV manufacturers are already pursuing highly differentiated innovations.« less

Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) – Enabling America’s Solar Revolution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Metacarpa, David

The U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (US-PVMC) is an industry-led consortium which was created with the mission to accelerate the research, development, manufacturing, field testing, commercialization, and deployment of next-generation solar photovoltaic technologies. Formed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SunShot initiative, and headquartered in New York State, PVMC is managed by the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) at the Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. PVMC is a hybrid of industry-led consortium and manufacturing development facility, with capabilities for collaborative and proprietary industry engagement. Through its technology development programs, advanced manufacturing development facilities,more » system demonstrations, and reliability and testing capabilities, PVMC has demonstrated itself to be a recognized proving ground for innovative solar technologies and system designs. PVMC comprises multiple locations, with the core manufacturing and deployment support activities conducted at the Solar Energy Development Center (SEDC), and the core Si wafering and metrology technologies being headed out of the University of Central Florida. The SEDC provides a pilot line for proof-of-concept prototyping, offering critical opportunities to demonstrate emerging concepts in PV manufacturing, such as evaluations of innovative materials, system components, and PV system designs. The facility, located in Halfmoon NY, encompasses 40,000 square feet of dedicated PV development space. The infrastructure and capabilities housed at PVMC includes PV system level testing at the Prototype Demonstration Facility (PDF), manufacturing scale cell & module fabrication at the Manufacturing Development Facility (MDF), cell and module testing, reliability equipment on its PV pilot line, all integrated with a PV performance database and analytical characterizations for PVMC and its partners test and commercial arrays. Additional development and deployment support are also housed at the SEDC, such as cost modeling and cost model based development activities for PV and thin film modules, components, and system level designs for reduced LCOE through lower installation hardware costs, labor reductions, soft costs and reduced operations and maintenance costs. The progression of the consortium activities started with infrastructure and capabilities build out focused on CIGS thin film photovoltaics, with a particular focus on flexible cell and module production. As marketplace changes and partners objectives shifted, the consortium shifted heavily towards deployment and market pull activities including Balance of System, cost modeling, and installation cost reduction efforts along with impacts to performance and DER operational costs. The consortium consisted of a wide array of PV supply chain companies from equipment and component suppliers through national developers and installers with a particular focus on commercial scale deployments (typically 25 to 2MW installations). With DOE funding ending after the fifth budget period, the advantages and disadvantages of such a consortium is detailed along with potential avenues for self-sustainability is reviewed.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yelundur, Vijay

Suniva, Inc., in collaboration with the University Center for Excellence in Photovoltaics (UCEP) at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) proposed this comprehensive three year program to enable the development of an advanced high performance product that will help the US regain its competitive edge in PV. This project was designed to overcome cost and efficiency barriers through advances in PV science, technology innovation, low-cost manufacturing and full production of ~22.5% efficient n-type Si cells in Norcross, GA. At the heart of the project is the desire to complement the technology being developed concurrently under the Solarmat and ARPAe initiativesmore » to develop a differentiated product superior in both performance and cost effectiveness to the competing alternatives available on the market, and push towards achieving SunShot objectives while ensuring a sustainable business model based on US manufacturing. A significant reduction of the costs in modules produced today will need to combine reductions in wafer costs, cell processing costs as well as module fabrication costs while delivering a product that is not only more efficient under test conditions but also increases the energy yield in outdoor operations. This project will result in a differentiated high performance product and technology that is consistent with sustaining PV manufacturing in the US for a longer term and further highlights the need for continued support for developing the next generation concepts that can keep US manufacturing thriving to support the growing demand for PV in the US and consistent with the US government’s mandates for energy independence.« less

Smart manufacturing of complex shaped pipe components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salchak, Y. A.; Kotelnikov, A. A.; Sednev, D. A.; Borikov, V. N.

2018-03-01

Manufacturing industry is constantly improving. Nowadays the most relevant trend is widespread automation and optimization of the production process. This paper represents a novel approach for smart manufacturing of steel pipe valves. The system includes two main parts: mechanical treatment and quality assurance units. Mechanical treatment is performed by application of the milling machine with implementation of computerized numerical control, whilst the quality assurance unit contains three testing modules for different tasks, such as X-ray testing, optical scanning and ultrasound testing modules. The advances of each of them provide reliable results that contain information about any failures of the technological process, any deviations of geometrical parameters of the valves. The system also allows detecting defects on the surface or in the inner structure of the component.

Spinoff from Wind Tunnel Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

Douglas Juanarena, a former NASA Langley instrument design engineer, found a solution to the problem of long, repetitive tunnel runs needed to measure airflow pressures. Electronically scanned pressure (ESP) replaced mechanical systems with electronic sensors. Juanarena licensed the NASA-patented technology and now manufactures ESP modules for research centers, aerospace companies, etc.

An automation of design and modelling tasks in NX Siemens environment with original software - cost module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zbiciak, R.; Grabowik, C.; Janik, W.

2015-11-01

The design-constructional process is a creation activity which strives to fulfil, as well as it possible at the certain moment of time, all demands and needs formulated by a user taking into account social, technical and technological advances. Engineer knowledge and skills and their inborn abilities have the greatest influence on the final product quality and cost. They have also deciding influence on product technical and economic value. Taking into account above it seems to be advisable to make software tools that support an engineer in the process of manufacturing cost estimation. The Cost module is built with analytical procedures which are used for relative manufacturing cost estimation. As in the case of the Generator module the Cost module was written in object programming language C# in Visual Studio environment. During the research the following eight factors, that have the greatest influence on overall manufacturing cost, were distinguished and defined: (i) a gear wheel teeth type it is straight or helicoidal, (ii) a gear wheel design shape A, B with or without wheel hub, (iii) a gear tooth module, (iv) teeth number, (v) gear rim width, (vi) gear wheel material, (vii) heat treatment or thermochemical treatment, (viii) accuracy class. Knowledge of parameters (i) to (v) is indispensable for proper modelling of 3D gear wheels models in CAD system environment. These parameters are also processed in the Cost module. The last three parameters it is (vi) to (viii) are exclusively used in the Cost module. The estimation of manufacturing relative cost is based on indexes calculated for each particular parameter. Estimated in this way the manufacturing relative cost gives an overview of design parameters influence on the final gear wheel manufacturing cost. This relative manufacturing cost takes values from 0.00 to 1,00 range. The bigger index value the higher relative manufacturing cost is. Verification whether the proposed algorithm of relative manufacturing costs estimation has been designed properly was made by comparison of the achieved from the algorithm results with those obtained from industry. This verification has indicated that in most cases both group of results are similar. Taking into account above it is possible to draw a conclusion that the Cost module might play significant role in design constructional process by adding an engineer at the selection stage of alternative gear wheels design. It should be remembered that real manufacturing cost can differ significantly according to available in a factory manufacturing techniques and stock of machine tools.

Virtual manufacturing in reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papstel, Jyri; Saks, Alo

2000-10-01

SMEs play an important role in manufacturing industry. But from time to time there is a shortage in resources to complete the particular order in time. Number of systems is introduced to produce digital information in order to support product and process development activities. Main problem is lack of opportunity for direct data transition within design system modules when needed temporary extension of design capacity (virtuality) or to implement integrated concurrent product development principles. The planning experience in the field is weakly used as well. The concept of virtual manufacturing is a supporting idea to solve this problem. At the same time a number of practical problems should be solved like information conformity, data transfer, unified technological concepts acceptation etc. In the present paper the proposed ways to solve the practical problems of virtual manufacturing are described. General objective is to introduce the knowledge-based CAPP system as missing module for Virtual Manufacturing in the selected product domain. Surface-centered planning concept based on STEP- based modeling principles, and knowledge-based process planning methodology will be used to gain the objectives. As a result the planning module supplied by design data with direct access, and supporting advising environment is expected. Mould producing SME would be as test basis.

NREL Photovoltaic Program FY 1995 annual report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-06-01

This report summarizes the in-house and subcontracted R&D activities from Oct. 1994 through Sept. 1995; their objectives are to conduct basic, applied, and engineering research, manage subcontracted R&D projects, perform research complementary to subcontracted work, develop and maintain state-of-the-art measurement and device capabilities, develop PV manufacturing technology and modules, transfer results to industry, and evolve viable partnerships for PV systems and market development. The research activities are grouped into 5 sections: crystalline Si and advanced devices, thin-film PV, PV manufacturing, PV module and system performance and engineering, and PV applications and market development.

Mobil Solar Energy Corporation thin EFG octagons. Final subcontract report, 1 April 1992--31 January 1994

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kalejs, J.P.

1994-06-01

Mobil Solar Energy Corporation manufactures photovoltaic modules based on its unique Edge-defined Film-fed Growth (EFG) process for producing octagon-shaped hollow polycrystalline silicon tubes. The octagons are cut by lasers into 100 mm x 100 mm wafers which are suitable for solar cell processing. This process avoids slicing, grinding and polishing operations which are wasteful of material and are typical of most other wafer production methods. EFG wafers are fabricated into solar cells and modules using processes that have been specially developed to allow scaling up to high throughput rates. The goals of the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology Initiative (PVMaT) program atmore » Mobil Solar were to improve the EFG manufacturing line through technology advances that accelerate cost reduction in production and stimulate market growth for its product. The program was structured into three main tasks: to decrease silicon utilization by lowering wafer thickness from 400 to 200 {mu}m; to enhance laser cutting yields and throughput while improving the wafer strength; and to raise crystal growth productivity and yield. The technical problems faced and the advances made in the Mobil Solar PVMaT program are described. The author concludes with a presentation of the results of a detailed cost model for EFT module production. This model describes the accelerated reductions in manufacturing costs which are already in place and the future benefits anticipated to result from the technical achievements of the PVMaT program.« less

Overview of the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT) project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witt, C. E.; Mitchell, R. L.; Mooney, G. D.

1993-08-01

The Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT) project is a historic government/industry photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing R&D partnership composed of joint efforts between the federal government (through the US Department of Energy) and members of the US PV industry. The project's ultimate goal is to ensure that the US industry retains and extends its world leadership role in the manufacture and commercial development of PV components and systems. PVMaT is designed to do this by helping the US PV industry improve manufacturing processes, accelerate manufacturing cost reductions for PV modules, improve commercial product performance, and lay the groundwork for a substantial scale-up of US-based PV manufacturing capacities. Phase 1 of the project, the problem identification phase, was completed in early 1991. Phase 2, the problem solution phase, which addresses process-specific problems of specific manufacturers, is now underway with an expected duration of 5 years. Phase 3 addresses R&D problems that are relatively common to a number of PV companies or the PV industry as a whole. These 'generic' problem areas are being addressed through a teamed research approach.

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, Europe

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-02-18

could penetrate the ceramic layer. At the time, the Essen researchers were unable to present any proof of the obvious assumption that microfine pores...carbon fiber tubes and titanium frame joints that are very light and strong. The manufacturing system and experiments are installed as modules on...study also view the manufacturing technol- ogies and jointing techniques for active cooling with an integrated cooling tube system as unavailable—pure

The Photovolatic Manufacturing Technology project (PVMaT) after three years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witt, C. Edwin; Mitchell, Richard L.; Thomas, Holly; Herwig, Lloyd O.

1994-08-01

The Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology project (PVMaT) is a government/industry research and development (R&D) partnership involving joint efforts between the federal government (through the US Department of Energy (DOE)) and members of the US photovoltaic (PV) industry. The project's goal is to assist US industry in retaining and extending its world leadership role in the manufacture and commercial development of PV components and systems. PVMaT is being carried out in three separate phases, each designed to address separate R&D requirements for achieving PVMaT goals. Phase 1 was a problem identification phase of about 3 months duration. In Phase 1, the status and needs of the US PV manufacturing industry were identified, and the development of a Phase 2 procurement responsive to the industry's needs was begun. Phase 1 was completed in 1991. Problem solution began in 1992, under Phase 2A, when DOE awarded multiyear subcontracts. Technical accomplishments for PVMaT 2A are presented in this paper. Subcontracts were recently awarded for a second, overlapping, and similar process-specific solicitation (PVMaT 2B). The activities of these new subcontracts are also described. Two subcontracts presently comprise the Phase 3 effort. Phase 3 addresses R&D problems that are relatively common to a number of PV companies or the PV industry as a whole. A teamed research approach is being used to improve automated module manufacturing lines and encapsulation materials used in module manufacturing. The first year's work on these subcontracts is also described in this paper.

Manufacturing Methods and Technology Program for Low Cost Hybrid Silicon Photodetector Modules

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-12-30

RESEARCH LN EVEMN TECHNICAL REPORT 4 CORADOOM- 77- C -0489-F I CMANUFACTURING METHODS AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM FOR LOW COST HYBRID SILICON PHOTODETECTORS...rINAL REPORT OR US ARMY CONTRACT NO, DAAD07-77- C -0489 TITLED 11MM&TMud SURE FOR COS HYBRID SILICON PHOTODRTECTOR MODULS", DATED 79/12/30 Gentlemen...when it is no longer needed. Do not return it to the originator. D.-stributi-on! Availability COcas- :Dist c specia S I ’ Cb.A *"itI. -P0 ~~J~,+~1

US DOE Regional Test Centers Program - 2016 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stein, Joshua

The US Department of Energy’s Regional Test Center (RTC) program provides outdoor validation and bankability data for innovative solar technologies at five sites across the US representing a range of climate conditions. Data helps get new technologies to market faster and improves US industry competitiveness. Managed by Sandia National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the RTC program partners with US manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) technologies, including modules, inverters, and balance-of-system equipment. The study is collaborative, with manufacturers (also known as RTC industry partners) and the national labs working together on a system design and validation strategy thatmore » meets a clearly defined set of performance and reliability objectives.« less

21st Century Locomotive Technology: Quarterly Technical Status Report 28

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lembit Salasoo; Ramu Chandra

2010-02-19

Thermal testing of a subscale locomotive sodium battery module was initiated.to validate thermal models. The hybrid trip optimizer problem was formulated. As outcomes of this project, GE has proceeded to commercialize trip optimizer technology, and has initiated work on a state-of-the-art battery manufacturing plant for high energy density, sodium-based batteries.

Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 solar cell research in Solar Frontier: Progress and current status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Takuya

2017-04-01

As the largest manufacturer of Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic modules with more than 1 GW/year production volume, Solar Frontier K.K. has continuously improved module performance and small-area cell efficiencies in the laboratory. Because of our low-cost and environmentally-friendly process, Solar Frontier’s CIGS is a promising technology for the mass production of photovoltaic modules to fill ever-increasing demand. Recently we have achieved certified efficiencies of 22.3 and 22.0% on CdS-buffered and Cd-free buffered small-area cells, respectively, as well as 18.6% on a Cd-free mini-module. In this paper, a review of our CIGS technology and recent progress on the development of the module and the small-area cell is presented.

Emissive flat panel displays: A challenge to the AMLCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walko, R. J.

According to some sources, flat panel displays (FPD's) for computers will represent a 20-40 billion dollar industry by the end of the decade and could leverage up to 100-200 billion dollars in computer sales. Control of the flat panel display industry could be a significant factor in the global economy if FPD's manage to tap into the enormous audio/visual consumer market. Japan presently leads the world in active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) manufacturing, the current leading FPD technology. The AMLCD is basically a light shutter which does not emit light on its own, but modulates the intensity of a separate backlight. However, other technologies, based on light emitting phosphors, could eventually challenge the AMLCD's lead position. These light-emissive technologies do not have the size, temperature and viewing angle limitations of AMLCD's. In addition, they could also be less expensive to manufacture, and require a smaller capital outlay for a manufacturing plant. An overview of these alternative technologies is presented.

Progress of the Photovoltaic Technology Incubator Project Towards an Enhanced U.S. Manufacturing Base: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ullal, H.; Mitchell, R.; Keyes, B.

In this paper, we report on the major accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP) Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator project. The Incubator project facilitates a company's transition from developing a solar cell or PV module prototype to pilot- and large-scale U.S. manufacturing. The project targets small businesses that have demonstrated proof-of-concept devices or processes in the laboratory. Their success supports U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu's SunShot Initiative, which seeks to achieve PV technologies that are cost-competitive without subsidies at large scale with fossil-based energy sources by the end of this decade. The Incubatormore » Project has enhanced U.S. PV manufacturing capacity and created more than 1200 clean energy jobs, resulting in an increase in American economic competitiveness. The investment raised to date by these PV Incubator companies as a result of DOE's $ 59 million investment totals nearly $ 1.3 billion.« less

Progress of the PV Technology Incubator Project Towards an Enhanced U.S. Manufacturing Base

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ullal, H.; Mitchell, R.; Keyes, B.

In this paper, we report on the major accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP) Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator project. The Incubator project facilitates a company's transition from developing a solar cell or PV module prototype to pilot- and large-scale U.S. manufacturing. The project targets small businesses that have demonstrated proof-of-concept devices or processes in the laboratory. Their success supports U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu's SunShot Initiative, which seeks to achieve PV technologies that are cost-competitive without subsidies at large scale with fossil-based energy sources by the end of this decade. The Incubatormore » Project has enhanced U.S. PV manufacturing capacity and created more than 1200 clean energy jobs, resulting in an increase in American economic competitiveness. The investment raised to date by these PV Incubator companies as a result of DOE's $ 59 million investment total nearly $ 1.3 billion.« less

The Node 1 (or Unity) Module for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company, shows Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS), with its hatch door installed. The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

Fabrication of Thermoelectric Devices Using Additive-Subtractive Manufacturing Techniques: Application to Waste-Heat Energy Harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tewolde, Mahder

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are solid-state devices that convert heat directly into electricity. They are well suited for waste-heat energy harvesting applications as opposed to primary energy generation. Commercially available thermoelectric modules are flat, inflexible and have limited sizes available. State-of-art manufacturing of TEG devices relies on assembling prefabricated parts with soldering, epoxy bonding, and mechanical clamping. Furthermore, efforts to incorporate them onto curved surfaces such as exhaust pipes, pump housings, steam lines, mixing containers, reaction chambers, etc. require custom-built heat exchangers. This is costly and labor-intensive, in addition to presenting challenges in terms of space, thermal coupling, added weight and long-term reliability. Additive manufacturing technologies are beginning to address many of these issues by reducing part count in complex designs and the elimination of sub-assembly requirements. This work investigates the feasibility of utilizing such novel manufacturing routes for improving the manufacturing process of thermoelectric devices. Much of the research in thermoelectricity is primarily focused on improving thermoelectric material properties by developing of novel materials or finding ways to improve existing ones. Secondary to material development is improving the manufacturing process of TEGs to provide significant cost benefits. To improve the device fabrication process, this work explores additive manufacturing technologies to provide an integrated and scalable approach for TE device manufacturing directly onto engineering component surfaces. Additive manufacturing techniques like thermal spray and ink-dispenser printing are developed with the aim of improving the manufacturing process of TEGs. Subtractive manufacturing techniques like laser micromachining are also studied in detail. This includes the laser processing parameters for cutting the thermal spray materials efficiently by optimizing cutting speed and power while maintaining surface quality and interface properties. Key parameters are obtained from these experiments and used to develop a process that can be used to fabricate a working TEG directly onto the waste-heat component surface. A TEG module has been fabricated for the first time entirely by using thermal spray technology and laser micromachining. The target applications include automotive exhaust systems and other high-volume industrial waste heat sources. The application of TEGs for thermoelectrically powered sensors for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) is presented. In conclusion, more ways to improve the fabrication process of TEGs are suggested.

STS-88 Onboard Photograph - The Unity Module and the Zarya

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This photograph taken during the STS-88 mission, shows the cornected Zarya (top with solar wings) and the Unity Module after having been released from the Orbiter Endeavour's cargo bay. The Unity (also called Node 1), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS), is a six-sided connector to which all future U.S. Station modules will attach and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

STS-88 Onboard Photograph - Unity and Zarya Modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This photograph, taken during the STS-88 mission, shows the cornected Unity Module or Node 1 and Zarya or the Functional Cargo Block (FGB) after having been released from the Orbiter Endeavour's cargo bay. The Unity (also called Node 1), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS), is a six-sided connector to which all future U.S. Station modules will attach. It was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity Module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

Semitransparent organic photovoltaic modules with Ag nanowire top electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Fei; Kubis, Peter; Przybilla, Thomas; Spiecker, Erdmann; Forberich, Karen; Brabec, Christoph J.

2014-10-01

Semitransparent organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells are promising for applications in transparent architectures where their opaque counterparts are not suitable. Manufacturing of large-area modules without performance losses compared to their lab-scale devices is a key step towards practical applications of this PV technology. In this paper, we report the use of solution-processed silver nanowires as top electrodes and fabricate semitransparent OPV modules based on ultra-fast laser scribing. Through a rational choice of device architecture in combination with high-precision laser patterning, we demonstrate efficient semitransparent modules with comparable performance as compared to the reference devices.

Bringing together integration technologies in GaAs, InP and Si to deliver low-cost high performance DWDM optoelectronic components and solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Andrew C.; Wale, Michael J.; Simmons, T.; Whitbread, Neil; Asghari, M.

2003-06-01

A key attribute emerging in the optoelectronic component supply industry is the ability to deliver 'solution level' products rather than discrete optical components to equipment manufacturers. This approach is primarily aimed at reducing cost for the equipment manufacturer both in engineering and assembly. Such 'solutions' must be designed to be cost effective - offering costs substantially below discrete components - and must be compatible with subcontract board manufacture without the traditional and expensive skills of fibre handling, splicing and management. Examples of 'solutions' in this context may be the core of a multifunctional OADM or a DWDM laser transmitter subsystem, with modulation, wavelength and power management all included in a simple to use module. Essential to the cost effective production of such solutions is a high degree of optical/optoelectronic integration. Co-packaging of discrete components and electronics into modules will not deliver the cost reduction demanded. At Bookham Technology we have brought together what we believe to be the three key integration technologies - InP for monolithic tunable sources, GaAs for high performance integrated modulation and ASOC for smart passives and hybrid platforms - which can deliver this cost reduction, together with performance enhancement, over a wide range of applications. In the paper we will demonstrate and compare our above integration approaches with the competing alternatives and seek to show how the power of integration is finally being harnessed in optoelectronics, delivering radical cost reduction as well as enabling system concepts virtually impossible to achieve with discrete components. In the paper we will demonstrate and compare our above integration approaches with the competing alternatives and seek to show how the power of integration is finally being harnessed in optoelectronics, delivering radical cost reduction as well as enabling system concepts virtually impossible to achieve with discrete components.

The Node 1 (or Unity) Module for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company,shows Boeing technicians preparing to install one of six hatches or doors to the Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

The Node 1 (or Unity) Module for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company, shows Boeing technicians preparing to install one of six hatches or doors to the Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

Development of a 150-GHz MMIC Module Prototype for Large-Scale CMB Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kangaslahti, Pekka P.; Samoska, Lorene A.; Gaier, Todd C.; Soria, Mary M.; Lau, Judy M.; Sieth, Matthew M.; VanWinkle, Daniel; Tantawi, Sami

2011-01-01

HEMT-based receiver arrays with excellent noise and scalability are already starting to be manufactured at 100 GHz, but the advances in technology should make it possible to develop receiver modules with even greater operation frequency up to 200 GHz. A prototype heterodyne amplifier module has been developed for operation from 140 to 170 GHz using monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuit (MMIC) low-noise InP high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) amplifiers. The compact, scalable module is centered on the 150-GHz atmospheric window using components known to operate well at these frequencies. Arrays equipped with hundreds of these modules can be optimized for many different astrophysical measurement techniques, including spectroscopy and interferometry. This module is a heterodyne receiver module that is extremely compact, and makes use of 35-nm InP HEMT technology, and which has been shown to have excellent noise temperatures when cooled cryogenically to 30 K. This reduction in system noise over prior art has been demonstrated in commercial mixers (uncooled) at frequencies of 160-180 GHz. The module is expected to achieve a system noise temperature of 60 K when cooled. An MMIC amplifier module has been designed to demonstrate the feasibility of expanding heterodyne amplifier technology to the 140 to 170-GHz frequency range for astronomical observations. The miniaturization of many standard components and the refinement of RF interconnect technology have cleared the way to mass-production of heterodyne amplifier receivers, making it a feasible technology for many large-population arrays. This work furthers the recent research efforts in compact coherent receiver modules, including the development of the Q/U Imaging ExperimenT (QUIET) modules centered at 40 and 90 GHz, and the production of heterodyne module prototypes at 90 GHz.

Automated solar cell assembly team process research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowlan, M. J.; Hogan, S. J.; Darkazalli, G.; Breen, W. F.; Murach, J. M.; Sutherland, S. F.; Patterson, J. S.

1994-06-01

This report describes work done under the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT) project, Phase 3A, which addresses problems that are generic to the photovoltaic (PV) industry. Spire's objective during Phase 3A was to use its light soldering technology and experience to design and fabricate solar cell tabbing and interconnecting equipment to develop new, high-yield, high-throughput, fully automated processes for tabbing and interconnecting thin cells. Areas that were addressed include processing rates, process control, yield, throughput, material utilization efficiency, and increased use of automation. Spire teamed with Solec International, a PV module manufacturer, and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell's Center for Productivity Enhancement (CPE), automation specialists, who are lower-tier subcontractors. A number of other PV manufacturers, including Siemens Solar, Mobil Solar, Solar Web, and Texas instruments, agreed to evaluate the processes developed under this program.

Rapid prototyping of reflectors for vehicle lighting using laser activated remote phosphor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachmayer, Roland; Kloppenburg, Gerolf; Wolf, Alexander

2015-03-01

Bright white light sources are of significant importance for automotive front lighting systems. Today's upper class vehicles mainly use HID or LED as light source. As a further step in this development laser diode based systems offer high luminance, efficiency and allow the realization of new styling concepts and new dynamic lighting functions. These white laser diode systems can either be realized by mixing different spectral sources or by combining diodes with specific phosphors. Based on the approach of generating light using a laser and remote phosphor, lighting modules are manufactured. Four blue laser diodes (450 nm) are used to activate a phosphor coating and thus to achieve white light. A segmented paraboloid reflector generates the desired light distribution for an additional car headlamp. We use high speed milling and selective laser melting to build the reflector system for this lighting module. We compare the spectral reflection grade of these materials. Furthermore the generated modules are analyzed regarding their efficiency and light distribution. The use of Rapid Prototyping technologies allows an early validation of the chosen concept and is supposed to reduce cost and time in the product development process significantly. Therefor we discuss costs and times of the applied manufacturing technologies.

Crystal growth and materials research in photovoltaics: progress and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surek, Thomas

2005-02-01

Photovoltaics (PV) is solar electric power—a semiconductor-based technology that converts sunlight to electricity. Three decades of research has led to the discovery of new materials and devices and new processing techniques for low-cost manufacturing. This has resulted in improved sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiencies, improved outdoor reliability, and lower module and system costs. The manufacture and sale of PV has grown into a $5 billion industry worldwide, with more than 740 megawatts of PV modules shipped in 2003. This paper reviews the significant progress that has occurred in PV materials and devices research over the past 30 years, focusing on the advances in crystal growth and materials research, and examines the challenges to reaching the ultimate potential of current-generation (crystalline silicon), next-generation (thin films and concentrators), and future-generation PV technologies. The latter includes innovative materials and device concepts that hold the promise of significantly higher conversion efficiencies and/or much lower costs.

Silicon pore optics for future x-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wille, Eric; Bavdaz, Marcos; Wallace, Kotska; Shortt, Brian; Collon, Maximilien; Ackermann, Marcelo; Günther, Ramses; Olde Riekerink, Mark; Koelewijn, Arenda; Haneveld, Jeroen; van Baren, Coen; Erhard, Markus; Kampf, Dirk; Christensen, Finn; Krumrey, Michael; Freyberg, Michael; Burwitz, Vadim

2017-11-01

Lightweight X-ray Wolter optics with a high angular resolution will enable the next generation of X-ray telescopes in space. The candidate mission ATHENA (Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics) required a mirror assembly of 1 m2 effective area (at 1 keV) and an angular resolution of 10 arcsec or better. These specifications can only be achieved with a novel technology like Silicon Pore Optics, which is being developed by ESA together with a consortium of European industry. Silicon Pore Optics are made of commercial Si wafers using process technology adapted from the semiconductor industry. We present the recent upgrades made to the manufacturing processes and equipment, ranging from the manufacture of single mirror plates towards complete focusing mirror modules mounted in flight configuration, and results from first vibration tests. The performance of the mirror modules is tested at X-ray facilities that were recently extended to measure optics at a focal distance up to 20 m.

SIG Galileo final converter technical summary report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hinderman, J.D.

1979-05-01

The report is primarily concerned with the work performed for DOE on converter development and fabrication for the NASA Galileo Jupiter mission as a DOE prime contractor with interface primarily with Teledyne Energy Systems. The activities reported on were directed toward design, analysis and testing of modules and converters SN-1 thru SN-7 and attendant Quality Control and Reliability effort. Although assembly and testing of SN-1 was not accomplished due to the stop work order, the design was virtually completed and a significant amount of subcontracting and manufacturing of both module and converter components was underway. These subcontracting and manufacturing activitiesmore » were selectively closed down depending upon degree of completion and material or hardware potential usage in the Technology Program.« less

Development of low cost custom hybrid microcircuit technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, K. L.; Licari, J. J.

1981-01-01

Selected potentially low cost, alternate packaging and interconnection techniques were developed and implemented in the manufacture of specific NASA/MSFC hardware, and the actual cost savings achieved by their use. The hardware chosen as the test bed for this evaluation ws the hybrids and modules manufactured by Rockwell International fo the MSFC Flight Accelerometer Safety Cut-Off System (FASCOS). Three potentially low cost packaging and interconnection alternates were selected for evaluation. This study was performed in three phases: hardware fabrication and testing, cost comparison, and reliability evaluation.

Model institutional infrastructures for recycling of photovoltaic modules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reaven, S.J.; Moskowitz, P.D.; Fthenakis, V.

1996-01-01

How will photovoltaic modules (PVMS) be recycled at the end of their service lives? This question has technological and institutional components (Reaven, 1994a). The technological aspect concerns the physical means of recycling: what advantages and disadvantages of the several existing and emerging mechanical, thermal, and chemical recycling processes and facilities merit consideration? The institutional dimension refers to the arrangements for recycling: what are the operational and financial roles of the parties with an interest in PVM recycling? These parties include PVM manufacturers, trade organizations; distributors, and retailers; residential, commercial, and utility PVM users; waste collectors, transporters, reclaimers, and reclaimers; andmore » governments.« less

Optical computing, optical memory, and SBIRs at Foster-Miller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domash, Lawrence H.

1994-03-01

A desktop design and manufacturing system for binary diffractive elements, MacBEEP, was developed with the optical researcher in mind. Optical processing systems for specialized tasks such as cellular automation computation and fractal measurement were constructed. A new family of switchable holograms has enabled several applications for control of laser beams in optical memories. New spatial light modulators and optical logic elements have been demonstrated based on a more manufacturable semiconductor technology. Novel synthetic and polymeric nonlinear materials for optical storage are under development in an integrated memory architecture. SBIR programs enable creative contributions from smaller companies, both product oriented and technology oriented, and support advances that might not otherwise be developed.

Inflatable Structures Technology Handbook. Chapter 21; Inflatable Habitats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Kriss J.; Raboin, Jasen; Spexarth, Gary; Valle, Gerard

2000-01-01

The technologies required to design, fabricate, and utilize an inflatable module for space applications has been demonstrated and proven by the TransHab team during the development phase of the program. Through testing and hands-on development several issues about inflatable space structures have been addressed , such as: ease of manufacturing, structural integrity, micrometeorite protection, folding , and vacuum deployment. The TransHab inflatable technology development program has proven that not only are inflatable structures a viable option, but they also offer significant advantages over conventional metallic structures.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-01-01

This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company,shows Boeing technicians preparing to install one of six hatches or doors to the Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-01-01

This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company, shows Boeing technicians preparing to install one of six hatches or doors to the Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

The role of printing techniques for large-area dye sensitized solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariani, Paolo; Vesce, Luigi; Di Carlo, Aldo

2015-10-01

The versatility of printing technologies and their intrinsic ability to outperform other techniques in large-area deposition gives scope to revolutionize the photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing field. Printing methods are commonly used in conventional silicon-based PVs to cover part of the production process. Screen printing techniques, for example, are applied to deposit electrical contacts on the silicon wafer. However, it is with the advent of third generation PVs that printing/coating techniques have been extensively used in almost all of the manufacturing processes. Among all the third generation PVs, dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) technology has been developed up to commercialization levels. DSSCs and modules can be fabricated by adopting all of the main printing techniques on both rigid and flexible substrates. This allows an easy tuning of cell/module characteristics to the desired application. Transparency, colour, shape, layout and other DSSC’s features can be easily varied by changing the printing parameters and paste/ink formulations used in the printing process. This review focuses on large-area printing/coating technologies for the fabrication of DSSCs devices. The most used and promising techniques are presented underlining the process parameters and applications.

U.S. Laboratory Module (Destiny) for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

In this photograph, the U.S. Laboratory Module (also called Destiny) for the International Space Station (ISS) is shown under construction in the West High Bay of the Space Station manufacturing facility (building 4708) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The U.S. Laboratory module is the centerpiece of the ISS, where science experiments will be performed in the near-zero gravity of space. The Destiny Module was launched aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-98 mission) on February 7, 2001. The aluminum module is 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) in diameter. The laboratory consists of three cylindrical sections and two endcones with hatches that will be mated to other station components. A 50.9-centimeter- (20-inch-) diameter window is located on one side of the center module segment. This pressurized module is designed to accommodate pressurized payloads. It has a capacity of 24 rack locations, and payload racks will occupy 13 locations especially designed to support experiments. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

U.S. Laboratory Module (Destiny) for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This photograph shows the U.S. Laboratory Module (also called Destiny) for the International Space Station (ISS), in the Space Station manufacturing facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center, being readied for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center. The U.S. Laboratory module is the centerpiece of the ISS, where science experiments will be performed in the near-zero gravity of space. The Destiny Module was launched aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-67 mission) on February 7, 2001. The aluminum module is 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) in diameter. The laboratory consists of three cylindrical sections and two endcones with hatches that will be mated to other station components. A 50.9-centimeter- (20-inch-) diameter window is located on one side of the center module segment. This pressurized module is designed to accommodate pressurized payloads. It has a capacity of 24 rack locations, and payload racks will occupy 13 locations especially designed to support experiments. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

U.S. Laboratory Module (Destiny) for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This photograph shows the U.S. Laboratory Module (also called Destiny) for the International Space Station (ISS), under construction in the Space Station manufacturing facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The U.S. Laboratory module is the centerpiece of the ISS, where science experiments will be performed in the near-zero gravity of space. The Destiny Module was launched aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-67 mission) on February 7, 2001. The aluminum module is 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) in diameter. The laboratory consists of three cylindrical sections and two end cones with hatches that will be mated to other station components. A 50.9-centimeter- (20-inch-) diameter window is located on one side of the center module segment. This pressurized module is designed to accommodate pressurized payloads. It has a capacity of 24 rack locations, and payload racks will occupy 13 locations especially designed to support experiments. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

Mechanical tolerances study through simulations and experimental characterization for a 1000X micro-concentrator CPV module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritou, Arnaud; Voarino, Philippe; Goubault, Baptiste; David, Nadine; Bernardis, Sarah; Raccurt, Olivier; Baudrit, Mathieu

2017-09-01

Existing CPV technology markets are not compliant with a standard configuration. Concentrations vary from several suns to more than 1000 suns and the optical technology used could be very different. Nowadays, the market trends are moving toward more and more compact optical systems in order to exploit the Light Emitting Diode (LED) like approach. The aim is to increase the optical efficiency by using an ultra-short focal distance and to improve thermal management. Moreover the efficiency to weight ratio is increasing and the solar cell size becomes sub-millimetric. With these conditions, more stringent mechanical tolerances are essential to ensure an optimum optical alignment between cells and optics. A new process of micro-concentrator manufacturing is developed in this work. This process enables manufacturing and auto-alignment of Primary Optical Elements (POE) with Secondary Optical Elements (SOE) and solar cells with respect to certain mechanical tolerances. A 1000X micro-concentrator is manufactured with 0.6 x 0.6 mm² triple-junction cells and molded silicone optics. Mechanical alignment defects are studied by ray-tracing simulations and a prototype is characterized with respect to its mechanical behavior. An efficiency of 33.4% is measured with a Cell-to-Module ratio of 77.8%.

Manufacturing and NDE of Large Composite Structures for Space Transportation at MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGill, Preston; Russell, Sam

2000-01-01

This paper presents the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) vision to manufacture, increase safety and reduce the cost of launch vehicles. Nondestructive evaluations of large composite structures are tested for space transportation at MSFC. The topics include: 1) 6 1/2 Generations of Airplanes in a Century; 2) Shuttle Safety Upgrades; 3) Generations of Reusable Launch Vehicles; 4) RLV Technology Demonstration Path; 5) Second Generation; 6) Key NASA Requirements; 7) X-33 Elements; 8) Future-X Pathfinder Projects and Experiments; 9) Focus Area Technical Goals; 10) X-34 Expanded View; 11) X-38 Spacecraft with De-Orbit Propulsion Stage (DPS); 12) Deorbit Module (DM) Critical Design Review (CDR) Design; 13) Forward Structural Adapter (FSA) CDR Design; 14) X-38 DPS CDR Design; 15) RLV Focused Propulsion Technologies; and 16) Challenges in Technology. This paper is presented in viewgraph form.

Observations of the Performance of the U.S. Laboratory Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Rod

2002-01-01

The United States Laboratory Module "Destiny" was the product of many architectural, technology, manufacturing, schedule and cost constraints which spanned 15 years. Requirements for the Space Station pressurized elements were developed and baselined in the mid to late '80's. Although the station program went through several design changes the fundamental requirements that drove the architecture did not change. Manufacturing of the U.S. Laboratory began in the early 90's. Final assembly and checkout testing completed in December of 2000. Destiny was launched, mated to the International Space Station and successfully activated on the STS-98 mission in February of 2001. The purpose of this paper is to identify key requirements, which directly or indirectly established the architecture of the U.S. Laboratory. Provide an overview of how that architecture affected the manufacture, assembly, test, and activation of the module on-orbit. And finally, through observations made during the last year of operation, provide considerations in the development of future requirements and mission integration controls for space habitats.

Status of nickel-hydrogen cell technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warnock, D. R.

1980-01-01

Nickel hydrogen cell technology has been developed which solves the problems of thermal management, oxygen management, electrolyte management, and electrical and mechanical design peculiar to this new type of battery. This technology was weight optimized for low orbit operation using computer modeling programs but is near optimum for other orbits. Cells ranging in capacity up to about 70 ampere-hours can be made from components of a single standard size and are available from two manufacturers. The knowledge gained is now being applied to the development of two extensions to the basic design: a second set of larger standard components that will cover the capacity range up to 150 ampere-hours; and the development of multicell common pressure vessel modules to reduce volume, cost and weight. A manufacturing technology program is planned to optimize the producibility of the cell design and reduce cost. The most important areas for further improvement are life and reliability which are governed by electrode and separator technology.

Packaging of ferroelectric liquid crystal-on-silicon spatial light modulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, W.; Morozova, Nina D.; Ju, TehHua; Zhang, Weidong; Lee, Yung-Cheng; McKnight, Douglas J.; Johnson, Kristina M.

1996-11-01

A self-pulling soldering technology has been demonstrated for assembling liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) spatial light modulators (SLMs). One of the major challenges in manufacturing the LCOS modules is to reproducibly control the thickness of the gap between the very large scale integrated circuit (VLSI) chip and the cover glass. The liquid crystal material is sandwiched between the VLSI chop and the cover glass which is coated with a transparent conductor. Solder joints with different profiles and sizes have been designed to provide surface tension forces to control the gap accommodating the ferroelectric liquid crystal layer in the range of a micron level with sub- micron uniformity. The optimum solder joint design is defined as a joint that results in the maximum pulling force. This technology provides an automatic, batch assembly process for a LCOS SLM through one reflow process. Fluxless soldering technology is used to assemble the module. This approach avoids residues from chemical of flux and oxides, and eliminates potential contamination to the device. Two different LCOS SLM designs and the process optimization are described.

Development of 6-DOF painting robot control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Junbiao; Liu, Jianqun; Gao, Weiqiang

2017-01-01

With the development of society, the spraying technology of manufacturing industry in China has changed from the manual operation to the 6-DOF (Degree Of Freedom)robot automatic spraying. Spraying painting robot can not only complete the work which does harm to human being, but also improve the production efficiency and save labor costs. Control system is the most critical part of the 6-DOF robots, however, there is still a lack of relevant technology research in China. It is very necessary to study a kind of control system of 6-DOF spraying painting robots which is easy to operation, and has high efficiency and stable performance. With Googol controller platform, this paper develops programs based on Windows CE embedded systems to control the robot to finish the painting work. Software development is the core of the robot control system, including the direct teaching module, playback module, motion control module, setting module, man-machine interface, alarm module, log module, etc. All the development work of the entire software system has been completed, and it has been verified that the entire software works steady and efficient.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-11-01

This photograph shows the U.S. Laboratory Module (also called Destiny) for the International Space Station (ISS), in the Space Station manufacturing facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center, being readied for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center. The U.S. Laboratory module is the centerpiece of the ISS, where science experiments will be performed in the near-zero gravity of space. The Destiny Module was launched aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-67 mission) on February 7, 2001. The aluminum module is 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) in diameter. The laboratory consists of three cylindrical sections and two endcones with hatches that will be mated to other station components. A 50.9-centimeter- (20-inch-) diameter window is located on one side of the center module segment. This pressurized module is designed to accommodate pressurized payloads. It has a capacity of 24 rack locations, and payload racks will occupy 13 locations especially designed to support experiments. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-01-01

In this photograph, the U.S. Laboratory Module (also called Destiny) for the International Space Station (ISS) is shown under construction in the West High Bay of the Space Station manufacturing facility (building 4708) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The U.S. Laboratory module is the centerpiece of the ISS, where science experiments will be performed in the near-zero gravity of space. The Destiny Module was launched aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-98 mission) on February 7, 2001. The aluminum module is 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) in diameter. The laboratory consists of three cylindrical sections and two endcones with hatches that will be mated to other station components. A 50.9-centimeter- (20-inch-) diameter window is located on one side of the center module segment. This pressurized module is designed to accommodate pressurized payloads. It has a capacity of 24 rack locations, and payload racks will occupy 13 locations especially designed to support experiments. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-11-01

In this photograph, the U.S. Laboratory Module (also called Destiny) for the International Space Station (ISS) is shown under construction in the West High Bay of the Space Station manufacturing facility (building 4708) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The U.S. Laboratory module is the centerpiece of the ISS, where science experiments will be performed in the near-zero gravity of space. The Destiny Module was launched aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-98 mission) on February 7, 2001. The aluminum module is 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) in diameter. The laboratory consists of three cylindrical sections and two endcones with hatches that will be mated to other station components. A 50.9-centimeter- (20-inch-) diameter window is located on one side of the center module segment. This pressurized module is designed to accommodate pressurized payloads. It has a capacity of 24 rack locations, and payload racks will occupy 13 locations especially designed to support experiments. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-11-26

This photograph shows the U.S. Laboratory Module (also called Destiny) for the International Space Station (ISS), under construction in the Space Station manufacturing facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The U.S. Laboratory module is the centerpiece of the ISS, where science experiments will be performed in the near-zero gravity of space. The Destiny Module was launched aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-67 mission) on February 7, 2001. The aluminum module is 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) in diameter. The laboratory consists of three cylindrical sections and two end cones with hatches that will be mated to other station components. A 50.9-centimeter- (20-inch-) diameter window is located on one side of the center module segment. This pressurized module is designed to accommodate pressurized payloads. It has a capacity of 24 rack locations, and payload racks will occupy 13 locations especially designed to support experiments. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.

CubeSub - A CubeSat Based Submersible Testbed for Space Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slettebo, Christian

2016-01-01

This report is a Master's Thesis in Aerospace Engineering, performed at the NASA Ames Research Center. It describes the development of the CubeSub, a submersible testbed compatible with the CubeSat form factor. The CubeSub will be used to mature technology and operational procedures to be used in space exploration, and possibly also as a tool for exploration of Earthly environments. CubeSats are carried as payloads, either containing technology to be tested or experiments and sensors for scientific use. The CubeSub is designed to be built up by modules, which can be assembled in different configurations to fulfill different needs. Each module is powered individually and intermodular communication is wireless, reducing the need for wiring. The inside of the hull is flooded with ambient water to simplify the interaction between payloads and surrounding environment. The overall shape is similar to that of a conventional AUV, slender and smooth. This is to make for a low drag, reduce the risk of snagging on surrounding objects and make it possible to deploy through an ice sheet via a narrow borehole. Rapid prototyping is utilized to a large extent, with full-scale prototypes being constructed through 3D-printing and with COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) components. Arduino boards are used for control and internal communication. Modules required for basic operation have been designed, manufactured and tested. Each module is described with regards to its function, design and manufacturability. By performing tests in a pool it was found that the basic concept is sound and that future improvements include better controllability, course stability and waterproofing of electrical components. Further development is needed to make the CubeSub usable for its intended purposes. The largest gains are expected to be found by developing the software and improving controllability.

Performances and failure of field-aged PV modules operating in Saharan region of Algeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadok, M.; Benyoucef, B.; Othmani, M.; Mehdaoui, A.

2016-07-01

This article deals with behaviour of PV modules, of different technologies and manufacturers, exposed for long periods in Saharan region of Algeria. These modules are exposed in Adrar in the south-western part of Algeria. The study uses experimental I-V curves of PV modules for determining their performances. The datasheet information of modules will be useful in determination of degradation rates of the modules. Three types of modules have been tested: Photowatt (PWX 500), UDTS-50 and Isofoton (I-75 and I-100 serials). Results showed that Isofoton I-100 modules present the highest degradation rate while the lowest degradation rate was reached with I-75 serial. However, these rates tallies with other studies. The visual inspection of the modules has revealed various kinds of failures and defects responsible of performances drop (EVA browning, delamination, burn marks,…).

Manufacturing Methods and Techniques for Miniature High Voltage Hybrid Multiplier Modules

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-05-06

technologies and materials,, and to demonstrate the production line capability to fabricate at the rate of 125 acceptable units per 40 hour week. - iv...Miraloma Avenue Anaheim, CA 92803 Dr. Andrew Tlcki1 Nitron Cornoratlon 10420 Bubb Road Cunertino, CA 95014 S I Commander RAt)C * ATTN: RBRII/Mr. J. Brauer

Possibilities for mixed mode chip manufacturing in EUROPRACTICE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, C.

1997-02-01

EUROPRACTICE is an EC initiative under the ESPRIT programme which aims to stimulate the wider exploitation of state-of-the-art microelectronics technologies by European industry and to enhance European industrial competitiveness in the global market-place. Through EUROPRACTICE, the EC has created a range of Basic Services that offer users a cost-effective and flexible means of accessing three main microelectronics-based technologies: Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASICs), Multi-Chip Modules (MCMs) and Microsystems. EUROPRACTICE Basic Services reduce the cost and risk for companies wishing to begin using these technologies. EUROPRACTICE offers a fully supported, low cost route for companies to design and fabricate ASICs for their individual applications. Low cost is achieved by consolidating designs from many users onto a single semiconductor wafer (MPW: Multi Project Wafer). The EUROPRACTICE IC Manufacturing Service (ICMS) offers a broad range of fabrication technologies including CMOS, BiCMOS and GaAs. The Service extends from enabling users to produce prototype ASICs for testing and evaluation, through to low-volume production runs.

Design and Test of Wendelstein 7-X Water-Cooled Divertor Scraper

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boscary, J.; Greuner, Henri; Ehrke, Gunnar

Heat load calculations have indicated the possible overloading of the ends of the water-cooled divertor facing the pumping gap beyond their technological limit. The intention of the scraper is the interception of some of the plasma fluxes both upstream and downstream before they reach the divertor surface. The scraper is divided into six modules of four plasma facing components (PFCs); each module has four PFCs hydraulically connected in series by two water boxes (inlet and outlet). A full-scale prototype of one module has been manufactured. Development activities have been carried out to connect the water boxes to the cooling pipesmore » of the PFCs by tungsten inert gas internal orbital welding. This prototype was successfully tested in the GLADIS facility with 17 MW/m2 for 500 cycles. The results of these activities have confirmed the possible technological basis for a fabrication of the water-cooled scraper.« less

From Rocks to Cement. What We Make. Science and Technology Education in Philippine Society.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philippines Univ., Quezon City. Science Education Center.

This module deals with the materials used in making concrete hollow blocks. Topics discussed include: (1) igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks; (2) weathering (the process of breaking down rocks) and its effects on rocks; (3) cement; (4) stages in the manufacturing of Portland cement; and (5) the transformation of cement into concrete…

Lightweight solar array blanket tooling, laser welding and cover process technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dillard, P. A.

1983-01-01

A two phase technology investigation was performed to demonstrate effective methods for integrating 50 micrometer thin solar cells into ultralightweight module designs. During the first phase, innovative tooling was developed which allows lightweight blankets to be fabricated in a manufacturing environment with acceptable yields. During the second phase, the tooling was improved and the feasibility of laser processing of lightweight arrays was confirmed. The development of the cell/interconnect registration tool and interconnect bonding by laser welding is described.

Advanced excimer laser technologies enable green semiconductor manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuda, Hitomi; Yoo, Youngsun; Minegishi, Yuji; Hisanaga, Naoto; Enami, Tatsuo

2014-03-01

"Green" has fast become an important and pervasive topic throughout many industries worldwide. Many companies, especially in the manufacturing industries, have taken steps to integrate green initiatives into their high-level corporate strategies. Governments have also been active in implementing various initiatives designed to increase corporate responsibility and accountability towards environmental issues. In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, there are growing concerns over future environmental impact as enormous fabs expand and new generation of equipments become larger and more powerful. To address these concerns, Gigaphoton has implemented various green initiatives for many years under the EcoPhoton™ program. The objective of this program is to drive innovations in technology and services that enable manufacturers to significantly reduce both the financial and environmental "green cost" of laser operations in high-volume manufacturing environment (HVM) - primarily focusing on electricity, gas and heat management costs. One example of such innovation is Gigaphoton's Injection-Lock system, which reduces electricity and gas utilization costs of the laser by up to 50%. Furthermore, to support the industry's transition from 300mm to the next generation 450mm wafers, technologies are being developed to create lasers that offer double the output power from 60W to 120W, but reducing electricity and gas consumption by another 50%. This means that the efficiency of lasers can be improve by up to 4 times in 450mm wafer production environments. Other future innovations include the introduction of totally Heliumfree Excimer lasers that utilize Nitrogen gas as its replacement for optical module purging. This paper discusses these and other innovations by Gigaphoton to enable green manufacturing.

Monolithically interconnected silicon-film™ module technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DelleDonne, E. J.; Ford, D. H.; Hall, R. B.; Ingram, A. E.; Rand, J. A.; Barnett, A. M.

1999-03-01

AstroPower is developing an advanced thin-silicon-based, photovoltaic module product. A low-cost monolithic interconnected device is being integrated into a module that combines the design and process features of advanced light trapped, thin-silicon solar cells. This advanced product incorporates a low-cost substrate, a nominally 50-μm thick grown silicon layer with minority carrier diffusion lengths exceeding the active layer thickness, light trapping due to back-surface reflection, and back-surface passivation. The thin silicon layer enables high solar cell performance and can lead to a module conversion efficiency as high as 19%. These performance design features, combined with low-cost manufacturing using relatively low-cost capital equipment, continuous processing and a low-cost substrate, will lead to high-performance, low-cost photovoltaic panels.

Investigation of test methods, material properties, and processes for solar cell encapsulants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willis, P. B.

1985-01-01

Progress in solar energy technology is reported in the following areas: aging and life prediction methodology and devices for solar cell encapsulation; the function of adhesion chemistry, primers, and a new diagnostic technique for estimations of bond durability; a study of fire retardant formulations for decreasing the potential flammability of solar modules; initial studies of the electrical insulating properties of encapsulation materials and measurement of the intrinsic dielectric strength; antisoiling compounds for the prevention of soil build-up on the outer surface of the module; and low temperature processing encapsulants that permit module fabrication at temperatures less than 100 C. Another area of study has been added to determine the degree to which formulation and processes affect the module quality and manufacturing yield.

Correlation between surface carbon concentration and adhesive strength at the Si cell/EVA interface in a PV module

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dhere, N.G.; Wollam, M.E.; Gadre, K.S.

1997-12-31

Silicon solar cell/EVA composite is being studied with an objective to further improve the manufacturing technology of PV modules. Sample extraction and adhesion strength measurement process has been modified. Silicon and EVA samples were extracted from solar cells of new and field-deployed modules. Optical microscopy, SEM, and AES of samples from new modules revealed EVA islands covering most of the silicon cell surface indicating a cohesive failure. A good correlation was observed between the adhesive strength and surface concentration of carbon. A low carbon concentration which indicated less EVA clinging to cell surface always resulted in low adhesive strengths. Themore » correlation provides a simple technique for inferring properties of EVA.« less

Electrostatically actuatable light modulating device

DOEpatents

Koehler, Dale R.

1991-01-01

The electrostatically actuatable light modulator utilizes an opaque substrate plate patterned with an array of aperture cells, the cells comprised of physically positionable dielectric shutters and electrostatic actuators. With incorporation of a light source and a viewing screen, a projection display system is effected. Inclusion of a color filter array aligned with the aperture cells accomplishes a color display. The system is realized in terms of a silicon based manufacturing technology allowing fabrication of a high resolution capability in a physically small device which with the utilization of included magnification optics allows both large and small projection displays.

Low-cost manufacturing of the point focus concentrating module and its key component, the Fresnel lens. Final subcontract report, 31 January 1991--6 May 1991

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saifee, T.; Konnerth, A. III

1991-11-01

Solar Kinetics, Inc. (SKI) has been developing point-focus concentrating PV modules since 1986. SKI is currently in position to manufacture between 200 to 600 kilowatts annually of the current design by a combination of manual and semi-automated methods. This report reviews the current status of module manufacture and specifies the required approach to achieve a high-volume manufacturing capability and low cost. The approach taken will include process development concurrent with module design for automated manufacturing. The current effort reviews the major manufacturing costs and identifies components and processes whose improvements would produce the greatest effect on manufacturability and cost reduction.more » The Fresnel lens is one such key component. Investigating specific alternative manufacturing methods and sources has substantially reduced the lens costs and has exceeded the DOE cost-reduction goals. 15 refs.« less

Design, Manufacture, and Experimental Serviceability Validation of ITER Blanket Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leshukov, A. Yu.; Strebkov, Yu. S.; Sviridenko, M. N.; Safronov, V. M.; Putrik, A. B.

2017-12-01

In 2014, the Russian Federation and the ITER International Organization signed two Procurement Arrangements (PAs) for ITER blanket components: 1.6.P1ARF.01 "Blanket First Wall" of February 14, 2014, and 1.6.P3.RF.01 "Blanket Module Connections" of December 19, 2014. The first PA stipulates development, manufacture, testing, and delivery to the ITER site of 179 Enhanced Heat Flux (EHF) First Wall (FW) Panels intended for withstanding the heat flux from the plasma up to 4.7MW/m2. Two Russian institutions, NIIEFA (Efremov Institute) and NIKIET, are responsible for the implementation of this PA. NIIEFA manufactures plasma-facing components (PFCs) of the EHF FW panels and performs the final assembly and testing of the panels, and NIKIET manufactures FW beam structures, load-bearing structures of PFCs, and all elements of the panel attachment system. As for the second PA, NIKIET is the sole official supplier of flexible blanket supports, electrical insulation key pads (EIKPs), and blanket module/vacuum vessel electrical connectors. Joint activities of NIKIET and NIIEFA for implementing PA 1.6.P1ARF.01 are briefly described, and information on implementation of PA 1.6.P3.RF.01 is given. Results of the engineering design and research efforts in the scope of the above PAs in 2015-2016 are reported, and results of developing the technology for manufacturing ITER blanket components are presented.

1366 Project Automate: Enabling Automation for <$0.10/W High-Efficiency Kerfless Wafers Manufactured in the US

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lorenz, Adam

For photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing to thrive in the U.S., there must be an innovative core to the technology. Project Automate builds on 1366’s proprietary Direct Wafer® kerfless wafer technology and aims to unlock the cost and efficiency advantages of thin kerfless wafers. Direct Wafer is an innovative, U.S.-friendly (efficient, low-labor content) manufacturing process that addresses the main cost barrier limiting silicon PV cost-reductions – the 35-year-old grand challenge of manufacturing quality wafers (40% of the cost of modules) without the cost and waste of sawing. This simple, scalable process will allow 1366 to manufacture “drop-in” replacement wafers for the $10more » billion silicon PV wafer market at 50% of the cost, 60% of the capital, and 30% of the electricity of conventional casting and sawing manufacturing processes. This SolarMat project developed the Direct Wafer processes’ unique capability to tailor the shape of wafers to simultaneously make thinner AND stronger wafers (with lower silicon usage) that enable high-efficiency cell architectures. By producing wafers with a unique target geometry including a thick border (which determines handling characteristics) and thin interior regions (which control light capture and electron transport and therefore determine efficiency), 1366 can simultaneously improve quality and lower cost (using less silicon).« less

Manufacturing a Long-Period Grating with Periodic Thermal Diffusion Technology on High-NA Fiber and Its Application as a High-Temperature Sensor.

PubMed

Shen, Xiang; Dai, Bin; Xing, Yingbin; Yang, Luyun; Li, Haiqing; Li, Jinyan; Peng, Jingang

2018-05-08

We demonstrated a kind of long-period fiber grating (LPFG), which is manufactured with a thermal diffusion treatment. The LPFG was inscribed on an ultrahigh-numerical-aperture (UHNA) fiber, highly doped with Ge and P, which was able to easily diffuse at high temperatures within a few seconds. We analyzed how the elements diffused at a high temperature over 1300 °C in the UHNA fiber. Then we developed a periodically heated technology with a CO₂ laser, which was able to cause the diffusion of the elements to constitute the modulations of an LPFG. With this technology, there is little damage to the outer structure of the fiber, which is different from the traditional LPFG, as it is periodically tapered. Since the LPFG itself was manufactured under high temperature, it can withstand higher temperatures than traditional LPFGs. Furthermore, the LPFG presents a higher sensitivity to high temperature due to the large amount of Ge doping, which is approximately 100 pm/°C. In addition, the LPFG shows insensitivity to the changing of the environment’s refractive index and strain.

Modelling of double air-bridged structured inductor implemented by a GaAs integrated passive device manufacturing process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Yao, Zhao; Zhang, Chun-Wei; Fu, Xiao-Qian; Li, Zhi-Ming; Li, Nian-Qiang; Wang, Cong

2017-05-01

In order to provide excellent performance and show the development of a complicated structure in a module and system, this paper presents a double air-bridge-structured symmetrical differential inductor based on integrated passive device technology. Corresponding to the proposed complicated structure, a new manufacturing process fabricated on a high-resistivity GaAs substrate is described in detail. Frequency-independent physical models are presented with lump elements and the results of skin effect-based measurements. Finally, some key features of the inductor are compared; good agreement between the measurements and modeled circuit fully verifies the validity of the proposed modeling approach. Meanwhile, we also present a comparison of different coil turns for inductor performance. The proposed work can provide a good solution for the design, fabrication, modeling, and practical application of radio-frequency modules and systems.

Silicon pore optics for the international x-ray observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wille, E.; Wallace, K.; Bavdaz, M.; Collon, M. J.; Günther, R.; Ackermann, M.; Beijersbergen, M. W.; Riekerink, M. O.; Blom, M.; Lansdorp, B.; de Vreede, L.

2017-11-01

Lightweight X-ray Wolter optics with a high angular resolution will enable the next generation of X-ray telescopes in space. The International X-ray Observatory (IXO) requires a mirror assembly of 3 m2 effective area (at 1.5 keV) and an angular resolution of 5 arcsec. These specifications can only be achieved with a novel technology like Silicon Pore Optics, which is developed by ESA together with a consortium of European industry. Silicon Pore Optics are made of commercial Si wafers using process technology adapted from the semiconductor industry. We present the manufacturing process ranging from single mirror plates towards complete focusing mirror modules mounted in flight configuration. The performance of the mirror modules is tested using X-ray pencil beams or full X-ray illumination. In 2009, an angular resolution of 9 arcsec was achieved, demonstrating the improvement of the technology compared to 17 arcsec in 2007. Further development activities of Silicon Pore Optics concentrate on ruggedizing the mounting system and performing environmental tests, integrating baffles into the mirror modules and assessing the mass production.

A 1.3-μm four-channel directly modulated laser array fabricated by SAG-Upper-SCH technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Fei; Lu, Dan; Zhang, Ruikang; Liu, Songtao; Sun, Mengdie; Kan, Qiang; Ji, Chen

2017-01-01

A monolithically integrated four-channel directly modulated laser (DML) array working at the 1.3-μm band is demonstrated. The laser was manufactured by using the techniques of selective area growth (SAG) of the upper separate confinement heterostructure (Upper-SCH) and modified butt-joint method. The fabricated device showed stable single mode operation with the side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) >35 dB, and high wavelength accuracy with the deviations from the linear fitted values <±0.03 nm for all channels. Furthermore, small signal modulation bandwidth >7 GHz was obtained, which may be suitable for 40 GbE applications in the 1.3-μm band.

Why silicon is and will remain the dominant photovoltaic material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Rajendra

2009-07-01

Rising demands of energy in emerging economies, coupled with the green house gas emissions related problems around the globe have provided a unique opportunity of exploiting the advantages offered by photovoltaic (PV) systems for green energy electricity generation. Similar to cell phones, power generated by PV systems can reach over two billion people worldwide who have no access to clean energy. Only silicon based PV devices meet the low-cost manufacturing criterion of clean energy conversion (abundance of raw material and no environmental health and safety issues). The use of larger size glass substrates and manufacturing techniques similar to the ones used by the liquid crystal display industry and the large scale manufacturing of amorphous silicon thin films based modules (~ GW per year manufacturing at a single location) can lead to installed PV system cost of $3/Wp. This will open a huge market for grid connected PV systems and related markets. With further research and development, this approach can provide $2/Wp installed PV system costs in the next few years. At this cost level, PV electricity generation is competitive with any other technology, and PV power generation can be a dominant electricity generation technology in the 21st century.

Development of software for computing forming information using a component based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Kwang Hee; Park, Jiing Seo; Kim, Jung; Kim, Young Bum; Shin, Jong Gye

2009-12-01

In shipbuilding industry, the manufacturing technology> has advanced at an unprecedented pace for the last decade. As a result, many automatic systems for cutting, welding, etc. have been developed and employed in the manufacturing process and accordingly the productivity has been increased drastically. Despite such improvement in the manufacturing technology', however, development of an automatic system for fabricating a curved hull plate remains at the beginning stage since hardware and software for the automation of the curved hull fabrication process should be developed differently depending on the dimensions of plates, forming methods and manufacturing processes of each shipyard. To deal with this problem, it is necessary> to create a "plug-in ''framework, which can adopt various kinds of hardware and software to construct a full automatic fabrication system. In this paper, a frame-work for automatic fabrication of curved hull plates is proposed, which consists of four components and related software. In particular the software module for computing fabrication information is developed by using the ooCBD development methodology; which can interface with other hardware and software with minimum effort. Examples of the proposed framework applied to medium and large shipyards are presented.

Automated aray assembly, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daiello, R. V.

1979-01-01

A manufacturing process suitable for the large-scale production of silicon solar array modules at a cost of less than $500/peak kW is described. Factors which control the efficiency of ion implanted silicon solar cells, screen-printed thick film metallization, spray-on antireflection coating process, and panel assembly are discussed. Conclusions regarding technological readiness or cost effectiveness of individual process steps are presented.

Heat exchanger development at Reaction Engines Ltd.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varvill, Richard

2010-05-01

The SABRE engine for SKYLON has a sophisticated thermodynamic cycle with heat transfer between the fluid streams. The intake airflow is cooled in an efficient counterflow precooler, consisting of many thousand small bore thin wall tubes. Precooler manufacturing technology has been under investigation at REL for a number of years with the result that flightweight matrix modules can now be produced. A major difficulty with cooling the airflow to sub-zero temperatures at low altitude is the problem of frost formation. Frost control technology has been developed which enables steady state operation. The helium loop requires a top cycle heat exchanger (HX3) to deliver a constant inlet temperature to the main turbine. This is constructed in silicon carbide and the feasibility of manufacturing various matrix geometries has been investigated along with suitable joining techniques. A demonstration precooler will be made to run in front of a Viper jet engine at REL's B9 test facility in 2011. This precooler will incorporate full frost control and be built from full size SABRE engine modules. The facility will incorporate a high pressure helium loop that rejects the absorbed heat to a bath of liquid nitrogen.

Numerical modeling of uncertainty and variability in the technology, manufacturing, and economics of crystalline silicon photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ristow, Alan H.

2008-10-01

Electricity generated from photovoltaics (PV) promises to satisfy the world's ever-growing thirst for energy without significant pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. At present, however, PV is several times too expensive to compete economically with conventional sources of electricity delivered via the power grid. To ensure long-term success, must achieve cost parity with electricity generated by conventional sources of electricity. This requires detailed understanding of the relationship between technology and economics as it pertains to PV devices and systems. The research tasks of this thesis focus on developing and using four types of models in concert to develop a complete picture of how solar cell technology and design choices affect the quantity and cost of energy produced by PV systems. It is shown in this thesis that high-efficiency solar cells can leverage balance-of-systems (BOS) costs to gain an economic advantage over solar cells with low efficiencies. This advantage is quantified and dubbed the "efficiency premium." Solar cell device models are linked to models of manufacturing cost and PV system performance to estimate both PV system cost and performance. These, in turn, are linked to a model of levelized electricity cost to estimate the per-kilowatt-hour cost of electricity produced by the PV system. A numerical PV module manufacturing cost model is developed to facilitate this analysis. The models and methods developed in this thesis are used to propose a roadmap to high-efficiency multicrystalline-silicon PV modules that achieve cost parity with electricity from the grid. The impact of PV system failures on the cost of electricity is also investigated; from this, a methodology is proposed for improving the reliability of PV inverters.

Technology modules from micro- and nano-electronics for the life sciences.

PubMed

Birkholz, M; Mai, A; Wenger, C; Meliani, C; Scholz, R

2016-05-01

The capabilities of modern semiconductor manufacturing offer remarkable possibilities to be applied in life science research as well as for its commercialization. In this review, the technology modules available in micro- and nano-electronics are exemplarily presented for the case of 250 and 130 nm technology nodes. Preparation procedures and the different transistor types as available in complementary metal-oxide-silicon devices (CMOS) and BipolarCMOS (BiCMOS) technologies are introduced as key elements of comprehensive chip architectures. Techniques for circuit design and the elements of completely integrated bioelectronics systems are outlined. The possibility for life scientists to make use of these technology modules for their research and development projects via so-called multi-project wafer services is emphasized. Various examples from diverse fields such as (1) immobilization of biomolecules and cells on semiconductor surfaces, (2) biosensors operating by different principles such as affinity viscosimetry, impedance spectroscopy, and dielectrophoresis, (3) complete systems for human body implants and monitors for bioreactors, and (4) the combination of microelectronics with microfluidics either by chip-in-polymer integration as well as Si-based microfluidics are demonstrated from joint developments with partners from biotechnology and medicine. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2016, 8:355-377. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1367 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Apparel Manufacture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center teamed with the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in 1989 on a program involving development of advanced simulation software. Concurrently, the State of Alabama chartered UAH to conduct a technology advancement program in support of the state's apparel manufacturers. In 1992, under contract to Marshall, UAH developed an apparel-specific software package that allows manufacturers to design and analyze modules without making an actual investment -- it functions on ordinary PC equipment. By 1995, Marshall had responded to requests for the package from more than 400 companies in 36 states; some of which reported savings up to $2 million. The National Garment Company of Missouri, for example, uses the system to design and balance a modular line before committing to expensive hardware; for setting up sewing lines; and for determining the composition of a new team.

Development with quasi-bipolar Horizon{reg_sign} technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Craven, W.B.

1997-12-01

Electrosource Inc. (ELSI) is now in production with an Electric Vehicle (EV) battery based on fundamental advances in materials design, manufacturing processes and well understood lead-acid electrochemistry. The production 12V-85Ah module is rated at 45 Whr/kg, 223 W/kg and 400 C/3 cycles. Production test modules have achieved over 50 Whr/kg and 500 cycles. Chrysler has chosen the Electrosource Horizon Battery for their EV Minivan that will be in production next year. Design flexibility has led to a Hybrid electric vehicle battery as well as SLI, UPS and portable power.

A framework for development of an intelligent system for design and manufacturing of stamping dies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussein, H. M. A.; Kumar, S.

2014-07-01

An integration of computer aided design (CAD), computer aided process planning (CAPP) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) is required for development of an intelligent system to design and manufacture stamping dies in sheet metal industries. In this paper, a framework for development of an intelligent system for design and manufacturing of stamping dies is proposed. In the proposed framework, the intelligent system is structured in form of various expert system modules for different activities of design and manufacturing of dies. All system modules are integrated with each other. The proposed system takes its input in form of a CAD file of sheet metal part, and then system modules automate all tasks related to design and manufacturing of stamping dies. Modules are coded using Visual Basic (VB) and developed on the platform of AutoCAD software.

Laser profilometer module based on a low-temperature cofired ceramic substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heikkinen, Veli; Heikkinen, Mikko; Keranen, Kimmo; Mitikka, Risto S.; Putila, Veli-Pekka; Tukkiniemi, Kari

2005-09-01

We realized a laser profilometer module using low temperature cofired ceramics technology. The device consists of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser as the light source and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensor as the detector. The laser transmitter produces a thin light stripe on the measurable object, and the receiver calculates the distance profile using triangulation. Because the design of optoelectronic modules, such as the laser profilometer, is usually carried out using specialized software, its electronic compatibility is very important. We developed a data transmission network using commercial optical, electrical, and mechanical design software, which enabled us to electronically transfer data between the designers. The module electronics were realized with multilayer ceramics technology that eases component assembly by providing precision alignment features in the substrate. The housing was manufactured from aluminum using electronic data transfer from the mechanical design software to the five-axis milling workstation. Target distance profiles were obtained from 100 points with an accuracy varying from 0.1 mm at a 5-cm distance to 2 cm at 1.5 m. The module has potential for distance measurement in portable devices where small size, light weight, and low power consumption are important.

Energy requirement for the production of silicon solar arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindmayer, J.; Wihl, M.; Scheinine, A.; Rosenfield, T.; Wrigley, C. Y.; Morrison, A.; Anderson, J.; Clifford, A.; Lafky, W.

1977-01-01

The results of a study to investigate the feasibility of manufacturing photovoltaic solar array modules by the use of energy obtained from similar or identical photovoltaic sources are presented. The primary objective of this investigation was the characterization of the energy requirements of current and developing technologies which comprise the photovoltaic field. For cross-checking the energies of prevailing technologies data were also used and the wide-range assessment of alternative technologies included different refinement methods, various ways of producing light sheets, semicrystalline cells, etc. Energy data are utilized to model the behavior of a future solar breeder plant under various operational conditions.

Energy management of fuel cell/solar cell/supercapacitor hybrid power source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thounthong, Phatiphat; Chunkag, Viboon; Sethakul, Panarit; Sikkabut, Suwat; Pierfederici, Serge; Davat, Bernard

This study presents an original control algorithm for a hybrid energy system with a renewable energy source, namely, a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and a photovoltaic (PV) array. A single storage device, i.e., a supercapacitor (ultracapacitor) module, is in the proposed structure. The main weak point of fuel cells (FCs) is slow dynamics because the power slope is limited to prevent fuel starvation problems, improve performance and increase lifetime. The very fast power response and high specific power of a supercapacitor complements the slower power output of the main source to produce the compatibility and performance characteristics needed in a load. The energy in the system is balanced by d.c.-bus energy regulation (or indirect voltage regulation). A supercapacitor module functions by supplying energy to regulate the d.c.-bus energy. The fuel cell, as a slow dynamic source in this system, supplies energy to the supercapacitor module in order to keep it charged. The photovoltaic array assists the fuel cell during daytime. To verify the proposed principle, a hardware system is realized with analog circuits for the fuel cell, solar cell and supercapacitor current control loops, and with numerical calculation (dSPACE) for the energy control loops. Experimental results with small-scale devices, namely, a PEMFC (1200 W, 46 A) manufactured by the Ballard Power System Company, a photovoltaic array (800 W, 31 A) manufactured by the Ekarat Solar Company and a supercapacitor module (100 F, 32 V) manufactured by the Maxwell Technologies Company, illustrate the excellent energy-management scheme during load cycles.

NREL Photovoltaic Program. FY 1994 annual report, October 1, 1993--September 30, 1994

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-06-01

This report summarizes the in-house and subcontracted research and development activities under the National renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Photovoltaics (PV) program for fiscal year 1994. Research is organized under the following areas; PV program management; crystalline silicon and advanced devices; thin-film PV technologies; PV manufacturing; PV module and system performance and engineering; and PV applications and markets.

Materials and fabrication technology of modules intended for irradiation tests of blanket tritium-breeding zones in Russian fusion reactor projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapychev, V.; Davydov, D.; Gorokhov, V.; Ioltukhovskiy, A.; Kazennov, Yu; Tebus, V.; Frolov, V.; Shikov, A.; Shishkov, N.; Kovalenko, V.; Shishkin, N.; Strebkov, Yu

2000-12-01

This paper surveys the modules and materials of blanket tritium-breeding zones developed in the Russian Federation for fusion reactors. Synthesis of lithium orthosilicate, metasilicate and aluminate, fabrication of ceramic pellets and pebbles and experimental reactor units are described. Results of tritium extraction kinetics under irradiation in a water-graphite reactor at a thermal neutron flux of 5×10 13 neutron/(s cm2) are considered. At the present time, development and fabrication of lithium orthosilicate-beryllium modules of the tritium-breeding zone (TBZ), have been carried out within the framework of the ITER and DEMO projects. Two modules containing orthosilicate pellets, porous beryllium and beryllium pebbles are suggested for irradiation tests in the temperature range of 350-700°C. Technical problems associated with manufacturing of the modules are discussed.

Optical design for reliability and efficiency in concentrating photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leutz, Ralf; Annen, Hans Philipp; Fu, Ling

2010-08-01

Complex systems like modules in concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) are designed in a systems approach. The better the components are concerted, the better the performance goals of the system can be fulfilled. Optics are central to the CPV module's reliability and efficiency. Fresnel lens optics provide the module cover, and protect the module against the environment. Fresnel lenses on glass can provide the module's structural integrity. The secondary optical element, used to increase the collection of light, the acceptance half-angle, and the uniformity on the cell, may provide encapsulation for the receiver. This encapsulation function may be provided by some optical designs in sol gel, or silicone. Both materials are unknown in their longevity in this application. We present optical designs fulfilling structural or protective functions, discuss the optical penalties to be paid, and the innovative materials and manufacturing technologies to be tested.

1366 Project Silicon: Reclaiming US Silicon PV Leadership

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lorenz, Adam

1366 Technologies’ Project Silicon addresses two of the major goals of the DOE’s PV Manufacturing Initiative Part 2 program: 1) How to reclaim a strong silicon PV manufacturing presence and; 2) How to lower the levelized cost of electricity (“LCOE”) for solar to $0.05-$0.07/kWh, enabling wide-scale U.S. market adoption. To achieve these two goals, US companies must commercialize disruptive, high-value technologies that are capable of rapid scaling, defensible from foreign competition, and suited for US manufacturing. These are the aims of 1366 Technologies Direct Wafer ™ process. The research conducted during Project Silicon led to the first industrial scaling ofmore » 1366’s Direct Wafer™ process – an innovative, US-friendly (efficient, low-labor content) manufacturing process that destroys the main cost barrier limiting silicon PV cost-reductions: the 35-year-old grand challenge of making quality wafers (40% of the cost of modules) without the cost and waste of sawing. The SunPath program made it possible for 1366 Technologies to build its demonstration factory, a key and critical step in the Company’s evolution. The demonstration factory allowed 1366 to build every step of the process flow at production size, eliminating potential risk and ensuring the success of the Company’s subsequent scaling for a 1 GW factory to be constructed in Western New York in 2016 and 2017. Moreover, the commercial viability of the Direct Wafer process and its resulting wafers were established as 1366 formed key strategic partnerships, gained entry into the $8B/year multi-Si wafer market, and installed modules featuring Direct Wafer products – the veritable proving grounds for the technology. The program also contributed to the development of three Generation 3 Direct Wafer furnaces. These furnaces are the platform for copying intelligently and preparing our supply chain – large-scale expansion will not require a bigger machine but more machines. SunPath filled the crucial development step between the original research effort in Lexington and the GW factory scheduled to be online before the end of the decade. At the conclusion of the project, it is clear that the Direct Wafer™ technology will have a dramatic impact on the entire silicon photovoltaic supply chain by effectively doubling existing silicon capacity (by reducing silicon usage by 50%) and reducing supply chain capital costs by 35%. The technology, when fully-scaled in the US, will also lead to significant job growth, with the eventual creation of 1,000 jobs in Western New York.« less

Recovery Act: Beneficial CO{sub 2} Capture in an Integrated Algal Biorefinery for Renewable Generation and Transportation Fuels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lane, Christopher; Hampel, Kristin; Rismani-Yazdi, Hamid

DOE DE-FE0001888 Award, Phase 2, funded research, development, and deployment (RD&D) of Phycal’s pilot-scale, algae to biofuels, bioproducts, and processing facility in Hawai’i. Phycal’s algal-biofuel and bioproducts production system integrates several novel and mature technologies into a system that captures and reuses industrially produced carbon dioxide emissions, which would otherwise go directly to the atmosphere, for the manufacture of renewable energy products and bioproducts from algae (note that these algae are not genetically engineered). At the end of Phase 2, the project as proposed was to encompass 34 acres in Central Oahu and provide large open ponds for algal massmore » culturing, heterotrophic reactors for the Heteroboost™ process, processing facilities, water recycling facilities, anaerobic digestion facilities, and other integrated processes. The Phase 2 award was divided into two modules, Modules 1 & 2, where the Module 1 effort addressed critical scaling issues, tested highest risk technologies, and set the overall infrastructure needed for a Module 2. Phycal terminated the project prior to executing construction of the first Module. This Final Report covers the development research, detailed design, and the proposed operating strategy for Module 1 of Phase 2.« less

Manufacturing technologies for photovoltaics and possible means of their development in Russia (Review). Part 1: General approach to the development of photoelectric converters and basic silicon technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarasenko, A. B.; Popel', O. S.

2015-11-01

The state and key tendencies of the development of basic technologies for manufacture of photoelectric converters (PECs) in the world are considered, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The first part of the review gives short information on the development of photovoltaics in the world and planes of the development of solar power plants in Russia. Total power of photoelectric plants operating in various countries in 2015 exceeded 150 GW and increased in the last ten years with a rate of approximately 50% per year. Russia made important state decisions on the support of the development of renewable power engineering and developed mechanisms, which were attractive for business, on the stimulation of building of the network of solar power plants with a total power to 1.5 GW in the country to 2020. At the same time, the rigid demands are made with respect to the localization of the production of components of these plants that opens new abilities for the development of the domestic production of photovoltaics manufacture. Data on the efficiency of PECs of various types that are attained in the leading laboratories of the world are given. Particular emphasis has been placed on the consideration of basic silicon technologies of PEC manufacture, which had the widest commercial application. The basic methods for production of polycrystalline silicon and making single-crystal and multicrystal silicon are described. Fundamentals of making techniques for plates, PECs, and photoelectric modules based on single-crystal and polycrystalline silicon are considered. The second part will be devoted to modifications of manufacturing techniques for photoelectric converters, enhancement methods for contact structures, and recommendations of authors with respect to the choice of prospective technologies for the expansion of PEC production in Russia. It will involve formulations and substantiations of the most promising lines of the development of photoelectric converter production in Russia, based on the planned implementation of the network of solar power plants to 2020 with the national assistance under condition of the fulfillment of the rigid requirements to manufacture localization.

The Capital Intensity of Photovoltaics Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Basore, Paul

2015-10-19

Factory capital expenditure (capex) for photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing strongly influences the per-unit cost of a c-Si module. This provides a significant opportunity to address the U.S. DOE SunShot module price target through capex innovation. Innovation options to reduce the capex of PV manufacturing include incremental and disruptive process innovation with c-Si, platform innovations, and financial approaches. and financial approaches.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holley, W A

This report describes work performed under a subcontract to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory under the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology Project. The objectives of this subcontract are to (1) define the problem of yellowing/browning of EVA-based encapsulants; (2) determine probable mechanisms and the role of various parameters such as heat, UV exposure, module construction, EVA interfaces, and EVA thickness, in the browning of EVA-based encapsulants; (3) develop stabilization strategies for various module constructions to protect the encapsulant from degradative failure; (4) conduct laboratory, accelerated outdoor, and field testing of encapsulant, laminated test coupons, and full modules to demonstrate the functional adequacymore » of the stabilization strategies; and (5) implement these strategies. This report summarizes the accomplishments related to the above goals for the reporting period.« less

Roadmap for Testing and Validation of Electric Vehicle Communication Standards

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pratt, Richard M.; Tuffner, Francis K.; Gowri, Krishnan

Vehicle to grid communication standards are critical to the charge management and interoperability among plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), charging stations and utility providers. The Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the ZigBee Alliance are developing requirements for communication messages and protocols. While interoperability standards development has been in progress for more than two years, no definitive guidelines are available for the automobile manufacturers, charging station manufacturers or utility backhaul network systems. At present, there is a wide range of proprietary communication options developed and supported in the industry. Recent work bymore » the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in collaboration with SAE and automobile manufacturers, has identified performance requirements and developed a test plan based on possible communication pathways using power line communication (PLC). Though the communication pathways and power line communication technology options are identified, much work needs to be done in developing application software and testing of communication modules before these can be deployed in production vehicles. This paper presents a roadmap and results from testing power line communication modules developed to meet the requirements of SAE J2847/1 standard.« less

Innovation in Photovoltaic Science, Engineering, and Policy: A Potential Trillion-Dollar Global Industry for Sustainable Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Cheng

The solar photovoltaic (PV) technology was an expensive niche energy source only for satellite applications, hallmarked by the Bell Lab's launch of the Telstar satellite with PV cells in 1962. Over the past decades, the accumulation of vast amount of effort across various disciplines in science, engineering, and policy has enabled the phenomenal growth of the solar PV industry into a global enterprise with about 140 gigawatt (GW) of cumulative installations by the end of 2013. Further cost reduction through innovation holds the promise in deploying terawatt (TW)-scale solar PV systems globally in both developed and developing countries, meeting growing energy demand and mitigating climate change. Chapter 1 presents a big picture view of the unsustainable path, heavily relying on fossil fuels, in the current global energy landscape. The main body of the dissertation examines the solar PV technology from a holistic and interdisciplinary perspective: from the basic research, to innovations in manufacturing and installing PV modules, to the driving energy policies. Chapter 2 offers a fundamental understanding of the PV technology and a review on recent scientific advances in improving PV efficiency (W/m 2). Chapter 3 reviews the state-of-the-art process flow in manufacturing commercial PV modules. In the context of pursuing further reduction in manufacturing cost (/m2), the thin Si film concept and its recent research effort are reviewed. Aiming to explore novel ways to produce high-quality seed crystals for thin Si film deposition, the key findings of the laser crystallization experiment is presented in Chapter 4. The fundamental thermophysics of nucleation and crystal growth is first reviewed, which highlights the importance of temperature evolution and heat transport in modelling the ultrafast laser crystallization process. Laser crystallization of a range of Si nanostructures are then carried out to study the nucleation and crystal growth behavior under some novel conditions, such as suspended narrow Si membranes and Si nanoparticles confined on top of oxide nanostructures. The cost of a PV module (/W) is determined by both its rated efficiency (W/m2) and its manufacturing cost (/m2). However, the same PV module with the same cost can lead to significantly different levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) in /kWh, depending on the location and configuration of the installed PV system. Chapter 5 starts with an overview of the geographic distribution of solar resources and retail electricity rates, which yield a range of grid parity points across the world. Then, energy yield simulations for different PV panel tilt configurations are carried out using the angle-and-wavelength-resolved solar irradiance data, to examine the effect of angular and spectral variations in the solar spectrum on system performance. Energy policies have been the driving forces for the phenomenal progress of the PV technology: the continuing reduction in cost and the rapid growth in deployment. Chapter 6 first reviews major policy instruments for PV, and then discusses about a few important policy lessons from the rapid development of the global PV industry during 2000-2013. Concerned with the mounting fiscal pressure from deployment incentives and focused on further cost reductions, an innovation-focused policy framework is proposed to revive the PV manufacturing sector and to pursue an innovation-driven global PV industry moving forward.

Photovoltaics: Energy for the New Millenium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surek, Thomas

2000-04-01

Photovoltaics (PV) is a semiconductor-based technology that directly converts sunlight to electricity. The stimulus for terrestrial PV started more than 25 years ago in response to the oil crises of the 1970s, which resulted in major government programs in the United States, Europe, Japan, and elsewhere. Ongoing concerns with the global environment, as well as the worldwide efforts to seek alternate, indigenous sources of energy, continue to drive the investment in PV research and deployment. Today, the manufacture, sale, and use of PV has become a billion-dollar industry worldwide, with nearly 200 megawatts (MW) of PV modules shipped in 1999. The twenty five years of research and development led to the discovery of new PV materials, devices, and fabrication approaches; continuing improvements in the efficiency and reliability of solar cells and modules; and lower PV module and system costs. This talk reviews the rapid progress that has occurred in PV technology from the laboratory to the marketplace, including reviews of the leading technology options, status and issues, and key industry players. New processes for fabricating PV materials and devices, and innovative PV approaches with low-cost potential are elements of an ongoing research program aimed at future advancements in PV cost and performance While major market opportunities continue to exist in the developing countries, where sizable populations are without any electricity, today's manufacturing expansions are fueled by market initiatives for grid-connected PV in residential and commercial buildings. The combinations of increased production capacities, with the attendant cost reductions as a result of economies of scale, are expected to lead to sustainable markets. A key to achieving the ultimate potential of PV is to continue to increase the sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiencies and translate the laboratory successes to cost-competitive products. Building a robust technology base is essential to overcoming this high-risk transition. Then PV will make a globally significant contribution to our energy supply and environment.

Editorial: Photovoltaic Materials and Devices 2014

DOE PAGES

Sopori, Bhushan; Rupnowski, Peter; Shet, Sudhakar; ...

2014-12-22

An ever increasing demand on energy has fostered many new generation technologies, which include photovoltaics. In recent years, photovoltaic industry has grown very rapidly. The installed capacity of PV for 2013 was about 37 GW and 2014 sales are expected to be around 45 GW. However, there has been excess production for last several years, which is responsible in part for the low prices (about 60 c/W). To lower the PV energy costs further, a major strategy appears to be going to high efficiency solar cells. This approach is favored (over lower cost/lower efficiency) because cell efficiency has a verymore » large influence on the acceptable manufacturing cost of a PV module. Hence, the PV industry is moving toward developing processes and equipment to manufacture solar cells that can yield efficiencies >20%. Therefore, further research is needed within existing technologies to accomplish these objectives. Likewise, research will continue to seek new materials and devices.« less

Thin EFG octagons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalejs, J. P.

1994-01-01

Mobil Solar Energy Corporation currently practices a unique crystal growth technology for producing crystalline silicon sheet, which is then cut with lasers into wafers. The wafers are processed into solar cells and incorporated into modules for photovoltaic applications. The silicon sheet is produced using a method known as Edge-defined Film-fed growth (EFG), in the form of hollow eight-sided polygons (octagons) with 10 cm faces. These are grown to lengths of 5 meters and thickness of 300 microns, with continuous melt replenishment, in compact furnaces designed to operate at a high sheet area production area of 135 sq cm/min. The present Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT) three-year program seeks to advance the manufacturing line capabilities of the Mobil Solar crystal growth and cutting technologies. If successful, these advancements will provide significant reductions in already low silicon raw material usage, improve process productivity, laser cutting throughput and yield, and so lower both individual wafer cost and the cost of module production. This report summarizes the significant technical improvements in EFG technology achieved in Phase 1 of this program. Technical results are reported for each of the three main program areas: (1) thin octagon growth (crystal growth) -- to reduce the thickness of the octagon to an interim goal of 250 microns during Phase 1, with an ultimate goal of achieving 200 micron thicknesses; (2) laser cutting -- to improve the laser cutting process, so as to produce wafers with decreased laser cutting damage at increased wafer throughput rates; and (3) process control and product specification -- to implement advanced strategies in crystal growth process control and productivity designed to increase wafer yields.

Will we exceed 50% efficiency in photovoltaics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luque, Antonio

2011-08-01

Solar energy is the most abundant and reliable source of energy we have to provide for the multi-terawatt challenge we are facing. Although huge, this resource is relatively dispersed. High conversion efficiency is probably necessary for cost effectiveness. Solar cell efficiencies above 40% have been achieved with multijunction (MJ) solar cells. These achievements are here described. Possible paths for improvement are hinted at including third generation photovoltaics concepts. It is concluded that it is very likely that the target of 50% will eventually be achieved. This high efficiency requires operating under concentrated sunlight, partly because concentration helps increase the efficiency but mainly because the cost of the sophisticated cells needed can only be paid by extracting as much electric power form each cell as possible. The optical challenges associated with the concentrator optics and the tools for overcoming them, in particular non-imaging optics, are briefly discussed and the results and trends are described. It is probable that optical efficiency over 90% will be possible in the future. This would lead to a module efficiency of 45%. The manufacturing of a concentrator has to be addressed at three levels of integration: module, array, and photovoltaic (PV) subfield. The PV plant as a whole is very similar than a flat module PV plant with two-axes tracking. At the module level, the development of tools for easy manufacturing and quality control is an important topic. Furthermore, they can accommodate in different position cells with different spectral sensitivities so complementing the effort in manufacturing MJ cells. At the array level, a proper definition of the nameplate watts, since the diffuse light is not used, is under discussion. The cost of installation of arrays in the field can be very much reduced by self aligning tracking control strategies. At the subfield level, aspects such as the self shadowing of arrays causes the CPV subfields to be sparsely packed leading to a ground efficiency, in the range of 10%, that in some cases will be below that of fixed modules of much lower cell efficiency. All this taken into account, High Concentration PV (HCPV) has the opportunity to become the cheapest of the PV technologies and beat the prevalent electricity generation technologies. Of course the way will be paved with challenges, and success is not guaranteed.

Technology advances needed for photovoltaics to achieve widespread grid price parity: Widespread grid price parity for photovoltaics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones-Albertus, Rebecca; Feldman, David; Fu, Ran

2016-04-20

To quantify the potential value of technological advances to the photovoltaics (PV) sector, this paper examines the impact of changes to key PV module and system parameters on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). The parameters selected include module manufacturing cost, efficiency, degradation rate, and service lifetime. NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM) is used to calculate the lifecycle cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for residential, commercial, and utility scale PV systems within the contiguous United States, with a focus on utility scale. Different technological pathways are illustrated that may achieve the Department of Energy's SunShot goal of PV electricity that ismore » at grid price parity with conventional electricity sources. In addition, the impacts on the 2015 baseline LCOE due to changes to each parameter are shown. These results may be used to identify research directions with the greatest potential to impact the cost of PV electricity.« less

Thermoelectric Device Fabrication Using Thermal Spray and Laser Micromachining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tewolde, Mahder; Fu, Gaosheng; Hwang, David J.; Zuo, Lei; Sampath, Sanjay; Longtin, Jon P.

2016-02-01

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are solid-state devices that convert heat directly into electricity. They are used in many engineering applications such as vehicle and industrial waste-heat recovery systems to provide electrical power, improve operating efficiency and reduce costs. State-of-art TEG manufacturing is based on prefabricated materials and a labor-intensive process involving soldering, epoxy bonding, and mechanical clamping for assembly. This reduces their durability and raises costs. Additive manufacturing technologies, such as thermal spray, present opportunities to overcome these challenges. In this work, TEGs have been fabricated for the first time using thermal spray technology and laser micromachining. The TEGs are fabricated directly onto engineering component surfaces. First, current fabrication techniques of TEGs are presented. Next, the steps required to fabricate a thermal spray-based TEG module, including the formation of the metallic interconnect layers and the thermoelectric legs are presented. A technique for bridging the air gap between two adjacent thermoelectric elements for the top layer using a sacrificial filler material is also demonstrated. A flat 50.8 mm × 50.8 mm TEG module is fabricated using this method and its performance is experimentally characterized and found to be in agreement with expected values of open-circuit voltage based on the materials used.

The impact on CT dose of the variability in tube current modulation technology: a theoretical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiang; Segars, W. Paul; Samei, Ehsan

2014-08-01

Body CT scans are routinely performed using tube-current-modulation (TCM) technology. There is notable variability across CT manufacturers in terms of how TCM technology is implemented. Some manufacturers aim to provide uniform image noise across body regions and patient sizes, whereas others aim to provide lower noise for smaller patients. The purpose of this study was to conduct a theoretical investigation to understand how manufacturer-dependent TCM scheme affects organ dose, and to develop a generic approach for assessing organ dose across TCM schemes. The adult reference female extended cardiac-torso (XCAT) phantom was used for this study. A ray-tracing method was developed to calculate the attenuation of the phantom for a given projection angle based on phantom anatomy, CT system geometry, x-ray energy spectrum, and bowtie filter filtration. The tube current (mA) for a given projection angle was then calculated as a log-linear function of the attenuation along that projection. The slope of this function, termed modulation control strength, α, was varied from 0 to 1 to emulate the variability in TCM technology. Using a validated Monte Carlo program, organ dose was simulated for five α values (α = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1) in the absence and presence of a realistic system mA limit. Organ dose was further normalized by volume-weighted CT dose index (CTDIvol) to obtain conversion factors (h factors) that are relatively independent of system specifics and scan parameters. For both chest and abdomen-pelvis scans and for 24 radiosensitive organs, organ dose conversion factors varied with α, following second-order polynomial equations. This result suggested the need for α-specific organ dose conversion factors (i.e., conversion factors specific to the modulation scheme used). On the other hand, across the full range of α values, organ dose in a TCM scan could be derived from the conversion factors established for a fixed-mA scan (hFIXED). This was possible by multiplying hFIXED by a revised definition of CTDIvol that accounts for two factors: (a) the tube currents at the location of an organ and (b) the variation in organ volume along the longitudinal direction. This α-generic approach represents an approximation. The error associated with this approximation was evaluated using the α-specific organ dose (i.e., the organ dose obtained by using α-specific mA profiles as inputs into the Monte Carlo simulation) as the reference standard. When the mA profiles were constrained by a realistic system limit, this α-generic approach had errors of less than ~20% for the full range of α values. This was the case for 24 radiosensitive organs in both chest and abdomen-pelvis CT scans with the exception of thyroid in the chest scan and bladder in the abdomen-pelvis scan. For these two organs, the errors were less than ~40%. The results of this theoretical study suggested that knowing the mA modulation profile and the fixed-mA conversion factors, organ dose may be estimated for a TCM scan independent of the specific modulation scheme applied.

Study of multi-functional precision optical measuring system for large scale equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Wei; Lao, Dabao; Zhou, Weihu; Zhang, Wenying; Jiang, Xingjian; Wang, Yongxi

2017-10-01

The effective application of high performance measurement technology can greatly improve the large-scale equipment manufacturing ability. Therefore, the geometric parameters measurement, such as size, attitude and position, requires the measurement system with high precision, multi-function, portability and other characteristics. However, the existing measuring instruments, such as laser tracker, total station, photogrammetry system, mostly has single function, station moving and other shortcomings. Laser tracker needs to work with cooperative target, but it can hardly meet the requirement of measurement in extreme environment. Total station is mainly used for outdoor surveying and mapping, it is hard to achieve the demand of accuracy in industrial measurement. Photogrammetry system can achieve a wide range of multi-point measurement, but the measuring range is limited and need to repeatedly move station. The paper presents a non-contact opto-electronic measuring instrument, not only it can work by scanning the measurement path but also measuring the cooperative target by tracking measurement. The system is based on some key technologies, such as absolute distance measurement, two-dimensional angle measurement, automatically target recognition and accurate aiming, precision control, assembly of complex mechanical system and multi-functional 3D visualization software. Among them, the absolute distance measurement module ensures measurement with high accuracy, and the twodimensional angle measuring module provides precision angle measurement. The system is suitable for the case of noncontact measurement of large-scale equipment, it can ensure the quality and performance of large-scale equipment throughout the process of manufacturing and improve the manufacturing ability of large-scale and high-end equipment.

Organic electronics on fibers for energy conversion applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connor, Brendan T.

Currently, there is great demand for pollution-free and renewable sources of electricity. Solar cells are particularly attractive from the standpoint of sunlight abundance. However, truly widespread adoption of solar cells is impeded by the high cost and poor scalability of existing technologies. For example, while 53,000 mi2 of 10% efficient solar cell modules would be required to supply the current U.S. energy demand, only about 50 mi2 have been installed worldwide. Organic semiconductors potentially offer a route to realizing low-cost solar cell modules, but currently suffer from low conversion efficiency. For organic-based solar cells to become commercially viable, further research is required to improve device performance, develop scalable manufacturing methods, and reduce installation costs via, for example, novel device form factors. This thesis makes several contributions to the field of organic solar cells, including the replacement of costly and brittle indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes by inexpensive and malleable, thin metal films, and the application of external dielectric coatings to improve power conversion efficiency. Furthermore, we show that devices with non-planar geometries (e.g. organic solar cells deposited onto long fibers) can have higher efficiencies than conventional planar devices. Building on these results, we demonstrate novel fiber-based organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) that offer substantially improved color quality and manufacturability as a next-generation solid-state lighting technology. An intriguing possibility afforded by the fiber-based device architectures is the ability to integrate energy conversion and lighting functionalities with textiles, a mature, commodity-scale technology.

Manufacturing development for the SAFE 100 kW core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Robert; Roman, Jose; Salvail, Pat

2002-01-01

In stark contrast to what is sometimes considered the norm in traditional manufacturing processes, engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) arc in the practice of altering the standard in an effort to realize other potential methods in core manufacturing. While remaining within the bounds of the materials database, we are researching into core manufacturing techniques that may have been overlooked in the past due to funding and/or time constraints. To augment proven core fabrication capabilities we are pursuing plating processes as another possible method for core build-up and assembly. Although brazing and a proprietary HIP cycle are used for module assembly (proven track record for stability and endurance), it is prudent to pursue secondary or backup methods of module and core assembly. For this reason heat tube manufacture and module assembly by means of plating is being investigated. Potentially, the plating processes will give engineers the ability to manufacture replacement modules for any module that might fail to perform nominally, and to assemble/disassemble a complete core in much less time than would be required for the conventional Braze-HIP process. Another area of improvement in core manufacturing capabilities is the installation of a sodium and lithium liquid metal heat pipe fill machine. This, along with the ability to Electron Beam Weld heat pipe seals and wet-in the pipes in the necessary vacuum atmosphere, will eliminate the need to ship potentially hazardous components outside for processing. In addition to developing core manufacturing techniques, the SAFE manufacturing team has been evaluating the thermal heat transfer characteristics, and manufacturability of several heat exchanger design concepts. .

Method of manufacturing a large-area segmented photovoltaic module

DOEpatents

Lenox, Carl

2013-11-05

One embodiment of the invention relates to a segmented photovoltaic (PV) module which is manufactured from laminate segments. The segmented PV module includes rectangular-shaped laminate segments formed from rectangular-shaped PV laminates and further includes non-rectangular-shaped laminate segments formed from rectangular-shaped and approximately-triangular-shaped PV laminates. The laminate segments are mechanically joined and electrically interconnected to form the segmented module. Another embodiment relates to a method of manufacturing a large-area segmented photovoltaic module from laminate segments of various shapes. Other embodiments relate to processes for providing a photovoltaic array for installation at a site. Other embodiments and features are also disclosed.

Life-cycle nitrogen trifluoride emissions from photovoltaics.

PubMed

Fthenakis, Vasilis; Clark, Daniel O; Moalem, Mehran; Chandler, Phil; Ridgeway, Robert G; Hulbert, Forrest E; Cooper, David B; Maroulis, Peter J

2010-11-15

Amorphous- and nanocrystalline-silicon thin-film photovoltaic modules are made in high-throughput manufacturing lines that necessitate quickly cleaning the reactor. Using NF₃, a potent greenhouse gas, as the cleaning agent triggered concerns as recent reports reveal that the atmospheric concentrations of this gas have increased significantly. We quantified the life-cycle emissions of NF₃ in photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing, on the basis of actual measurements at the facilities of a major producer of NF₃ and of a manufacturer of PV end-use equipment. From these, we defined the best practices and technologies that are the most likely to keep worldwide atmospheric concentrations of NF₃ at very low radiative forcing levels. For the average U.S. insolation and electricity-grid conditions, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manufacturing and using NF₃ in current PV a-Si and tandem a-Si/nc-Si facilities add 2 and 7 g CO₂(eq)/kWh, which can be displaced within the first 1-4 months of the PV system life.

Integrated Computer-Aided Manufacturing (ICAM) Architecture Part 2. Volume 6. Dynamics Modeling Manual (IDEF2)

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-06-01

design of manufacturing systems, "ilidation and verification of ICAM modules, integration of ICAM modules and the orderly transition of ICAM modules into...Function Model of "Manufacture Product" (MFGO) VIII - Composite Function Model of " Design Product" (DESIGNO) IX - Composite Information Model of...User Interface Requirements; and the Architecture of Design . This work was performed during the period of 29 September 1978 through 10

Assembled modules technology for site-specific prolonged delivery of norfloxacin.

PubMed

Oliveira, Paulo Renato; Bernardi, Larissa Sakis; Strusi, Orazio Luca; Mercuri, Salvatore; Segatto Silva, Marcos A; Colombo, Paolo; Sonvico, Fabio

2011-02-28

The aim of this research was to design and study norfloxacin (NFX) release in floating conditions from compressed hydrophilic matrices of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) or poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). Module assembling technology for drug delivery system manufacturing was used. Two differently cylindrical base curved matrix/modules, identified as female and male, were assembled in void configuration by friction interlocking their concave bases obtaining a floating release system. Drug release and floatation behavior of this assembly was investigated. Due to the higher surface area exposed to the release medium, faster release was observed for individual modules compared to their assembled configuration, independently on the polymer used and concentration. The release curves analyzed using the Korsmeyer exponential equation and Peppas & Sahlin binomial equation showed that the drug release was controlled both by drug diffusion and polymer relaxation or erosion mechanisms. However, convective transport was predominant with PEO and at low content of polymers. NFX release from PEO polymeric matrix was more erosion dependent than HPMC. The assembled systems were able to float in vitro for up to 240min, indicating that this drug delivery system of norfloxacin could provide gastro-retentive site-specific release for increasing norfloxacin bioavailability. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Image quality testing of assembled IR camera modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winters, Daniel; Erichsen, Patrik

2013-10-01

Infrared (IR) camera modules for the LWIR (8-12_m) that combine IR imaging optics with microbolometer focal plane array (FPA) sensors with readout electronics are becoming more and more a mass market product. At the same time, steady improvements in sensor resolution in the higher priced markets raise the requirement for imaging performance of objectives and the proper alignment between objective and FPA. This puts pressure on camera manufacturers and system integrators to assess the image quality of finished camera modules in a cost-efficient and automated way for quality control or during end-of-line testing. In this paper we present recent development work done in the field of image quality testing of IR camera modules. This technology provides a wealth of additional information in contrast to the more traditional test methods like minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD) which give only a subjective overall test result. Parameters that can be measured are image quality via the modulation transfer function (MTF) for broadband or with various bandpass filters on- and off-axis and optical parameters like e.g. effective focal length (EFL) and distortion. If the camera module allows for refocusing the optics, additional parameters like best focus plane, image plane tilt, auto-focus quality, chief ray angle etc. can be characterized. Additionally, the homogeneity and response of the sensor with the optics can be characterized in order to calculate the appropriate tables for non-uniformity correction (NUC). The technology can also be used to control active alignment methods during mechanical assembly of optics to high resolution sensors. Other important points that are discussed are the flexibility of the technology to test IR modules with different form factors, electrical interfaces and last but not least the suitability for fully automated measurements in mass production.

Analysis of twelve-month degradation in three polycrystalline photovoltaic modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, T.; Potter, B. G.; Simmons-Potter, K.

2016-09-01

Polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules have the advantage of lower manufacturing cost as compared to their monocrystalline counterparts, but generally exhibit both lower initial module efficiencies and more significant early-stage efficiency degradation than do similar monocrystalline PV modules. For both technologies, noticeable deterioration in power conversion efficiency typically occurs over the first two years of usage. Estimating PV lifetime by examining the performance degradation behavior under given environmental conditions is, therefore, one of continual goals for experimental research and economic analysis. In the present work, accelerated lifecycle testing (ALT) on three polycrystalline PV technologies was performed in a full-scale, industrial-standard environmental chamber equipped with single-sun irradiance capability, providing an illumination uniformity of 98% over a 2 x 1.6m area. In order to investigate environmental aging effects, timedependent PV performance (I-V characteristic) was evaluated over a recurring, compressed day-night cycle, which simulated local daily solar insolation for the southwestern United States, followed by dark (night) periods. During a total test time of just under 4 months that corresponded to a year equivalent exposure on a fielded module, the temperature and humidity varied in ranges from 3°C to 40°C and 5% to 85% based on annual weather profiles for Tucson, AZ. Removing the temperature de-rating effect that was clearly seen in the data enabled the computation of normalized efficiency degradation with time and environmental exposure. Results confirm the impact of environmental conditions on the module long-term performance. Overall, more than 2% efficiency degradation in the first year of usage was observed for all thee polycrystalline Si solar modules. The average 5-year degradation of each PV technology was estimated based on their determined degradation rates.

Secure Control Systems for the Energy Sector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Rhett; Campbell, Jack; Hadley, Mark

2012-03-31

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) will conduct the Hallmark Project to address the need to reduce the risk of energy disruptions because of cyber incidents on control systems. The goals is to develop solutions that can be both applied to existing control systems and designed into new control systems to add the security measures needed to mitigate energy network vulnerabilities. The scope of the Hallmark Project contains four primary elements: 1. Technology transfer of the Secure Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Communications Protocol (SSCP) from Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL). The project shall use thismore » technology to develop a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant original equipment manufacturer (OEM) module to be called a Cryptographic Daughter Card (CDC) with the ability to directly connect to any PC enabling that computer to securely communicate across serial to field devices. Validate the OEM capabilities with another vendor. 2. Development of a Link Authenticator Module (LAM) using the FIPS 140-2 validated Secure SCADA Communications Protocol (SSCP) CDC module with a central management software kit. 3. Validation of the CDC and Link Authenticator modules via laboratory and field tests. 4. Creation of documents that record the impact of the Link Authenticator to the operators of control systems and on the control system itself. The information in the documents can assist others with technology deployment and maintenance.« less

Manufacturing Technology Study on Radio Frequency Power Modules Packaging Techniques.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

compromised; in most cases, it was found to be higher than our original process. An accelerated high 125 I temperature aging test was performed to attain...sealing glasses without some oxynen. Alternatively, there are many high temperature amorphous type glasses which satisfactorily fire in nitrogen but...achieve some degree of crystalization when fired at high temperature . In using the high temperatures (900°C range) the effect on the previously printed

Capital intensity of photovoltaics manufacturing: Barrier to scale and opportunity for innovation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Powell, Douglas M.; Fu, Ran; Horowitz, Kelsey

In this study, using a bottom-up cost model, we assess the impact of initial factory capital expenditure (capex) on photovoltaic (PV) module minimum sustainable price (MSP) and industry-wide trends. We find capex to have two important impacts on PV manufacturing. First, capex strongly influences the per-unit MSP of a c-Si module: we calculate that the capex-related elements sum to 22% of MSP for an integrated wafer, cell, and module manufacturer. This fraction provides a significant opportunity to reduce MSP toward the U.S. DOE SunShot module price target through capex innovation.

Capital intensity of photovoltaics manufacturing: Barrier to scale and opportunity for innovation

DOE PAGES

Powell, Douglas M.; Fu, Ran; Horowitz, Kelsey; ...

2015-09-07

In this study, using a bottom-up cost model, we assess the impact of initial factory capital expenditure (capex) on photovoltaic (PV) module minimum sustainable price (MSP) and industry-wide trends. We find capex to have two important impacts on PV manufacturing. First, capex strongly influences the per-unit MSP of a c-Si module: we calculate that the capex-related elements sum to 22% of MSP for an integrated wafer, cell, and module manufacturer. This fraction provides a significant opportunity to reduce MSP toward the U.S. DOE SunShot module price target through capex innovation.

Low work function materials for microminiature energy conversion and recovery applications

DOEpatents

Zavadil, Kevin R.; Ruffner, Judith A.; King, Donald B.

2003-05-13

Low work function materials are disclosed together with methods for their manufacture and integration with electrodes used in thermionic conversion applications (specifically microminiature thermionic conversion applications). The materials include a mixed oxide system and metal in a compositionally modulated structure comprised of localized discontinuous structures of material that are deposited using techniques suited to IC manufacture, such as rf sputtering or CVD. The structures, which can include layers are then heated to coalescence yielding a thin film that is both durable and capable of electron emission under thermionic conversion conditions used for microminiature thermionic converters. Using the principles of the invention, thin film electrodes (emitters and collectors) required for microconverter technology are manufactured using a single process deposition so as to allow for full fabrication integration consistent with batch processing, and tailoring of emission/collection properties. In the preferred embodiment, the individual layers include mixed BaSrCaO, scandium oxide and tungsten.

EUV mask pilot line at Intel Corporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stivers, Alan R.; Yan, Pei-Yang; Zhang, Guojing; Liang, Ted; Shu, Emily Y.; Tejnil, Edita; Lieberman, Barry; Nagpal, Rajesh; Hsia, Kangmin; Penn, Michael; Lo, Fu-Chang

2004-12-01

The introduction of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography into high volume manufacturing requires the development of a new mask technology. In support of this, Intel Corporation has established a pilot line devoted to encountering and eliminating barriers to manufacturability of EUV masks. It concentrates on EUV-specific process modules and makes use of the captive standard photomask fabrication capability of Intel Corporation. The goal of the pilot line is to accelerate EUV mask development to intersect the 32nm technology node. This requires EUV mask technology to be comparable to standard photomask technology by the beginning of the silicon wafer process development phase for that technology node. The pilot line embodies Intel's strategy to lead EUV mask development in the areas of the mask patterning process, mask fabrication tools, the starting material (blanks) and the understanding of process interdependencies. The patterning process includes all steps from blank defect inspection through final pattern inspection and repair. We have specified and ordered the EUV-specific tools and most will be installed in 2004. We have worked with International Sematech and others to provide for the next generation of EUV-specific mask tools. Our process of record is run repeatedly to ensure its robustness. This primes the supply chain and collects information needed for blank improvement.

Slumping technique for the manufacturing of a representative x-ray grazing incidence mirror module for future space missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghigo, Mauro; Proserpio, Laura; Basso, Stefano; Citterio, Oberto; Civitani, Marta M.; Pareschi, Giovanni; Salmaso, Bianca; Sironi, Giorgia; Spiga, Daniele; Tagliaferri, Giampiero; Vecchi, Gabriele; Zambra, Alberto; Parodi, Giancarlo; Martelli, Francesco; Gallieni, Daniele; Tintori, Matteo; Bavdaz, Marcos; Wille, Eric; Ferrario, Ivan; Burwitz, Vadim

2013-09-01

The Astronomical Observatory of Brera (INAF-OAB, Italy), with the financing support of the European Space Agency (ESA), has concluded a study regarding a glass shaping technology for the production of grazing incidence segmented x-ray optics. This technique uses a hot slumping phase, in which pressure is actively applied on thin glass foils being shaped, to form a cylindrical approximation of Wolter I x-ray segments, and a subsequent cold slumping phase, in which the final Wolter I profile is then freeze into the glass segments during their integration in elemental X-ray Optical Units. The final goal of this study was the manufacturing of a prototype containing a number of slumped pair plates (meaning parabola and hyperbola couples) having representative dimensions to be tested both in UV light and in x-rays at the Panter facility (Germany). In this paper, the INAF-OAB slumping technique, comprising a shaping step and an integration step is described, together with the results obtained on the manufactured prototype modules: the first prototype was aimed to test the ad-hoc designed and built semi-automatic Integration MAchine (IMA) and debug its control software. The most complete module comprises 40 slumped segments of Schott D263 glass type of dimension 200 mm x 200 mm and thickness of 0.4 mm, slumped on Zerodur K20 mould and stacked together through glued BK7 glass structural ribs to form the first entire x-ray optical module ever built totally composed by glass. A last prototype was aimed at demonstrate the use of Schott glass AF32 type instead of D263. In particular, a new hot slumping experimental set-up is described whose advantage is to permit a better contact between mould and glass during the shaping process. The integration procedure of the slumped segments into the elemental module is also reviewed.

Emerging photovoltaic technologies: Environmental and health issues update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fthenakis, Vasilis M.; Moskowitz, Paul D.

1997-02-01

New photovoltaic (PV) technologies promise low-cost, reliable PV modules and have the potential for significant PV penetration into the energy market. These prospects for commercialization have attracted renewed interest in the advantageous environmental impact of using PV and also in the potential environmental, health and safety (EHS) burdens in PV manufacturing and decommissioning. In this paper, we highlight recent studies on EHS issues: a) An integrated energy-environmental-economic analysis which shows that large-scale use of PV can significantly contribute to alleviating the greenhouse effect; in the United States alone, it could displace 450 million tons of carbon emissions by the year 2030, b) Recycling of the spent modules and scarp is economically feasible; current research centers on improving the efficiency and economics of recycling CdTe and CIS modules, c) Toxicological studies conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) compared the acute toxicity of CdTe, CIS, and CGS; CdTe was the most toxic, and CGS the least toxic of the three. Additional studies are now comparing the systemic toxicity of these compounds with the toxicity of their precursors.

Weakly doped InP layers prepared by liquid phase epitaxy using a modulated cooling rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krukovskyi, R.; Mykhashchuk, Y.; Kost, Y.; Krukovskyi, S.; Saldan, I.

2017-04-01

Epitaxial structures based on InP are widely used to manufacture a number of devices such as microwave transistors, light-emitting diodes, lasers and Gunn diodes. However, their temporary instability caused by heterogeneity of resistivity along the layer thickness and the influence of various external or internal factors prompts the need for the development of a new reliable technology for their preparation. Weak doping by Yb, Al and Sn together with modulation of the cooling rate applied to prepare InP epitaxial layers is suggested to be adopted within the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) method. The experimental results confirm the optimized conditions created to get a uniform electron concentration in the active n-InP layer. A sharp profile of electron concentration in the n+-InP(substrate)/n-InP/n+-InP epitaxial structure was observed experimentally at the proposed modulated cooling rate of 0.3 °С-1.5 °С min-1. The proposed technological method can be used to control the electrical and physical properties of InP epitaxial layers to be used in Gunn diodes.

Electric Vehicle Communication Standards Testing and Validation Phase I: SAE J2847/1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pratt, Richard M.; Tuffner, Francis K.; Gowri, Krishnan

Executive Summary Vehicle to grid communication standards are critical to the charge management and interoperability among vehicles, charging stations and utility providers. Several standards initiatives by the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE), International Standards Organization and International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC), and ZigBee / HomePlug Alliance are developing requirements for communication messages and protocols. While the standard development is in progress for more than two years, no definitive guidelines are available for the automobile manufacturers, charging station manufacturers and utility backhaul network systems. At present, there is a wide range of proprietary communication options developed and supported in the industry. Recentmore » work by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in collaboration with SAE and automobile manufacturers has identified performance requirements and test plan based on possible communication pathways using power line communication over the control pilot and mains. Though the communication pathways and power line communication technology options are identified, much work needs to be done in developing application software and testing of communication modules before these can be deployed in production vehicles. This report presents a test plan and results from initial testing of two power line communication modules developed to meet the requirements of SAE J2847/1 standard.« less

Accomplishments in Photovoltaic Manufacturing R&D | Photovoltaic Research |

Science.gov Websites

made that significantly reduced the cost of solar modules while increasing their reliability and -area efficiency. Manufacturing Processes Half the cost of producing a solar module is incurred in wafer project partners marked significant progress in module cost reduction. A few notable examples follow

75 FR 56527 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-16

... manufactured, shipped, and/or imported solar thermal collectors and/or photovoltaic modules and cells. The EIA... request. SUMMARY: The EIA has submitted the forms EIA-63A, ``Annual Solar Thermal Collector Manufacturers Survey,'' EIA-63B, ``Annual Photovoltaic Module/Cell Manufacturers Survey,'' and the EIA-902, ``Annual...

A review of manufacturing metrology for improved reliability of silicon photovoltaic modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Kristopher O.; Walters, Joseph; Schneller, Eric; Seigneur, Hubert; Brooker, R. Paul; Scardera, Giuseppe; Rodgers, Marianne P.; Mohajeri, Nahid; Shiradkar, Narendra; Dhere, Neelkanth G.; Wohlgemuth, John; Rudack, Andrew C.; Schoenfeld, Winston V.

2014-10-01

In this work, the use of manufacturing metrology across the supply chain to improve crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaic (PV) module reliability and durability is addressed. Additionally, an overview and summary of a recent extensive literature survey of relevant measurement techniques aimed at reducing or eliminating the probability of field failures is presented. An assessment of potential gaps is also given, wherein the PV community could benefit from new research and demonstration efforts. This review is divided into three primary areas representing different parts of the c-Si PV supply chain: (1) feedstock production, crystallization and wafering; (2) cell manufacturing; and (3) module manufacturing.

Electron Beam Melting Manufacturing Technology for Individually Manufactured Jaw Prosthesis: A Case Report.

PubMed

Suska, Felicia; Kjeller, Göran; Tarnow, Peter; Hryha, Eduard; Nyborg, Lars; Snis, Anders; Palmquist, Anders

2016-08-01

In the field of maxillofacial reconstruction, additive manufacturing technologies, specifically electron beam melting (EBM), offer clinicians the potential for patient-customized design of jaw prostheses, which match both load-bearing and esthetic demands. The technique allows an innovative, functional design, combining integrated porous regions for bone ingrowth and secondary biological fixation with solid load-bearing regions ensuring the biomechanical performance. A patient-specific mandibular prosthesis manufactured using EBM was successfully used to reconstruct a patient's mandibular defect after en bloc resection. Over a 9-month follow-up period, the patient had no complications. A short operating time, good esthetic outcome, and high level of patient satisfaction as measured by quality-of-life questionnaires-the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 (30-item quality-of-life core questionnaire) and H&N35 (head and neck cancer module)-were reported for this case. Individually planned and designed EBM-produced prostheses may be suggested as a possible future alternative to fibular grafts or other reconstructive methods. However, the role of porosity, the role of geometry, and the optimal combination of solid and porous parts, as well as surface properties in relation to soft tissues, should be carefully evaluated in long-term clinical trials. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sandia National Labs: Manufacturing Science and Technology

Science.gov Websites

Additional Resources R&D Projects Current Partnerships Creating Partnerships Welcome to the Manufacturing Science and Technology home page Manufacturing Science and Technology Showcase The Manufacturing Science & Technology Center develops and applies advanced manufacturing processes for realization of

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fikes, John

2016-01-01

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) is developing and maturing innovative and advanced manufacturing technologies that will enable more capable and lower-cost spacecraft, launch vehicles and infrastructure to enable exploration missions. The technologies will utilize cutting edge materials and emerging capabilities including metallic processes, additive manufacturing, composites, and digital manufacturing. The AMT project supports the National Manufacturing Initiative involving collaboration with other government agencies.

E3 Sustainable Manufacturing Curriculum

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A short E3 course containing three modules on Environmental Sustainability; Lean Manufacturing and Pollution Prevention; and Energy and Carbon. Each module includes slides, a facilitator's guide with handouts, activities, quizzes, and facilitator's notes.

Research, development and demonstration of nickel-zinc batteries for electric vehicle propulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1980-06-01

The feasibility of the nickel zinc battery for electric vehicle propulsion is discussed. The program is divided into seven distinct but highly interactive tasks collectively aimed at the development and commercialization of nickel zinc technology. These basic technical tasks are separator development, electrode development, product design and analysis, cell/module battery testing, process development, pilot manufacturing, and thermal manufacturing, and thermal management. Significant progress has been made in the understanding of separator failure mechanisms, and a generic category of materials has been specified for the 300+ deep discharge applications. Shape change has been reduced significantly. Progress in the area of thermal management was significant, with the development of a model that accurately represents heat generation and rejection rates during battery operation.

Technical Issues for the Fabrication of a CN-HCCB-TBM Based on RAFM Steel CLF-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Pinghuai; Chen, Jiming; Fu, Haiying; Liu, Shi; Li, Xiongwei; Xu, Zengyu

2013-02-01

Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel (RAFM) is recognized as the primary candidate structural material for ITER's test blanket module (TBM). To provide a material and property database for the design and fabrication of the Chinese helium cooled ceramic breeding TBM (CN HCCB TBM), a type of RAFM steel named CLF-1 was developed and characterized at the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP), China. In this paper, the R&D status of CLF-1 steel and the technical issues in using CLF-1 steel to manufacture CN HCCB TBM were reviewed, including the steel manufacture and different welding technologies. Several kinds of property data have been obtained for its application to the design of the ITER TBM.

Prospects for applications of electron beams in processing of gas and oil hydrocarbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponomarev, A. V.; Pershukov, V. A.; Smirnov, V. P.

2015-12-01

Waste-free processing of oil and oil gases can be based on electron-beam technologies. Their major advantage is an opportunity of controlled manufacturing of a wide range of products with a higher utility value at moderate temperatures and pressures. The work considers certain key aspects of electron beam technologies applied for the chain cracking of heavy crude oil, for the synthesis of premium gasoline from oil gases, and also for the hydrogenation, alkylation, and isomerization of unsaturated oil products. Electronbeam processing of oil can be embodied via compact mobile modules which are applicable for direct usage at distant oil and gas fields. More cost-effective and reliable electron accelerators should be developed to realize the potential of electron-beam technologies.

The next generation CdTe technology- Substrate foil based solar cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferekides, Chris

The main objective of this project was the development of one of the most promising Photovoltaic (PV) materials CdTe into a versatile, cost effective, and high throughput technology, by demonstrating substrate devices on foil substrates using high throughput fabrication conditions. The typical CdTe cell is of the superstrate configuration where the solar cell is fabricated on a glass superstrate by the sequential deposition of a TCO, n-type heterojunction partner, p-CdTe absorber, and back contact. Large glass modules are heavy and present significant challenges during manufacturing (uniform heating, etc.). If a substrate CdTe cell could be developed (the main goal ofmore » this project) a roll-to-toll high throughput technology could be developed.« less

Thermo-Mechanical Analysis for John Deere Electronics Solutions | Advanced

Science.gov Websites

impacts of alternative manufacturing processes Die, package, and interface material analysis for power module reliability Manufacturing process impacts versus thermal cycling impacts on power module

Materials Processing and Manufacturing Technologies for Diamond Substrates Multichip Modules

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-10-14

document are those of the authors and should not be intepreted as representing the official policies, either express or implied, of the Defense Advanced...release of the diamond at the end of the deposition step, "* deposition of non-uniform films for stress/flatness control. 75kW Reactor & Modelling Studies...too strong (the film releases partially or not at all) to too weak (the film delaminates during the run from growth stresses), and are continuing to

Canadair CL-227 Remotely Piloted Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Andrew S.

1983-08-01

The Canadair CL-227 is a rotary winged Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) intended initially as the air-vehicle for a medium range battlefield surveillance and target acquisition system. The concept on which this vehicle is based brings together in-house expertise as a designer and manufacturer of surveillance drones (AN-USD-50l -MIDGE-) with experience in rigid rotor technology from the CL-84 tilt wing VTOL program. The vehicle is essentially modular in design with a power module containing the engine, fuel and related systems, a rotor module containing the two counter-rotating rotors and control actuators, and a control module containing the autopilot, data link and sensor system. The vehicle is a true RPV (as opposed to a drone) as it is flown in real time by an operator on the ground and requires relatively little skill to pilot.

Status of dye solar cell technology as a guideline for further research.

PubMed

Hinsch, Andreas; Veurman, Welmoed; Brandt, Henning; Jensen, Katrine Flarup; Mastroianni, Simone

2014-04-14

Recently, the first commercial dye solar cell (DSC) products based on the mesoscopic principle were successfully launched. Introduction to the market has been accompanied by a strong increase in patent applications in the field during the last four years, which is a good indication of further commercialization activity. Materials and cell concepts have been developed to such extent that easy uptake by industrial manufacturers is possible. The critical phase for broad market acceptance has therefore been reached, which implies focusing on standardization-related research topics. In parallel the number of scientific publications on DSC is growing further (>3500 since 2012), and the range of new or renewed fundamental topics is broadening. A recent example is the introduction of the perovskite mesoscopic cell, for which an efficiency of 14.1% has been certified. Thus, a growing divergence between market introduction and research could be the consequence. Herein, an attempt is made to show that such an unwanted divergence can be prevented, for example, by developing suitable reference-type cell and module concepts as well as manufacturing routes. An in situ cell manufacturing concept that can be applied to mesoscopic-based solar cells in a broader sense is proposed. As a guideline for future module concepts, recent results for large-area, glass-frit-sealed DSC modules from efficiency studies (6.6% active-area efficiency) and outdoor analysis are discussed. Electroluminescence measurements are introduced as a quality tool. Another important point that is addressed is sustainability, which affects both market introduction and the direction of fundamental research. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

III-Vs at Scale: A PV Manufacturing Cost Analysis of the Thin Film Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth Mode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zheng, Maxwell; Horowitz, Kelsey; Woodhouse, Michael

The authors present a manufacturing cost analysis for producing thin-film indium phosphide modules by combining a novel thin-film vapor-liquid-solid (TF-VLS) growth process with a standard monolithic module platform. The example cell structure is ITO/n-TiO2/p-InP/Mo. For a benchmark scenario of 12% efficient modules, the module cost is estimated to be $0.66/W(DC) and the module cost is calculated to be around $0.36/W(DC) at a long-term potential efficiency of 24%. The manufacturing cost for the TF-VLS growth portion is estimated to be ~$23/m2, a significant reduction compared with traditional metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The analysis here suggests the TF-VLS growth mode could enablemore » lower-cost, high-efficiency III-V photovoltaics compared with manufacturing methods used today and open up possibilities for other optoelectronic applications as well.« less

10 CFR 611.202 - Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award... TECHNOLOGY VEHICLES MANUFACTURER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Facility/Funding Awards § 611.202 Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program. DOE may issue, under the Advanced Technology Vehicle...

10 CFR 611.202 - Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award... TECHNOLOGY VEHICLES MANUFACTURER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Facility/Funding Awards § 611.202 Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program. DOE may issue, under the Advanced Technology Vehicle...

10 CFR 611.202 - Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award... TECHNOLOGY VEHICLES MANUFACTURER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Facility/Funding Awards § 611.202 Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program. DOE may issue, under the Advanced Technology Vehicle...

10 CFR 611.202 - Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award... TECHNOLOGY VEHICLES MANUFACTURER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Facility/Funding Awards § 611.202 Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program. DOE may issue, under the Advanced Technology Vehicle...

10 CFR 611.202 - Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award... TECHNOLOGY VEHICLES MANUFACTURER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Facility/Funding Awards § 611.202 Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Award Program. DOE may issue, under the Advanced Technology Vehicle...

Analysis and evaluation in the production process and equipment area of the low-cost solar array project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldman, H.; Wolf, M.

1979-01-01

The energy consumed in manufacturing silicon solar cell modules was calculated for the current process, as well as for 1982 and 1986 projected processes. In addition, energy payback times for the above three sequences are shown. The module manufacturing energy was partitioned two ways. In one way, the silicon reduction, silicon purification, sheet formation, cell fabrication, and encapsulation energies were found. In addition, the facility, equipment, processing material and direct material lost-in-process energies were appropriated in junction formation processes and full module manufacturing sequences. A brief methodology accounting for the energy of silicon wafers lost-in-processing during cell manufacturing is described.

Energy data report: Solar collector manufacturing activity, July - December 1980

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1981-03-01

Statistics on solar collector manufacturing activity for both solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic modules through 1980 are presented. Summary data are given for the number of manufacturers and collector area produced each year from 1974 through 1980; data for collector type are included, i.e., low temperature or medium temperature and special collectors. Producer shipments are tabulated according to location of company headquarters, producer size, and collector types. headquarters The number of companies engaged in activities related to solar collector manufacturing for 1978 through 1980 are listed; and the number of manufacturers and market sector are tabulated for photovoltaic modules manufacturing activities.

Innovative laser based solar cell scribing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frei, Bruno; Schneeberger, Stefan; Witte, Reiner

2011-03-01

The solar photovoltaic market is continuously growing utilizing boths crystalline silicon (c-Si) as well as thin film technologies. This growth is directly dependant on the manufacturing costs for solar cells. Factors for cost reduction are innovative ideas for an optimization of precision and throughput. Lasers are excellent tools to provide highly efficient processes with impressive accuracy. They need to be used in combination with fast and precise motion systems for a maximum gain in the manufacturing process, yielding best cost of ownership. In this article such an innovative solution is presented for laser scribing in thin film Si modules. A combination of a new glass substrate holding system combined with a fast and precise motion system is the foundation for a cost effective scribing machine. In addition, the advantages of fiber lasers in beam delivery and beam quality guarantee not only shorter setup and down times but also high resolution and reproducibility for the scribing processes P1, P2 and P3. The precision of the whole system allows to reduce the dead zone to a minimum and therefore to improve the efficiency of the modules.

Additively Manufactured Pneumatically Driven Skin Electrodes.

PubMed

Schubert, Martin; Schmidt, Martin; Wolter, Paul; Malberg, Hagen; Zaunseder, Sebastian; Bock, Karlheinz

2017-12-23

Telemedicine focuses on improving the quality of health care, particularly in out-of-hospital settings. One of the most important applications is the continuous remote monitoring of vital parameters. Long-term monitoring of biopotentials requires skin-electrodes. State-of-the-art electrodes such as Ag/AgCl wet electrodes lead, especially during long-term application, to complications, e.g., skin irritations. This paper presents a low-cost, on-demand electrode approach for future long-term applications. The fully printed module comprises a polymeric substrate with electrodes on a flexible membrane, which establishes skin contact only for short time in case of measurement. The membranes that produce airtight seals for pressure chambers can be pneumatically dilated and pressed onto the skin to ensure good contact, and subsequently retracted. The dilatation depends on the pressure and membrane thickness, which has been tested up to 150 kPa. The electrodes were fabricated in screen and inkjet printing technology, and compared during exemplary electrodermal activity measurement (EDA). The results show less amplitude compared to conventional EDA electrodes but similar behavior. Because of the manufacturing process the module enables high individuality for future applications.

Benchmarks of Global Clean Energy Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandor, Debra; Chung, Donald; Keyser, David

The Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center (CEMAC), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), provides objective analysis and up-to-date data on global supply chains and manufacturing of clean energy technologies. Benchmarks of Global Clean Energy Manufacturing sheds light on several fundamental questions about the global clean technology manufacturing enterprise: How does clean energy technology manufacturing impact national economies? What are the economic opportunities across the manufacturing supply chain? What are the global dynamics of clean energy technology manufacturing?

June 7, 2017 Webinar: Heavy-Duty Highway Trailers Verify Certification Module and Manufacturer Testing Information

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EPA webinar provides information on the Verify module for heavy-duty highway trailer manufacturers including introduction, user registration process, submitting certification information, request for certificate, testing and deployment information.

Thin-film photovoltaic power generation offers decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing environmental co-benefits in the long term.

PubMed

Bergesen, Joseph D; Heath, Garvin A; Gibon, Thomas; Suh, Sangwon

2014-08-19

Thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technologies have improved significantly recently, and similar improvements are projected into the future, warranting reevaluation of the environmental implications of PV to update and inform policy decisions. By conducting a hybrid life cycle assessment using the most recent manufacturing data and technology roadmaps, we compare present and projected environmental, human health, and natural resource implications of electricity generated from two common thin-film PV technologies-copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe)-in the United States (U.S.) to those of the current U.S. electricity mix. We evaluate how the impacts of thin films can be reduced by likely cost-reducing technological changes: (1) module efficiency increases, (2) module dematerialization, (3) changes in upstream energy and materials production, and (4) end-of-life recycling of balance of system (BOS). Results show comparable environmental and resource impacts for CdTe and CIGS. Compared to the U.S. electricity mix in 2010, both perform at least 90% better in 7 of 12 and at least 50% better in 3 of 12 impact categories, with comparable land use, and increased metal depletion unless BOS recycling is ensured. Technological changes, particularly efficiency increases, contribute to 35-80% reductions in all impacts by 2030.

Automated array assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, B. F.

1976-01-01

Manufacturing techniques are evaluated using expenses based on experience and studying basic cost factors for each step to evaluate expenses from a first-principles point of view. A formal cost accounting procedure is developed which is used throughout the study for cost comparisons. The first test of this procedure is a comparison of its predicted costs for array module manufacturing with costs from a study which is based on experience factors. A manufacturing cost estimate for array modules of $10/W is based on present-day manufacturing techniques, expenses, and materials costs.

Galvanometer scanning technology for laser additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Xi; Li, Jin; Lucas, Mark

2017-02-01

A galvanometer laser beam scanning system is an essential element in many laser additive manufacturing (LAM) technologies including Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM). Understanding the laser beam scanning techniques and recent innovations in this field will greatly benefit the 3D laser printing system integration and technology advance. One of the challenges to achieve high quality 3D printed parts is due to the non-uniform laser power density delivered on the materials caused by the acceleration and deceleration movements of the galvanometer at ends of the hatching and outlining patterns. One way to solve this problem is to modulate the laser power as the function of the scanning speed during the acceleration or deceleration periods. Another strategy is to maintain the constant scanning speed while accurately coordinating the laser on and off operation throughout the job. In this paper, we demonstrate the high speed, high accuracy and low drift digital scanning technology that incorporates both techniques to achieve uniform laser density with minimal additional process development. With the constant scanning speed method, the scanner not only delivers high quality and uniform results, but also a throughput increase of 23% on a typical LAM job, compared to that of the conventional control method that requires galvanometer acceleration and deceleration movements.

Technology CAD for integrated circuit fabrication technology development and technology transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Samar

2003-07-01

In this paper systematic simulation-based methodologies for integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing technology development and technology transfer are presented. In technology development, technology computer-aided design (TCAD) tools are used to optimize the device and process parameters to develop a new generation of IC manufacturing technology by reverse engineering from the target product specifications. While in technology transfer to manufacturing co-location, TCAD is used for process centering with respect to high-volume manufacturing equipment of the target manufacturing equipment of the target manufacturing facility. A quantitative model is developed to demonstrate the potential benefits of the simulation-based methodology in reducing the cycle time and cost of typical technology development and technology transfer projects over the traditional practices. The strategy for predictive simulation to improve the effectiveness of a TCAD-based project, is also discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Horowitz, Kelsey A. W.; Fu, Ran; Woodhouse, Michael

This article examines current cost drivers and potential avenues to reduced cost for monolithic, glass-glass Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 (CIGS) modules by constructing a comprehensive bottom-up cost model. For a reference case where sputtering plus batch sulfurization after selenization (SAS) is employed, we compute a manufacturing cost of $69/m2 if the modules are made in the United States at a 1 GW/year production volume. At 14% module efficiency, this corresponds to a manufacturing cost of $0.49/WDC and a minimum sustainable price (MSP) of $0.67/WDC. We estimate that MSP could vary within +/-20% of this value given the range of quoted input prices, andmore » existing variations in module design, manufacturing processes, and manufacturing location. Potential for reduction in manufacturing costs to below $0.40/WDC may be possible if average production module efficiencies can be increased above 17% without increasing $/m2 costs; even lower costs could be achieved if $/m2 costs could be reduced, particularly via innovations in the CIGS deposition process or balance-of-module elements. We present the impact on cost of regional factors, CIGS deposition method, device design, and price fluctuations. One metric of competitiveness-levelized cost of energy (LCOE) -- is also assessed for several U.S. locations and compared to that of standard multi-crystalline silicon (m(c-Si)) and cadmium telluride (CdTe).« less

Challenges and Recent Developments in Hearing Aids: Part II. Feedback and Occlusion Effect Reduction Strategies, Laser Shell Manufacturing Processes, and Other Signal Processing Technologies

PubMed Central

Chung, King

2004-01-01

This is the second part of a review on the challenges and recent developments in hearing aids. Feedback and the occlusion effect pose great challenges in hearing aid design and usage. Yet, conventional solutions to feedback and the occlusion effect often create a dilemma: the solution to one often leads to the other. This review discusses the advanced signal processing strategies to reduce feedback and some new approaches to reduce the occlusion effect. Specifically, the causes of three types of feedback (acoustic, mechanical, and electromagnetic) are discussed. The strategies currently used to reduce acoustic feedback (i.e., adaptive feedback reduction algorithms using adaptive gain reduction, notch filtering, and phase cancellation strategies) and the design of new receivers that are built to reduce mechanical and electromagnetic feedback are explained. In addition, various new strategies (i.e., redesigned sound delivery devices and receiver-in-the-ear-canal hearing aid configuration) to reduce the occlusion effect are reviewed. Many manufacturers have recently adopted laser shell-manufacturing technologies to overcome problems associated with manufacturing custom hearing aid shells. The mechanisms of selected laser sintering and stereo lithographic apparatus and the properties of custom shells produced by these two processes are reviewed. Further, various new developments in hearing aid transducers, telecoils, channel-free amplification, open-platform programming options, rechargeable hearing aids, ear-level frequency modulated (FM) receivers, wireless Bluetooth FM systems, and wireless programming options are briefly explained and discussed. Finally, the applications of advanced hearing aid technologies to enhance other devices such as cochlear implants, hearing protectors, and cellular phones are discussed. PMID:15735871

ENABLING SMART MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES FOR DECISION-MAKING SUPPORT

PubMed Central

Helu, Moneer; Libes, Don; Lubell, Joshua; Lyons, Kevin; Morris, KC

2017-01-01

Smart manufacturing combines advanced manufacturing capabilities and digital technologies throughout the product lifecycle. These technologies can provide decision-making support to manufacturers through improved monitoring, analysis, modeling, and simulation that generate more and better intelligence about manufacturing systems. However, challenges and barriers have impeded the adoption of smart manufacturing technologies. To begin to address this need, this paper defines requirements for data-driven decision making in manufacturing based on a generalized description of decision making. Using these requirements, we then focus on identifying key barriers that prevent the development and use of data-driven decision making in industry as well as examples of technologies and standards that have the potential to overcome these barriers. The goal of this research is to promote a common understanding among the manufacturing community that can enable standardization efforts and innovation needed to continue adoption and use of smart manufacturing technologies. PMID:28649678

Manufacturing Methods and Technology Engineering (MM&TE) Program for the Establishment of Production Techniques for High Density Thick Film Circuits Used in Crystal Oscillators. Volume I.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-04-01

incorporate the high reliability ceramic-packaged quartz crystal resonator developed at ERADCOM, and utilize beam -leaded devices wherever possible...the form of a truncated cylinder. The rather complex module outline is best accomplished through the use of a precast potting shell filled with a low...crossover connections are achieved by means of thick-film dielectric material. Chip components attached to the metallized substrate complete the circuits

Road to Grid Parity through Deployment of Low-Cost 21.5% N-Type Si Solar Cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Velundur, Vijay

This project seeks to develop and deploy differentiated 21.5% efficient n-type Si solar cells while reaching the SunShot module cost goal of ≤ $0.50/W. This objective hinges on development of enabling low cost technologies that simplify the manufacturing process and reduce overall processing costs. These comprise of (1) Boron emitter formation and passivation; (2) Simplified processing process for emitter and BSF layers; and (3) Advanced metallization for the front and back contacts.

Space Technology Mission Directorate Game Changing Development Program FY2015 Annual Program Review: Advanced Manufacturing Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vickers, John; Fikes, John

2015-01-01

The Advance Manufacturing Technology (AMT) Project supports multiple activities within the Administration's National Manufacturing Initiative. A key component of the Initiative is the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO), which includes participation from all federal agencies involved in U.S. manufacturing. In support of the AMNPO the AMT Project supports building and Growing the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation through a public-private partnership designed to help the industrial community accelerate manufacturing innovation. Integration with other projects/programs and partnerships: STMD (Space Technology Mission Directorate), HEOMD, other Centers; Industry, Academia; OGA's (e.g., DOD, DOE, DOC, USDA, NASA, NSF); Office of Science and Technology Policy, NIST Advanced Manufacturing Program Office; Generate insight within NASA and cross-agency for technology development priorities and investments. Technology Infusion Plan: PC; Potential customer infusion (TDM, HEOMD, SMD, OGA, Industry); Leverage; Collaborate with other Agencies, Industry and Academia; NASA roadmap. Initiatives include: Advanced Near Net Shape Technology Integrally Stiffened Cylinder Process Development (launch vehicles, sounding rockets); Materials Genome; Low Cost Upper Stage-Class Propulsion; Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME); National Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

48 CFR 235.006-70 - Manufacturing Technology Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Manufacturing Technology... CONTRACTING 235.006-70 Manufacturing Technology Program. In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2521(d), for acquisitions under the Manufacturing Technology Program— (a) Award all contracts using competitive procedures...

48 CFR 235.006-70 - Manufacturing Technology Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Manufacturing Technology... CONTRACTING 235.006-70 Manufacturing Technology Program. In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2521(d), for acquisitions under the Manufacturing Technology Program— (a) Award all contracts using competitive procedures...

48 CFR 235.006-70 - Manufacturing Technology Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Manufacturing Technology... CONTRACTING 235.006-70 Manufacturing Technology Program. In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2521(d), for acquisitions under the Manufacturing Technology Program— (a) Award all contracts using competitive procedures...

48 CFR 235.006-70 - Manufacturing Technology Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Manufacturing Technology... CONTRACTING 235.006-70 Manufacturing Technology Program. In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2521(d), for acquisitions under the Manufacturing Technology Program— (a) Award all contracts using competitive procedures...

48 CFR 235.006-70 - Manufacturing Technology Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Manufacturing Technology... CONTRACTING 235.006-70 Manufacturing Technology Program. In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2521(d), for acquisitions under the Manufacturing Technology Program— (a) Award all contracts using competitive procedures...

Advances in 7xx-nm fiber-coupled modules with application to Tm fiber laser pumping and DPAL (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patterson, Steven G.; Guiney, Tina; Stapleton, Dean; Braker, Joseph; Alegria, Kim; Irwin, David A.; Ebert, Christopher

2017-02-01

DILAS has leveraged its industry-leading work in manufacturing low SWaP fiber-coupled modules extending the wavelength range to 793nm for Tm fiber laser pumping. Ideal for medical, industrial and military applications, modules spanning from single emitter-based 9W to TBar-based 200W of 793nm pump power will be discussed. The highlight is a lightweight module capable of <200W of 793nm pump power out of a package weighing < 400 grams. In addition, other modules spanning from single emitter-based 9W to TBar-based 200W of 793nm pump power will be presented. In addition, advances in DPAL modules, emitting at the technologically important wavelengths near 766nm and 780nm, will be detailed. Highlights include a fully microprocessor controlled fiber-coupled module that produces greater than 400W from a 600 micron core fiber and a line width of only 56.3pm. The micro-processor permits the automated center wavelength and line width tuning of the output over a range of output powers while retaining excellent line center and line width stability over time.

Process-Based Cost Modeling of Photonics Manufacture: The Cost Competitiveness of Monolithic Integration of a 1550-nm DFB Laser and an Electroabsorptive Modulator on an InP Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Erica R. H.; Bruce, E. J.; Ram, R. J.; Kirchain, Randolph E.

2006-08-01

The monolithic integration of components holds promise to increase network functionality and reduce packaging expense. Integration also drives down yield due to manufacturing complexity and the compounding of failures across devices. Consensus is lacking on the economically preferred extent of integration. Previous studies on the cost feasibility of integration have used high-level estimation methods. This study instead focuses on accurate-to-industry detail, basing a process-based cost model of device manufacture on data collected from 20 firms across the optoelectronics supply chain. The model presented allows for the definition of process organization, including testing, as well as processing conditions, operational characteristics, and level of automation at each step. This study focuses on the cost implications of integration of a 1550-nm DFB laser with an electroabsorptive modulator on an InP platform. Results show the monolithically integrated design to be more cost competitive over discrete component options regardless of production scale. Dominant cost drivers are packaging, testing, and assembly. Leveraging the technical detail underlying model projections, component alignment, bonding, and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) are identified as processes where technical improvements are most critical to lowering costs. Such results should encourage exploration of the cost advantages of further integration and focus cost-driven technology development.

Flexible organic tandem solar modules: a story of up-scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spyropoulos, George D.; Kubis, Peter; Li, Ning; Lucera, Luca; Salvador, Michael; Baran, Derya; Machui, Florian; Ameri, Tayebeh; Voigt, Monika M.; Brabec, Christoph J.

2014-10-01

The competition in the field of solar energy between Organic Photovoltaics (OPVs) and several Inorganic Photovoltaic technologies is continuously increasing to reach the ultimate purpose of energy supply from inexpensive and easily manufactured solar cell units. Solution-processed printing techniques on flexible substrates attach a tremendous opportunity to the OPVs for the accomplishment of low-cost and large area applications. Furthermore, tandem architectures came to boost up even more OPVs by increasing the photon-harvesting properties of the device. In this work, we demonstrate the road of realizing flexible organic tandem solar modules constructed by a fully roll-to-roll compatible processing. The modules exhibit an efficiency of 5.4% with geometrical fill factors beyond 80% and minimized interconnection-resistance losses. The processing involves low temperature (<70 °C), coating methods compatible with slot die coating and high speed and precision laser patterning.

Flexible manufacturing for photonics device assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Shin-Yee; Pocha, Michael D.; Strand, Oliver T.; Young, K. David

1994-01-01

The assembly of photonics devices such as laser diodes, optical modulators, and opto-electronics multi-chip modules (OEMCM), usually requires the placement of micron size devices such as laser diodes, and sub-micron precision attachment between optical fibers and diodes or waveguide modulators (usually referred to as pigtailing). This is a very labor intensive process. Studies done by the opto-electronics (OE) industry have shown that 95 percent of the cost of a pigtailed photonic device is due to the use of manual alignment and bonding techniques, which is the current practice in industry. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we are working to reduce the cost of packaging OE devices through the use of automation. Our efforts are concentrated on several areas that are directly related to an automated process. This paper will focus on our progress in two of those areas, in particular, an automated fiber pigtailing machine and silicon micro-technology compatible with an automated process.

MEMS-based microprojection system with a 1.5cc optical engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilcher, Lucio; Abelé, Nicolas

2012-03-01

Lemoptix develops next-generation of Micro-Opto-Electromechanical Systems (MOEMS)-based laser scanning and microprojection technologies and products for professional and industrial applications. Lemoptix LSCAN laser scanning micromirrors are designed to be integrated by OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers into a number of applications such as printers and industrial sensors, enhancing performances and enabling the development of smaller, higher resolution and lower cost products. Lemoptix MVIEW, world's smallest laser microprojection systems are ideal for integration by OEMs and ODMs (original design manufacturers) into various demanding applications such as headup displays in cars or mobile devices. Embedded MVIEW modules will enable the projection of content and information directly from the device on any nearby surface, enabling users to conveniently view and share information and content without the typical limitations of physical displays.

Solid state laser applications in photovoltaics manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunsky, Corey; Colville, Finlay

2008-02-01

Photovoltaic energy conversion devices are on a rapidly accelerating growth path driven by increasing government and societal pressure to use renewable energy as part of an overall strategy to address global warming attributed to greenhouse gas emissions. Initially supported in several countries by generous tax subsidies, solar cell manufacturers are relentlessly pushing the performance/cost ratio of these devices in a quest to reach true cost parity with grid electricity. Clearly this eventual goal will result in further acceleration in the overall market growth. Silicon wafer based solar cells are currently the mainstay of solar end-user installations with a cost up to three times grid electricity. But next-generation technology in the form of thin-film devices promises streamlined, high-volume manufacturing and greatly reduced silicon consumption, resulting in dramatically lower per unit fabrication costs. Notwithstanding the modest conversion efficiency of thin-film devices compared to wafered silicon products (around 6-10% versus 15-20%), this cost reduction is driving existing and start-up solar manufacturers to switch to thin-film production. A key aspect of these devices is patterning large panels to create a monolithic array of series-interconnected cells to form a low current, high voltage module. This patterning is accomplished in three critical scribing processes called P1, P2, and P3. Lasers are the technology of choice for these processes, delivering the desired combination of high throughput and narrow, clean scribes. This paper examines these processes and discusses the optimization of industrial lasers to meet their specific needs.

Module assemblage technology for floating systems: in vitro flotation and in vivo gastro-retention.

PubMed

Strusi, Orazio Luca; Sonvico, Fabio; Bettini, Ruggero; Santi, Patrizia; Colombo, Gaia; Barata, Pedro; Oliveira, Ana; Santos, Delfim; Colombo, Paolo

2008-07-14

The aim of this research was to study, in vitro by resultant-weight measurement and in vivo by gamma-scintigraphy experiments in humans, the floatation behavior of systems obtained by modules assembled in void configuration. The assembled system technology allowed the manufacturing of a system characterized by the presence of an internal void space that provided an apparent density lower than water. The gastro-retention times of floating assembled systems were determined in comparison with non-floating systems having the same mass and composition. In vitro the floatation of the system started immediately after immersion in water and lasted for more than 5 h. The in vivo studies confirmed that the in vitro floating ability of void configuration was maintained also in the human stomach where the system stayed for periods of time ranging from 2.5 to 5.0 h, depending on the food regimen and the sex of the subject. Reiterate eating and drinking further prolonged the stomach residence time.

IDENTIFYING PERFORMANCE ASSURANCE CHALLENGES FOR SMART MANUFACTURING.

PubMed

Helu, Moneer; Morris, Katherine; Jung, Kiwook; Lyons, Kevin; Leong, Swee

2015-10-01

Smart manufacturing has the potential to address many of the challenges faced by industry. However, the manufacturing community often needs assistance to leverage available technologies to improve their systems. To assure the performance of these technologies, this paper proposes a shared knowledge base that collects problem areas, solutions, and best practices for manufacturing technology. An Implementation Risk Assessment Framework (IRAF) is also described to identify the primary weaknesses of technologies in specific manufacturing contexts. Such approaches have the potential to stimulate new ideas and drive standardization activities critical to scale up and deploy smart manufacturing technologies successfully and quickly.

IDENTIFYING PERFORMANCE ASSURANCE CHALLENGES FOR SMART MANUFACTURING

PubMed Central

Helu, Moneer; Morris, Katherine; Jung, Kiwook; Lyons, Kevin; Leong, Swee

2015-01-01

Smart manufacturing has the potential to address many of the challenges faced by industry. However, the manufacturing community often needs assistance to leverage available technologies to improve their systems. To assure the performance of these technologies, this paper proposes a shared knowledge base that collects problem areas, solutions, and best practices for manufacturing technology. An Implementation Risk Assessment Framework (IRAF) is also described to identify the primary weaknesses of technologies in specific manufacturing contexts. Such approaches have the potential to stimulate new ideas and drive standardization activities critical to scale up and deploy smart manufacturing technologies successfully and quickly. PMID:26783512

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Forman, S. E.; Themelis, M. P.

The Department of Energy has set a 20-year lifetime goal for terrestrial photovoltaic modules. Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory, in its capacity as a Photovoltaic Field Tests and Applications Center, has established various experimental test sites in the United States ranging in size from 0.1 to 25 kW of peak power. These sites serve as test beds for photovoltaic system components and include modules from several manufacturers. This report summarizes the activities of the Materials, Processes and Testing Laboratory of the Solar Photovoltaic Project during a three-month (10/1/78--12/31/78) period. Particular attention is given to testing and analysis of solarmore » modules from the Mead, Nebraska site, which contains a 25-kW array. A trip to the site was made, where various testing and inspection procedures were followed, in order to ascertain the physical and electrical degradation which had occurred in modules. In addition, several modules were removed for more detailed testing and inspection in the Laboratory. The results of both the field testing and laboratory analyses are reported here.« less

Novel concepts for low-cost and high-efficient thin film solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez, D.; Menéndez, A.; Sánchez, P.; Martínez, A.; Andrés, L. J.; Menéndez, M. F.; Campos, N.; García, A.; Sánchez, B.

2011-09-01

This work presents the activities carried out at ITMA Materials Technology related to the building integration of thin film (TF) photovoltaics (PV). Three different approaches have been developed in order to achieve high efficient solar cells at low manufacturing costs: (i) a new route for manufacturing monolithical silicon based thin film solar cells on building materials, (ii) the use of metallic nanoparticles for light trapping (plasmonic effects and light scattering) and (iii) the luminescent sol-gel coating on glass for solar concentration. In the first case, amorphous silicon modules (single junction) have been successfully manufactured at lab scale on steel and commercial ceramic substrates with efficiencies of 5.4% and 4.0%, respectively. Promising initial attempts have been also made in ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a polymer with high potential in textile architecture. In a similar way, the development of nanotechnology based coatings (metallic nanoparticles and luminescent materials) represent the most innovative part of the work and some preliminary results are showed.

Manufacturing Natural Killer Cells as Medicinal Products

PubMed Central

Chabannon, Christian; Mfarrej, Bechara; Guia, Sophie; Ugolini, Sophie; Devillier, Raynier; Blaise, Didier; Vivier, Eric; Calmels, Boris

2016-01-01

Natural Killer (NK) cells are innate lymphoid cells (ILC) with cytotoxic and regulatory properties. Their functions are tightly regulated by an array of inhibitory and activating receptors, and their mechanisms of activation strongly differ from antigen recognition in the context of human leukocyte antigen presentation as needed for T-cell activation. NK cells thus offer unique opportunities for new and improved therapeutic manipulation, either in vivo or in vitro, in a variety of human diseases, including cancers. NK cell activity can possibly be modulated in vivo through direct or indirect actions exerted by small molecules or monoclonal antibodies. NK cells can also be adoptively transferred following more or less substantial modifications through cell and gene manufacturing, in order to empower them with new or improved functions and ensure their controlled persistence and activity in the recipient. In the present review, we will focus on the technological and regulatory challenges of NK cell manufacturing and discuss conditions in which these innovative cellular therapies can be brought to the clinic. PMID:27895646

Evaluation of solar cells and arrays for potential solar power satellite applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Almgren, D. W.; Csigi, K.; Gaudet, A. D.

1978-01-01

Proposed solar array designs and manufacturing methods are evaluated to identify options which show the greatest promise of leading up to the develpment of a cost-effective SPS solar cell array design. The key program elements which have to be accomplished as part of an SPS solar cell array development program are defined. The issues focussed on are: (1) definition of one or more designs of a candidate SPS solar array module, using results from current system studies; (2) development of the necessary manufacturing requirements for the candidate SPS solar cell arrays and an assessment of the market size, timing, and industry infrastructure needed to produce the arrays for the SPS program; (3) evaluation of current DOE, NASA and DOD photovoltaic programs to determine the impacts of recent advances in solar cell materials, array designs and manufacturing technology on the candidate SPS solar cell arrays; and (4) definition of key program elements for the development of the most promising solar cell arrays for the SPS program.

Apollo Program Summary Report: Synopsis of the Apollo Program Activities and Technology for Lunar Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Overall program activities and the technology developed to accomplish lunar exploration are discussed. A summary of the flights conducted over an 11-year period is presented along with specific aspects of the overall program, including lunar science, vehicle development and performance, lunar module development program, spacecraft development testing, flight crew summary, mission operations, biomedical data, spacecraft manufacturing and testing, launch site facilities, equipment, and prelaunch operations, and the lunar receiving laboratory. Appendixes provide data on each of the Apollo missions, mission type designations, spacecraft weights, records achieved by Apollo crewmen, vehicle histories, and a listing of anomalous hardware conditions noted during each flight beginning with Apollo 4.

Manufacturing Innovation and Technological Superiority

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

Defense AT&L: September-October 2016 2 From the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisit ion, Technology, and Logist ics Manufacturing Innovation ...program to establish Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) that would create incubators for advanced manufacturing technology in key

JTEC Panel report on electronic manufacturing and packaging in Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, Michael J.; Boulton, William R. (Editor); Kukowski, John; Meieran, Gene; Pecht, Michael; Peeples, John; Tummala, Rao; Dehaemer, Michael J.; Holdridge, Geoff (Editor); Gamota, George

1995-01-01

This report summarizes the status of electronic manufacturing and packaging technology in Japan in comparison to that in the United States, and its impact on competition in electronic manufacturing in general. In addition to electronic manufacturing technologies, the report covers technology and manufacturing infrastructure, electronics manufacturing and assembly, quality assurance and reliability in the Japanese electronics industry, and successful product realization strategies. The panel found that Japan leads the United States in almost every electronics packaging technology. Japan clearly has achieved a strategic advantage in electronics production and process technologies. Panel members believe that Japanese competitors could be leading U.S. firms by as much as a decade in some electronics process technologies.

Verify Module for Reporting A/C and Off-Cycle GHG Credits for Light-Duty Vehicle and Truck Manufacturers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EPA presentation provides information on using the new Verify module, streamlining the process required to electronically submit annual reporting of air conditioning (A/C) and off-cycle GHG credits for light duty manufacturers.

Intelligent Processing Equipment Developments Within the Navy's Manufacturing Technology Centers of Excellence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nanzetta, Philip

1992-01-01

The U.S. Navy has had an active Manufacturing Technology (MANTECH) Program aimed at developing advanced production processes and equipment since the late-1960's. During the past decade, however, the resources of the MANTECH program were concentrated in Centers of Excellence. Today, the Navy sponsors four manufacturing technology Centers of Excellence: the Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF); the Electronics Manufacturing Productivity Facility (EMPF); the National Center for Excellence in Metalworking Technology (NCEMT); and the Center of Excellence for Composites Manufacturing Technology (CECMT). This paper briefly describes each of the centers and summarizes typical Intelligent Equipment Processing (IEP) projects that were undertaken.

[Chinese medicine industry 4.0：advancing digital pharmaceutical manufacture toward intelligent pharmaceutical manufacture].

PubMed

Cheng, Yi-Yu; Qu, Hai-Bin; Zhang, Bo-Li

2016-01-01

A perspective analysis on the technological innovation in pharmaceutical engineering of Chinese medicine unveils a vision on "Future Factory" of Chinese medicine industry in mind. The strategy as well as the technical roadmap of "Chinese medicine industry 4.0" is proposed, with the projection of related core technology system. It is clarified that the technical development path of Chinese medicine industry from digital manufacture to intelligent manufacture. On the basis of precisely defining technical terms such as process control, on-line detection and process quality monitoring for Chinese medicine manufacture, the technical concepts and characteristics of intelligent pharmaceutical manufacture as well as digital pharmaceutical manufacture are elaborated. Promoting wide applications of digital manufacturing technology of Chinese medicine is strongly recommended. Through completely informationized manufacturing processes and multi-discipline cluster innovation, intelligent manufacturing technology of Chinese medicine should be developed, which would provide a new driving force for Chinese medicine industry in technology upgrade, product quality enhancement and efficiency improvement. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

A 120kV IGBT modulator for driving a pierce electron gun

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Earley, L. M.; Brown, R. W.; Carlson, R. L.

2004-01-01

An IGBT modulator has been developed to drive a 120 kV, 23 A Pierce electron gun. The modulator is capable of producing pulses up to 10 {mu}s in width at repetition rates up to 10Hz with no active reset. The pulse rise time on the electron gun will be approximately 2 {mu}s and the remaining 8 {mu}s of flattop is tuned to have a ripple of less than 1 percent rms. The modulator technology was developed from a previous 50 kV prototype. The modulator consists of six boards, each with one EUPEC IGBT that drives a single common step-up transformermore » wound on METGLAS 2605SC cores. The six transformer cores share a common bi-filar output secondary winding. The modulator uses a fiber optic trigger system and has a high voltage cable output with an epoxy receptacle on the oil end and a ceramic receptacle on the vacuum end. The 120 kV electron gun was manufactured by MDS Co. and will be used to generate sheet electron beams from the standard pencil beam produced by the Pierce electron gun.« less

Development and manufacture of reactive-transfer-printed CIGS photovoltaic modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eldada, Louay; Sang, Baosheng; Lu, Dingyuan; Stanbery, Billy J.

2010-09-01

In recent years, thin-film photovoltaic (PV) companies started realizing their low manufacturing cost potential, and grabbing an increasingly larger market share from multicrystalline silicon companies. Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) is the most promising thin-film PV material, having demonstrated the highest energy conversion efficiency in both cells and modules. However, most CIGS manufacturers still face the challenge of delivering a reliable and rapid manufacturing process that can scale effectively and deliver on the promise of this material system. HelioVolt has developed a reactive transfer process for CIGS absorber formation that has the benefits of good compositional control, high-quality CIGS grains, and a fast reaction. The reactive transfer process is a two stage CIGS fabrication method. Precursor films are deposited onto substrates and reusable print plates in the first stage, while in the second stage, the CIGS layer is formed by rapid heating with Se confinement. High quality CIGS films with large grains were produced on a full-scale manufacturing line, and resulted in high-efficiency large-form-factor modules. With 14% cell efficiency and 12% module efficiency, HelioVolt started to commercialize the process on its first production line with 20 MW nameplate capacity.

Pellet to Part Manufacturing System for CNCs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roschli, Alex C.; Love, Lonnie J.; Post, Brian K.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility worked with Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies to develop a compact prototype composite additive manufacturing head that can effectively extrude injection molding pellets. The head interfaces with conventional CNC machine tools enabling rapid conversion of conventional machine tools to additive manufacturing tools. The intent was to enable wider adoption of Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) technology and combine BAAM technology with conventional machining systems.

NASA Game Changing Development Program Manufacturing Innovation Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tolbert, Carol; Vickers, John

2011-01-01

This presentation examines the new NASA Manufacturing Innovation Project. The project is a part of the Game Changing Development Program which is one element of the Space Technology Programs Managed by Office of the Chief Technologist. The project includes innovative technologies in model-based manufacturing, digital additive manufacturing, and other next generation manufacturing tools. The project is also coupled with the larger federal initiatives in this area including the National Digital Engineering and Manufacturing Initiative and the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. In addition to NASA, other interagency partners include the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, NIST, Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation. The development of game-changing manufacturing technologies are critical for NASA s mission of exploration, strengthening America s manufacturing competitiveness, and are highly related to current challenges in defense manufacturing activities. There is strong consensus across industry, academia, and government that the future competitiveness of U.S. industry will be determined, in large part, by a technologically advanced manufacturing sector. This presentation highlights the prospectus of next generation manufacturing technologies to the challenges faced NASA and by the Department of Defense. The project focuses on maturing innovative/high payoff model-based manufacturing technologies that may lead to entirely new approaches for a broad array of future NASA missions and solutions to significant national needs. Digital manufacturing and computer-integrated manufacturing "virtually" guarantee advantages in quality, speed, and cost and offer many long-term benefits across the entire product lifecycle. This paper addresses key enablers and emerging strategies in areas such as: Current government initiatives, Model-based manufacturing, and Additive manufacturing.

Development of an advanced uncooled 10-Gb DFB laser for volume manufacture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burns, Gordon; Charles, Paul M.

2003-03-01

Optical communication systems operating at 10Gbit/s such as 10Gigabit Ethernet are becoming more and more important in Local Area Networks (LAN) and Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN). This market requires optical transceivers of low cost, size and power consumption. This drives a need for uncooled DFB lasers directly modulated at 10Gbit/s. This paper describes the development of a state of the art uncooled high speed DFB laser which is capable of being manufactured in high volume at the low cost demanded by the GbE market. A DFB laser was designed by developing technological building blocks within the 'conventional" InGaAsP materials system, using existing well proven manufacturing processes modules wherever possible, limiting the design risk to a few key areas where innovation was required. The temperature and speed performance of the InGaAsP SMQW active layer system was carefully optimized and then coupled with a low parasitic lateral confinement system. Using concurrent engineering, new processes were demonstrated to have acceptable process capability within a manufacturing fabrication environment, proving their ability to support high volume manufacturing requirements. The DFB laser fabricated was shown to operate at 100C chip temperature with an open eye at 10Gbit/s operation (with an extinction ratio >5dB). Up to 90C operation this DFB shows threshold current as low as 29mA, optical power as high as 13mW and it meets the 10Gb scaled Ethernet mask with extinction ratio >6dB. It was found that the high temperature dynamic behavior of these lasers could not be fully predicted from static test data. A production test strategy was therefore followed where equipment was designed to fully test devices/subassemblies at 100C and up to 20Gbit/s at key points in the product build. This facilitated the rapid optimisation of product yields upon manufacturing ramp up and minimization of product costs. This state of the art laser is now transferred into volume manufacture.

Technological assessment of local manufacturers for wind turbine blade manufacturing in Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmood, Khurram; Haroon, General

2012-11-01

Composite materials manufacturing industry is one of the world's hi-tech industry. Manufacturing of wind turbine blades is one of the specialized fields requiring high degree of precision and composite manufacturing techniques. This paper identifies the industries specializing in the composite manufacturing and is able to manufacture wind turbines blades in Pakistan. In the second phase, their technology readiness level is determined, based on some factors and then a readiness level are assigned to them. The assigned technology readiness level will depict the absorptive capacity of each manufacturing unit and its capability to take on such projects. The individual readiness level of manufacturing unit will then be used to establish combined technology readiness level of Pakistan particularly for wind turbine blades manufacturing. The composite manufacturing industry provides many spin offs and a diverse range of products can be manufactured using this facility. This research will be helpful to categorize the strong points and flaws of local industry for the gap analysis. It can also be used as a prerequisite study before the evaluation of technologies and specialties to improve the industry of the country for the most favorable results. This will form a basic data base which can be used for the decision making related to transfer of technology, training of local skilled workers and general up-gradation of the local manufacturing units.

A sunny future: expert elicitation of China's solar photovoltaic technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Long T.; Branstetter, Lee; Azevedo, Inês L.

2018-03-01

China has emerged as the global manufacturing center for solar photovoltaic (PV) products. Chinese firms have entered all stages of the supply chain, producing most of the installed solar modules around the world. Meanwhile, production costs are at record lows. The decisions that Chinese solar producers make today will influence the path for the solar industry and its role towards de-carbonization of global energy systems in the years to come. However, to date, there have been no assessments of the future costs and efficiency of solar PV systems produced by the Chinese PV industry. We perform an expert elicitation to assess the technological and non-technological factors that led to the success of China’s silicon PV industry as well as likely future costs and performance. Experts evaluated key metrics such as efficiency, costs, and commercial viability of 17 silicon and non-silicon solar PV technologies by 2030. Silicon-based technologies will continue to be the mainstream product for large-scale electricity generation application in the near future, with module efficiency reaching as high as 23% and production cost as low as 0.24/W. The levelized cost of electricity for solar will be around 34/MWh, allowing solar PV to be competitive with traditional energy resources like coal. The industry’s future developments may be affected by overinvestment, overcapacity, and singular short-term focus.

Remote wave measurements using autonomous mobile robotic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurkin, Andrey; Zeziulin, Denis; Makarov, Vladimir; Belyakov, Vladimir; Tyugin, Dmitry; Pelinovsky, Efim

2016-04-01

The project covers the development of a technology for monitoring and forecasting the state of the coastal zone environment using radar equipment transported by autonomous mobile robotic systems (AMRS). Sought-after areas of application are the eastern and northern coasts of Russia, where continuous collection of information on topographic changes of the coastal zone and carrying out hydrodynamic measurements in inaccessible to human environment are needed. The intensity of the reflection of waves, received by radar surveillance, is directly related to the height of the waves. Mathematical models and algorithms for processing experimental data (signal selection, spectral analysis, wavelet analysis), recalculation of landwash from data on heights of waves far from the shore, determination of the threshold values of heights of waves far from the shore have been developed. There has been developed the program complex for functioning of the experimental prototype of AMRS, comprising the following modules: data loading module, reporting module, module of georeferencing, data analysis module, monitoring module, hardware control module, graphical user interface. Further work will be connected with carrying out tests of manufactured experimental prototype in conditions of selected routes coastline of Sakhalin Island. Conducting field tests will allow to reveal the shortcomings of development and to identify ways of optimization of the structure and functioning algorithms of AMRS, as well as functioning the measuring equipment. The presented results have been obtained in Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University n.a. R. Alekseev in the framework of the Federal Target Program «Research and development on priority directions of scientific-technological complex of Russia for 2014 - 2020 years» (agreement № 14.574.21.0089 (unique identifier of agreement - RFMEFI57414X0089)).

Manufacturing Laboratory | Energy Systems Integration Facility | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Manufacturing Laboratory Manufacturing Laboratory Researchers in the Energy Systems Integration Facility's Manufacturing Laboratory develop methods and technologies to scale up renewable energy technology manufacturing capabilities. Photo of researchers and equipment in the Manufacturing Laboratory. Capability Hubs

Training for New Manufacturing Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, James

1988-01-01

Examines the effects of computer-based manufacturing technologies on employment opportunities and job skills. Describes the establishment of the Industrial Technology Institute in Michigan to develop and utilize advanced manufacturing technologies, and the institute's relationship to the state's community colleges. Reviews lessons learned from…

Planar Fully-Depleted-Silicon-On-Insulator technologies: Toward the 28 nm node and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doris, B.; DeSalvo, B.; Cheng, K.; Morin, P.; Vinet, M.

2016-03-01

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the research done in the last decade on planar Fully-Depleted-Silicon-On-Insulator (FDSOI) technologies in the frame of the joint development program between IBM, ST Microelectronics and CEA-LETI. In particular, we review the technological developments ranging from substrate engineering to process modules that enable functionality and improve FDSOI performance over several generations. Various multi Vt integration schemes to maximize the benefits of the thin BOX FDSOI platform are discussed. Manufacturability as well as scalability concerns are highlighted and addressed. In addition, this work provides understanding of the performance/power trade-offs for FDSOI circuits and device variability. Finally, clear directions for future application-specific products are given, demonstrating that FDSOI is an attractive CMOS option for next generation high performance and low-power applications.

Research on ARM Numerical Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Xu; JiHong, Chen

Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) machine tools is the foundation of modern manufacturing systems, whose advanced digital technology is the key to solve the problem of sustainable development of machine tool manufacturing industry. The paper is to design CNC system embedded on ARM and indicates the hardware design and the software systems supported. On the hardware side: the driving chip of the motor control unit, as the core of components, is MCX314AL of DSP motion control which is developed by NOVA Electronics Co., Ltd. of Japan. It make convenient to control machine because of its excellent performance, simple interface, easy programming. On the Software side, the uC/OS-2 is selected as the embedded operating system of the open source, which makes a detailed breakdown of the modules of the CNC system. Those priorities are designed according to their actual requirements. The ways of communication between the module and the interrupt response are so different that it guarantees real-time property and reliability of the numerical control system. Therefore, it not only meets the requirements of the current social precision machining, but has good man-machine interface and network support to facilitate a variety of craftsmen use.

Cost-effective parallel optical interconnection module based on fully passive-alignment process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Son, Dong Hoon; Heo, Young Soon; Park, Hyoung-Jun; Kang, Hyun Seo; Kim, Sung Chang

2017-11-01

In optical interconnection technology, high-speed and large data transitions with low error rate and cost reduction are key issues for the upcoming 8K media era. The researchers present notable types of optical manufacturing structures of a four-channel parallel optical module by fully passive alignment, which are able to reduce manufacturing time and cost. Each of the components, such as vertical-cavity surface laser/positive-intrinsic negative-photodiode array, microlens array, fiber array, and receiver (RX)/transmitter (TX) integrated circuit, is integrated successfully using flip-chip bonding, die bonding, and passive alignment with a microscope. Clear eye diagrams are obtained by 25.78-Gb/s (for TX) and 25.7-Gb/s (for RX) nonreturn-to-zero signals of pseudorandom binary sequence with a pattern length of 231 to 1. The measured responsivity and minimum sensitivity of the RX are about 0.5 A/W and ≤-6.5 dBm at a bit error rate (BER) of 10-12, respectively. The optical power margin at a BER of 10-12 is 7.5 dB, and cross talk by the adjacent channel is ≤1 dB.

Design for manufacturability production management activity report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyazaki, Norihiko; Sato, T.; Honma, M.; Yoshioka, N.; Hosono, K.; Onodera, T.; Itoh, H.; Suzuki, H.; Uga, T.; Kadota, K.; Iriki, N.

2006-05-01

Design For Manufacturability Production Management (DFM-PM) Subcommittee has been started in succession to Reticle Management Subcommittee (RMS) in Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Committee for Japan (SMTCJ) from 2005. Our activity focuses on the SoC (System On Chip) Business, and it pursues the improvement of communication in manufacturing technique. The first theme of activity is the investigation and examination of the new trends about production (manufacturer) technology and related information, and proposals of business solution. The second theme is the standardization activity about manufacture technology and the cooperation with related semiconductors' organizations. And the third theme is holding workshop and support for promotion and spread of the standardization technology throughout semiconductor companies. We expand a range of scope from design technology to wafer pattern reliability and we will propose the competition domain, the collaboration area and the standardization technology on DFM. Furthermore, we will be able to make up a SoC business model as the 45nm node technology beyond manufacturing platform in cooperating with the design information and the production information by utilizing EDA technology.

Thermionic modules

DOEpatents

King, Donald B.; Sadwick, Laurence P.; Wernsman, Bernard R.

2002-06-18

Modules of assembled microminiature thermionic converters (MTCs) having high energy-conversion efficiencies and variable operating temperatures manufactured using MEMS manufacturing techniques including chemical vapor deposition. The MTCs incorporate cathode to anode spacing of about 1 micron or less and use cathode and anode materials having work functions ranging from about 1 eV to about 3 eV. The MTCs also exhibit maximum efficiencies of just under 30%, and thousands of the devices and modules can be fabricated at modest costs.

Status of the Node 3 Regenerative Environmental Cpntrol& Life Support System Water Recovery & Oxygen Generation Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carrasquillo, Robyn L.

2003-01-01

NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center is providing three racks containing regenerative water recovery and oxygen generation systems (WRS and OGS) for flight on the lnternational Space Station s (ISS) Node 3 element. The major assemblies included in these racks are the Water Processor Assembly (WPA), Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA), and the Power Supply Module (PSM) supporting the OGA. The WPA and OGA are provided by Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems lnternational (HSSSI), while the UPA and PSM are being designed and manufactured in-house by MSFC. The assemblies are currently in the manufacturing and test phase and are to be completed and integrated into flight racks this year. This paper gives an overview of the technologies and system designs, technical challenges encountered and solved, and the current status.

Size, weight, and power reduction of mercury cadmium telluride infrared detection modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breiter, Rainer; Ihle, Tobias; Wendler, Joachim C.; Lutz, Holger; Rutzinger, Stefan; Schallenberg, Timo; Hofmann, Karl C.; Ziegler, Johann

2011-06-01

Application requirements driving present IR technology development activities are improved capability to detect and identify a threat as well as the need to reduce size weight and power consumption (SWaP) of thermal sights. In addition to the development of 3rd Gen IR modules providing dual-band or dual-color capability, AIM is focused on IR FPAs with reduced pitch and high operating temperature for SWaP reduction. State-of-the-art MCT technology allows AIM the production of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detectors operating at temperatures exceeding 120 K without any need to sacrifice the 5-μm cut-off wavelength. These FPAs allow manufacturing of low cost IR modules with minimum size, weight, and power for state-of-the-art high performance IR systems. AIM has realized full TV format MCT 640×512 mid-wave and long-wave IR detection modules with a 15-μm pitch to meet the requirements of critical military applications like thermal weapon sights or thermal imagers in unmanned aerial vehicles applications. In typical configurations like an F/4.6 cold shield for the 640×512 MWIR module an noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) <25 mK @ 5 ms integration time is achieved, while the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) modules achieve an NETD <38 mK @ F/2 and 180 μs integration time. For the LWIR modules, FPAs with a cut-off up to 10 μm have been realized. The modules are available either with different integral rotary cooler configurations for portable applications that require minimum cooling power or a new split linear cooler providing long lifetime with a mean time to failure (MTTF) > 20000, e.g., for warning sensors in 24/7 operation. The modules are available with optional image processing electronics providing nonuniformity correction and further image processing for a complete IR imaging solution. The latest results and performance of those modules and their applications are presented.

Development of welding technologies for the manufacturing of European Tritium Breeder blanket modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poitevin, Y.; Aubert, Ph.; Diegele, E.; de Dinechin, G.; Rey, J.; Rieth, M.; Rigal, E.; von der Weth, A.; Boutard, J.-L.; Tavassoli, F.

2011-10-01

Europe has developed two reference Tritium Breeder Blankets concepts for a DEMO fusion reactor: the Helium-Cooled Lithium-Lead and the Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed. Both are using the reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic EUROFER-97 steel as structural material and will be tested in ITER under the form of test blanket modules. The fabrication of their EUROFER structures requires developing welding processes like laser, TIG, EB and diffusion welding often beyond the state-of-the-art. The status of European achievements in this area is reviewed, illustrating the variety of processes and key issues behind retained options, in particular with respect to metallurgical aspects and mechanical properties. Fabrication of mock-ups is highlighted and their characterization and performances with respect to design requirements are reviewed.

Intelligent Agent Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

Open Sesame! is the first commercial software product that learns user's behavior, and offers automation and coaching suggestions to the user. The neural learning module looks for repetitive patterns that have not been automated; when it finds one, it creates an observation and, upon approval, automates the task. The manufacturer, Charles River Analytics, credits Langley Research Center and Johnson Space Center Small Business Innovation Research grants and the time the president and vice president spent at the two centers in the 1970s as being essential to the development of their product line.

A Portable Thermoelectric Power Generator Based on a Microfabricated Silicon Combustor with Low Resistance to Flow

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-14

conductive heat losses to dominate the energy balance. The manifold and inlet and outlet tubes were insulated using lI16-in-thick CeraTex ceramic tape...small cut in the graphite). On either side of the TE modules, O.27-mm-thick alumina insulating shims (Hi-Z Technologies) were used to prevent...accounting for the themml resistance of the alumina insulating shim) close to 300"C, which was identified by the manufacturer as a moderately "safe" limit

Final Report - Energy Reduction and Advanced Water Removal via Membrane Solvent Extraction Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reed, John; Fanselow, Dan; Abbas, Charles

2014-08-06

3M and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and demonstrate a novel membrane solvent extraction (MSE) process that can substantially reduce energy and water consumption in ethanol production, and accelerate the fermentation process. A cross-flow membrane module was developed, using porous membrane manufactured by 3M. A pilot process was developed that integrates fermentation, MSE and vacuum distillation. Extended experiments of 48-72 hours each were conducted to develop the process, verify its performance and begin establishing commercial viability.

Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology Facility Expedites Manufacturing Innovation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

The Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology facility (CoMET) at the National Wind Technology Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) paves the way for innovative wind turbine components and accelerated manufacturing. Available for use by industry partners and university researchers, the 10,000-square-foot facility expands NREL's composite manufacturing research capabilities by enabling researchers to design, prototype, and test composite wind turbine blades and other components -- and then manufacture them onsite. Designed to work in conjunction with NREL's design, analysis, and structural testing capabilities, the CoMET facility expedites manufacturing innovation.

Advanced tendencies in development of photovoltaic cells for power engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strebkov, D. S.

2015-01-01

Development of solar power engineering must be based on original innovative Russian and world technologies. It is necessary to develop promising Russian technologies of manufacturing of photovoltaic cells and semiconductor materials: chlorine-free technology for obtaining solar silicon; matrix solar cell technology with an efficiency of 25-30% upon the conversion of concentrated solar, thermal, and laser radiation; encapsulation technology for high-voltage silicon solar modules with a voltage up to 1000 V and a service life up to 50 years; new methods of concentration of solar radiation with the balancing illumination of photovoltaic cells at 50-100-fold concentration; and solar power systems with round-the-clock production of electrical energy that do not require energy storage devices and reserve sources of energy. The advanced tendency in silicon power engineering is the use of high-temperature reactions in heterogeneous modular silicate solutions for long-term (over one year) production of heat and electricity in the autonomous mode.

Multimedia Image Technology and Computer Aided Manufacturing Engineering Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nan, Song

2018-03-01

Since the reform and opening up, with the continuous development of science and technology in China, more and more advanced science and technology have emerged under the trend of diversification. Multimedia imaging technology, for example, has a significant and positive impact on computer aided manufacturing engineering in China. From the perspective of scientific and technological advancement and development, the multimedia image technology has a very positive influence on the application and development of computer-aided manufacturing engineering, whether in function or function play. Therefore, this paper mainly starts from the concept of multimedia image technology to analyze the application of multimedia image technology in computer aided manufacturing engineering.

Modeling and simulation of five-axis virtual machine based on NX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaoda; Zhan, Xianghui

2018-04-01

Virtual technology in the machinery manufacturing industry has shown the role of growing. In this paper, the Siemens NX software is used to model the virtual CNC machine tool, and the parameters of the virtual machine are defined according to the actual parameters of the machine tool so that the virtual simulation can be carried out without loss of the accuracy of the simulation. How to use the machine builder of the CAM module to define the kinematic chain and machine components of the machine is described. The simulation of virtual machine can provide alarm information of tool collision and over cutting during the process to users, and can evaluate and forecast the rationality of the technological process.

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Solid-State Lighting

ScienceCinema

Thomas, Sunil; Edmond, John; Krames, Michael; Rama

2018-05-30

The importance of U.S. manufacturing for clean energy technologies, such as solid-state lighting (SSL), is paramount to increasing competitiveness in a global marketplace. SSLs are poised to drive the lighting market, worldwide. In order to continue that competitiveness and support further innovation, the time to invest in U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies is now. Across the country, companies developing innovative clean energy technologies find competitive advantages to manufacturing in the U.S. The Department of Energy's Building Technology Office SSL Manufacturing Roadmap is just one example of how we support manufacturing through convening industry perspectives on opportunities to significantly reduce risk, improve quality, increase yields, and lower costs.

The present status and future growth of maintenance in US manufacturing: results from a pilot survey.

PubMed

Jin, Xiaoning; Siegel, David; Weiss, Brian A; Gamel, Ellen; Wang, Wei; Lee, Jay; Ni, Jun

A research study was conducted (1) to examine the practices employed by US manufacturers to achieve productivity goals and (2) to understand what level of intelligent maintenance technologies and strategies are being incorporated into these practices. This study found that the effectiveness and choice of maintenance strategy were strongly correlated to the size of the manufacturing enterprise; there were large differences in adoption of advanced maintenance practices and diagnostics and prognostics technologies between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite their greater adoption of maintenance practices and technologies, large manufacturing organizations have had only modest success with respect to diagnostics and prognostics and preventive maintenance projects. The varying degrees of success with respect to preventative maintenance programs highlight the opportunity for larger manufacturers to improve their maintenance practices and use of advanced prognostics and health management (PHM) technology. The future outlook for manufacturing PHM technology among the manufacturing organizations considered in this study was overwhelmingly positive; many manufacturing organizations have current and planned projects in this area. Given the current modest state of implementation and positive outlook for this technology, gaps, future trends, and roadmaps for manufacturing PHM and maintenance strategy are presented.

The present status and future growth of maintenance in US manufacturing: results from a pilot survey

PubMed Central

Jin, Xiaoning; Siegel, David; Weiss, Brian A.; Gamel, Ellen; Wang, Wei; Lee, Jay; Ni, Jun

2016-01-01

A research study was conducted (1) to examine the practices employed by US manufacturers to achieve productivity goals and (2) to understand what level of intelligent maintenance technologies and strategies are being incorporated into these practices. This study found that the effectiveness and choice of maintenance strategy were strongly correlated to the size of the manufacturing enterprise; there were large differences in adoption of advanced maintenance practices and diagnostics and prognostics technologies between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite their greater adoption of maintenance practices and technologies, large manufacturing organizations have had only modest success with respect to diagnostics and prognostics and preventive maintenance projects. The varying degrees of success with respect to preventative maintenance programs highlight the opportunity for larger manufacturers to improve their maintenance practices and use of advanced prognostics and health management (PHM) technology. The future outlook for manufacturing PHM technology among the manufacturing organizations considered in this study was overwhelmingly positive; many manufacturing organizations have current and planned projects in this area. Given the current modest state of implementation and positive outlook for this technology, gaps, future trends, and roadmaps for manufacturing PHM and maintenance strategy are presented. PMID:27525253

2001 Industry Studies: Advanced Manufacturing

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-05-28

oriented, 19 and manufacturers are employing the Internet and associated information technologies to better integrate supply chains and form extended...ways to compete in world markets . As part of this ongoing transformation, the broad implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies , processes...competitive advantages and better performance in world markets . Importantly, advanced manufacturing involves the innovative integration of new technology

76 FR 9766 - Nationwide Limited Public Interest Waiver Under Section 1605 (Buy American) of the American...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-22

... interest waiver), with respect to the following solar photo-voltaic (PV) equipment: (1) Domestically... utilized in a solar installation involving a U.S. manufactured PV module, or a module manufactured abroad... incidental and/or ancillary solar Photovoltaic (PV) equipment, when this equipment is utilized in solar...

Advanced optical manufacturing digital integrated system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Yizheng; Li, Xinglan; Li, Wei; Tang, Dingyong

2012-10-01

It is necessarily to adapt development of advanced optical manufacturing technology with modern science technology development. To solved these problems which low of ration, ratio of finished product, repetition, consistent in big size and high precision in advanced optical component manufacturing. Applied business driven and method of Rational Unified Process, this paper has researched advanced optical manufacturing process flow, requirement of Advanced Optical Manufacturing integrated System, and put forward architecture and key technology of it. Designed Optical component core and Manufacturing process driven of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Digital Integrated System. the result displayed effective well, realized dynamic planning Manufacturing process, information integration improved ratio of production manufactory.

Development of Advanced Deposition Technology for Microcrystalline Si Based Solar Cells and Modules: Final Technical Report, 1 May 2002-31 July 2004

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Y. M.

2004-12-01

The key objective of this subcontract was to take the first steps to extend the radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) manufacturing technology of Energy Photovoltaics, Inc. (EPV), to the promising field of a-Si/nc-Si solar cell fabrication by demonstrating ''proof-of-concept'' devices of good efficiencies that previously were believed to be unobtainable in single-chamber reactors owing to contamination problems. A complementary goal was to find a new high-rate deposition method that can conceivably be deployed in large PECVD-type reactors. We emphasize that our goal was not to produce 'champion' devices of near-record efficiencies, but rather, to achieve modestly high efficiencies usingmore » a far simpler (cheaper) system, via practical processing methods and materials. To directly attack issues in solar-cell fabrication at EPV, the nc-Si thin films were studied almost exclusively in the p-i-n device configuration (as absorbers or i-layers), not as stand-alone films. Highly efficient, p-i-n type, nc-Si-based solar cells are generally grown on expensive, laboratory superstrates, such as custom ZnO/glass of high texture (granular surface) and low absorption. Also standard was the use of a highly effective back-reflector ZnO/Ag, where the ZnO can be surface-textured for efficient diffuse reflection. The high-efficiency ''champion'' devices made by the PECVD methods were invariably prepared in sophisticated (i.e., expensive), multi-chamber, or at least load-locked deposition systems. The electrode utilization efficiency, defined as the surface-area ratio of the powered electrode to that of the substrates, was typically low at about one (1:1). To evaluate the true potential of nc-Si absorbers for cost-competitive, commercially viable manufacturing of large-area PV modules, we took a more down-to-earth approach, based on our proven production of a-Si PV modules by a massively parallel batch process in single-chamber RF-PECVD systems, to the study of nc-Si solar cells, with the aim of producing high-efficiency a-Si/nc-Si solar cells and sub-modules.« less

Improved ATIR concentrator photovoltaic module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adriani, Paul M.; Mao, Erwang

2013-09-01

Novel aggregated total internal reflection (ATIR) concentrator photovoltaic module design comprises 2-D shaped primary and secondary optics that effectively combine optical efficiency, low profile, convenient range of acceptance angles, reliability, and manufacturability. This novel optical design builds upon previous investigations by improving the shapes of primary and secondary optics to enable improved long-term reliability and manufacturability. This low profile, low concentration (5x to 10x) design fits well with one-axis trackers that are often used for flat plate crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules in large scale ground mount installations. Standard mounting points, materials, and procedures apply without changes from flat plate modules.

High-resolution three-dimensional imaging with compress sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jingyi; Ke, Jun

2016-10-01

LIDAR three-dimensional imaging technology have been used in many fields, such as military detection. However, LIDAR require extremely fast data acquisition speed. This makes the manufacture of detector array for LIDAR system is very difficult. To solve this problem, we consider using compress sensing which can greatly decrease the data acquisition and relax the requirement of a detection device. To use the compressive sensing idea, a spatial light modulator will be used to modulate the pulsed light source. Then a photodetector is used to receive the reflected light. A convex optimization problem is solved to reconstruct the 2D depth map of the object. To improve the resolution in transversal direction, we use multiframe image restoration technology. For each 2D piecewise-planar scene, we move the SLM half-pixel each time. Then the position where the modulated light illuminates will changed accordingly. We repeat moving the SLM to four different directions. Then we can get four low-resolution depth maps with different details of the same plane scene. If we use all of the measurements obtained by the subpixel movements, we can reconstruct a high-resolution depth map of the sense. A linear minimum-mean-square error algorithm is used for the reconstruction. By combining compress sensing and multiframe image restoration technology, we reduce the burden on data analyze and improve the efficiency of detection. More importantly, we obtain high-resolution depth maps of a 3D scene.

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Solid-State Lighting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thomas, Sunil; Edmond, John; Krames, Michael

2014-09-23

The importance of U.S. manufacturing for clean energy technologies, such as solid-state lighting (SSL), is paramount to increasing competitiveness in a global marketplace. SSLs are poised to drive the lighting market, worldwide. In order to continue that competitiveness and support further innovation, the time to invest in U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies is now. Across the country, companies developing innovative clean energy technologies find competitive advantages to manufacturing in the U.S. The Department of Energy's Building Technology Office SSL Manufacturing Roadmap is just one example of how we support manufacturing through convening industry perspectives on opportunities to significantly reducemore » risk, improve quality, increase yields, and lower costs.« less

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Solid-State Lighting Video

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thomas, Sunil; Edmond, John; Krames, Michael

2014-09-23

The importance of U.S. manufacturing for clean energy technologies, such as solid-state lighting (SSL), is paramount to increasing competitiveness in a global marketplace. SSLs are poised to drive the lighting market, worldwide. In order to continue that competitiveness and support further innovation, the time to invest in U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies is now. Across the country, companies developing innovative clean energy technologies find competitive advantages to manufacturing in the U.S. The Department of Energy's Building Technology Office SSL Manufacturing Roadmap is just one example of how we support manufacturing through convening industry perspectives on opportunities to significantly reducemore » risk, improve quality, increase yields, and lower costs.« less

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Solid-State Lighting Video

ScienceCinema

Thomas, Sunil; Edmond, John; Krames, Michael; Raman, Sudhakar

2018-01-16

The importance of U.S. manufacturing for clean energy technologies, such as solid-state lighting (SSL), is paramount to increasing competitiveness in a global marketplace. SSLs are poised to drive the lighting market, worldwide. In order to continue that competitiveness and support further innovation, the time to invest in U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies is now. Across the country, companies developing innovative clean energy technologies find competitive advantages to manufacturing in the U.S. The Department of Energy's Building Technology Office SSL Manufacturing Roadmap is just one example of how we support manufacturing through convening industry perspectives on opportunities to significantly reduce risk, improve quality, increase yields, and lower costs.

A preliminary investigation of the Environmental Control and Life Support Subsystem (EC/LSS) for the space construction base manufacturing modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wells, H. B.

1977-01-01

The preliminary data of the environmental control and life support subsystem for a space construction base manufacturing module was reported. A space processing module, which is capable of performing production biological experiments, was chosen as a baseline configuration. The primary assemblies and components considered for use were humidity and temperature control, ventilation fan, cabin fan, water separator, condensate storage, overboard dumping, distribution system, contaminant monitoring, cabin sensors, and fire and smoke detection.

Simulation of Electrical Characteristics of a Solar Panel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obukhov, S.; Plotnikov, I.; Kryuchkova, M.

2016-06-01

The fast-growing photovoltaic system market leads to the necessity of the informed choice of major energy components and optimization of operating conditions in order to improve energy efficiency. Development of mathematical models of the main components of photovoltaic systems to ensure their comprehensive study is an urgent problem of improving and practical using of the technology of electrical energy production. The paper presents a mathematical model of the solar module implemented in the popular software MATLAB/Simulink. Equivalent circuit of the solar cell with a diode parallel without derived resistance is used for modelling. The serie8s resistance of the solar module is calculated by Newton's iterative method using the data of its technical specifications. It ensures high precision of simulation. Model validity was evaluated by the well-known technical characteristics of the module Solarex MSX 60. The calculation results of the experiment showed that the obtained current-voltage and current-watt characteristics of the model are compatible with those of the manufacturer.

Reliability history of the Apollo guidance computer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, E. C.

1972-01-01

The Apollo guidance computer was designed to provide the computation necessary for guidance, navigation and control of the command module and the lunar landing module of the Apollo spacecraft. The computer was designed using the technology of the early 1960's and the production was completed by 1969. During the development, production, and operational phase of the program, the computer has accumulated a very interesting history which is valuable for evaluating the technology, production methods, system integration, and the reliability of the hardware. The operational experience in the Apollo guidance systems includes 17 computers which flew missions and another 26 flight type computers which are still in various phases of prelaunch activity including storage, system checkout, prelaunch spacecraft checkout, etc. These computers were manufactured and maintained under very strict quality control procedures with requirements for reporting and analyzing all indications of failure. Probably no other computer or electronic equipment with equivalent complexity has been as well documented and monitored. Since it has demonstrated a unique reliability history, it is important to evaluate the techniques and methods which have contributed to the high reliability of this computer.

850-nm implanted and oxide VCSELs in multigigabit data communication application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Jin-Shan; Lin, Yung-Sen; Li, Chao-Fang A.; Lai, Horng-Ching; Wu, Chang-Cherng; Huang, Kai-Feng

2001-10-01

In this paper, we will present the results of the 850nm implanted and oxide-confined vertical cavity surface emitting lasers in multi-Gigabit application. In TrueLight, we have a lot of experience in manufacturing VCSEL with ion-implantation and wet-oxidation technologies for single device Gigabit data transmission application. The ion-implanted VCSEL is reliable with the Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) up to 108 hours at room temperature operation. For the gigabit Ethernet data communication, it provides a very promising solution in short haul application. In transmission experiment we demonstrated the devices could be modulated up to 2.5Gbps and 3.2Gbps data rate. For oxide-confined VCSEL devices, we use wet oxidation technology to approach the device processing and get very good result to achieve the mutli-gigabit data communication application in single device form. The VCSEL device with oxide aperture around 12um could be modulated up to 2.5Gbps and 3.2Gbps. A data of employing VCSEL in high data rate POF transmission is also presented.

Skill-Biased Technological Change. Evidence from a Firm-Level Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegel, Donald S.

A study addressed the effects of technological change using a new, rich source of firm-level data on technology usage and labor force composition. The empirical investigation is based on a survey of Long Island manufacturers' usage of computer-integrated manufacturing systems (CIMS) or advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs). The study also…

Surrogate Final Technical Report for "Solar: A Photovoltaic Manufacturing Development Facility"

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farrar, Paul

2014-06-27

The project goal to create a first-of-a-kind crystalline Silicon (c-Si) photovoltaic (PV) Manufacturing & Technology Development Facility (MDF) that will support the growth and maturation of a strong domestic PV manufacturing industry, based on innovative and differentiated technology, by ensuring industry participants can, in a timely and cost-effective manner, access cutting-edge manufacturing equipment and production expertise needed to accelerate the transition of innovative technologies from R&D into manufacturing.

Challenges in teaching modern manufacturing technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngaile, Gracious; Wang, Jyhwen; Gau, Jenn-Terng

2015-07-01

Teaching of manufacturing courses for undergraduate engineering students has become a challenge due to industrial globalisation coupled with influx of new innovations, technologies, customer-driven products. This paper discusses development of a modern manufacturing course taught concurrently in three institutions where students collaborate in executing various projects. Lectures are developed to contain materials featuring advanced manufacturing technologies, R&D trends in manufacturing. Pre- and post-surveys were conducted by an external evaluator to assess the impact of the course on increase in student's knowledge of manufacturing; increase students' preparedness and confidence in effective communication and; increase students' interest in pursuing additional academic studies and/or a career path in manufacturing and high technology. The surveyed data indicate that the students perceived significant gains in manufacturing knowledge and preparedness in effective communication. The study also shows that implementation of a collaborative course within multiple institutions requires a robust and collective communication platform.

15 CFR 290.3 - Program description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NIST EXTRAMURAL PROGRAMS REGIONAL CENTERS FOR THE... subject of research in NIST's Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF). The core of AMRF research... manufacturing technology. (b) Program objective. The objective of the NIST Manufacturing Technology Centers is...

15 CFR 290.3 - Program description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NIST EXTRAMURAL PROGRAMS REGIONAL CENTERS FOR THE... subject of research in NIST's Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF). The core of AMRF research... manufacturing technology. (b) Program objective. The objective of the NIST Manufacturing Technology Centers is...

15 CFR 290.3 - Program description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NIST EXTRAMURAL PROGRAMS REGIONAL CENTERS FOR THE... subject of research in NIST's Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF). The core of AMRF research... manufacturing technology. (b) Program objective. The objective of the NIST Manufacturing Technology Centers is...

Progress on advanced dc and ac induction drives for electric vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, H. J.

1982-01-01

Progress is reported in the development of complete electric vehicle propulsion systems, and the results of tests on the Road Load Simulator of two such systems representative of advanced dc and ac drive technology are presented. One is the system used in the DOE's ETV-1 integrated test vehicle which consists of a shunt wound dc traction motor under microprocessor control using a transistorized controller. The motor drives the vehicle through a fixed ratio transmission. The second system uses an ac induction motor controlled by transistorized pulse width modulated inverter which drives through a two speed automatically shifted transmission. The inverter and transmission both operate under the control of a microprocessor. The characteristics of these systems are also compared with the propulsion system technology available in vehicles being manufactured at the inception of the DOE program and with an advanced, highly integrated propulsion system upon which technology development was recently initiated.

Wide modulation bandwidth terahertz detection in 130 nm CMOS technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nahar, Shamsun; Shafee, Marwah; Blin, Stéphane; Pénarier, Annick; Nouvel, Philippe; Coquillat, Dominique; Safwa, Amr M. E.; Knap, Wojciech; Hella, Mona M.

2016-11-01

Design, manufacturing and measurements results for silicon plasma wave transistors based wireless communication wideband receivers operating at 300 GHz carrier frequency are presented. We show the possibility of Si-CMOS based integrated circuits, in which by: (i) specific physics based plasma wave transistor design allowing impedance matching to the antenna and the amplifier, (ii) engineering the shape of the patch antenna through a stacked resonator approach and (iii) applying bandwidth enhancement strategies to the design of integrated broadband amplifier, we achieve an integrated circuit of the 300 GHz carrier frequency receiver for wireless wideband operation up to/over 10 GHz. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of low cost 130 nm Si-CMOS technology, plasma wave transistors based fast/wideband integrated receiver operating at 300 GHz atmospheric window. These results pave the way towards future large scale (cost effective) silicon technology based terahertz wireless communication receivers.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Nam-Gyu; Grätzel, Michael; Miyasaka, Tsutomu

Solar cells employing a halide perovskite with an organic cation now show power conversion efficiency of up to 22%. But, these cells are facing issues towards commercialization, such as the need to achieve long-term stability and the development of a manufacturing method for the reproducible fabrication of high-performance devices. We propose a strategy to obtain stable and commercially viable perovskite solar cells. A reproducible manufacturing method is suggested, as well as routes to manage grain boundaries and interfacial charge transport. Electroluminescence is regarded as a metric to gauge theoretical efficiency. We highlight how optimizing the design of device architectures ismore » important not only for achieving high efficiency but also for hysteresis-free and stable performance. Here, we argue that reliable device characterization is needed to ensure the advance of this technology towards practical applications. We believe that perovskite-based devices can be competitive with silicon solar modules, and discuss issues related to the safe management of toxic material.« less

A wide-angle camera module for disposable endoscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shim, Dongha; Yeon, Jesun; Yi, Jason; Park, Jongwon; Park, Soo Nam; Lee, Nanhee

2016-08-01

A wide-angle miniaturized camera module for disposable endoscope is demonstrated in this paper. A lens module with 150° angle of view (AOV) is designed and manufactured. All plastic injection-molded lenses and a commercial CMOS image sensor are employed to reduce the manufacturing cost. The image sensor and LED illumination unit are assembled with a lens module. The camera module does not include a camera processor to further reduce its size and cost. The size of the camera module is 5.5 × 5.5 × 22.3 mm3. The diagonal field of view (FOV) of the camera module is measured to be 110°. A prototype of a disposable endoscope is implemented to perform a pre-clinical animal testing. The esophagus of an adult beagle dog is observed. These results demonstrate the feasibility of a cost-effective and high-performance camera module for disposable endoscopy.

Using experimental design modules for process characterization in manufacturing/materials processes laboratories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ankenman, Bruce; Ermer, Donald; Clum, James A.

1994-01-01

Modules dealing with statistical experimental design (SED), process modeling and improvement, and response surface methods have been developed and tested in two laboratory courses. One course was a manufacturing processes course in Mechanical Engineering and the other course was a materials processing course in Materials Science and Engineering. Each module is used as an 'experiment' in the course with the intent that subsequent course experiments will use SED methods for analysis and interpretation of data. Evaluation of the modules' effectiveness has been done by both survey questionnaires and inclusion of the module methodology in course examination questions. Results of the evaluation have been very positive. Those evaluation results and details of the modules' content and implementation are presented. The modules represent an important component for updating laboratory instruction and to provide training in quality for improved engineering practice.

Summary of flat-plate solar array project documentation: Abstracts of published documents, 1975-1986, revision 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, M. J.

1986-01-01

Abstracts of final reports, or the latest quarterly or annual, of the Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project Contractor of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in-house activities are presented. Also presented is a list of proceedings and publications, by author, of work connected with the project. The aim of the program has been to stimulate the development of technology that will enable the private sector to manufacture and widely use photovoltaic systems for the generation of electricity in residential, commercial, industrial, and Government applications at a cost per watt that is competitive with utility generated power. FSA Project activities have included the sponsoring of research and development efforts in silicon refinement processes, advanced silicon sheet growth techniques, higher efficiency solar cells, solar cell/module fabrication processes, encapsulation, module/array engineering and reliability, and economic analyses.

Reliability Evaluation of Concentrator Photovoltaic Modules per IEC Qualification Specifications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tamizhmani, Govindasamy

2012-12-05

This project is related to the qualification testing of new generation CPV (concentrator photovoltaics) modules at lower testing costs and lower turnaround time. In this project, the first testing program was completed for two CPV manufacturers, the second testing program was completed for two manufacturers at 65% of the actual testing cost and at less than 3 months of testing turnaround time and the third testing program was completed for two manufacturers at 65% of the actual testing cost and at less than 3 months of testing turnaround time. Due to their financial situation and restructuring, Amonix (one of themore » CPV manufacturers) intermittently terminated the test programs.« less

Copper Disk Manufactured at the Space Optics Manufacturing and Technology Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This king-size copper disk, manufactured at the Space Optics Manufacturing and Technology Center (SOMTC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), is a special mold for making high resolution monitor screens. This master mold will be used to make several other molds, each capable of forming hundreds of screens that have a type of lens called a Fresnel lens. Weighing much less than conventional optics, Fresnel lenses have multiple concentric grooves, each formed to a precise angle, that together create the curvature needed to focus and project images. MSFC leads NASA's space optics manufacturing technology development as a technology leader for diamond turning. The machine used to manufacture this mold is among many one-of-a-kind pieces of equipment of MSFC's SOMTC.

Plug and Play PV Systems for American Homes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoepfner, Christian

2016-12-22

The core objectives of the Plug & Play PV Systems Project were to develop a PV system that can be installed on a residential rooftop for less than $1.50/W in 2020, and in less than 10 hours (from point of purchase to commissioning). The Fraunhofer CSE team’s approach to this challenge involved a holistic approach to system design – hardware and software – that make Plug & Play PV systems: • Quick, easy, and safe to install • Easy to demonstrate as code compliant • Permitted, inspected, and interconnected via an electronic process Throughout the three years of work duringmore » this Department of Energy SunShot funded project, the team engaged in a substantive way with inspectional services departments and utilities, manufacturers, installers, and distributors. We received iterative feedback on the system design and on ideas for how such systems can be commercialized. This ultimately led us to conceiving of Plug & Play PV Systems as a framework, with a variety of components compatible with the Plug & Play PV approach, including string or microinverters, conventional modules or emerging lightweight modules. The framework enables a broad group of manufacturers to participate in taking Plug & Play PV Systems to market, and increases the market size for such systems. Key aspects of the development effort centered on the system hardware and associated engineering work, the development of a Plug & Play PV Server to enable the electronic permitting, inspection and interconnection process, understanding the details of code compliance and, on occasion, supporting applications for modifications to the code to allow lightweight modules, for example. We have published a number of papers on our testing and assessment of novel technologies (e.g., adhered lightweight modules) and on the electronic architecture.« less

Accurate, predictable, repeatable micro-assembly technology for polymer, microfluidic modules.

PubMed

Lee, Tae Yoon; Han, Kyudong; Barrett, Dwhyte O; Park, Sunggook; Soper, Steven A; Murphy, Michael C

2018-01-01

A method for the design, construction, and assembly of modular, polymer-based, microfluidic devices using simple micro-assembly technology was demonstrated to build an integrated fluidic system consisting of vertically stacked modules for carrying out multi-step molecular assays. As an example of the utility of the modular system, point mutation detection using the ligase detection reaction (LDR) following amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out. Fluid interconnects and standoffs ensured that temperatures in the vertically stacked reactors were within ± 0.2 C° at the center of the temperature zones and ± 1.1 C° overall. The vertical spacing between modules was confirmed using finite element models (ANSYS, Inc., Canonsburg, PA) to simulate the steady-state temperature distribution for the assembly. Passive alignment structures, including a hemispherical pin-in-hole, a hemispherical pin-in-slot, and a plate-plate lap joint, were developed using screw theory to enable accurate exactly constrained assembly of the microfluidic reactors, cover sheets, and fluid interconnects to facilitate the modular approach. The mean mismatch between the centers of adjacent through holes was 64 ± 7.7 μm, significantly reducing the dead volume necessary to accommodate manufacturing variation. The microfluidic components were easily assembled by hand and the assembly of several different configurations of microfluidic modules for executing the assay was evaluated. Temperatures were measured in the desired range in each reactor. The biochemical performance was comparable to that obtained with benchtop instruments, but took less than 45 min to execute, half the time.

3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, and Solid Freeform Fabrication: The Technologies of the Past, Present and Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaman, Joseph

2015-03-01

Starting in the late 1980's, several new technologies were created that have the potential to revolutionize manufacturing. These technologies are, for the most part, additive processes that build up parts layer by layer. In addition, the processes that are being touted for hard-core manufacturing are primarily laser or e-beam based processes. This presentation gives a brief history of Additive Manufacturing and gives an assessment for these technologies. These technologies initially grew out of a commercial need for rapid prototyping. This market has a different requirement for process and quality control than traditional manufacturing. The relatively poor process control of the existing commercial Additive Manufacturing equipment is a vestige of this history. This presentation discusses this history and improvements in quality over time. The emphasis will be on Additive Manufacturing processes that are being considered for direct manufacturing, which is a different market than the 3D Printing ``Makerbot'' market. Topics discussed include past and present machine sensors, materials, and operational methods that were used in the past and those that are used today to create manufactured parts. Finally, a discussion of new methods and future directions of AM is presented.

Silicon photonics devices for metro applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuda, H.; Kikuchi, K.; Jizodo, M.; Kawamura, Y.; Takeda, K.; Honda, K.

2017-01-01

Digital coherent technology is considered an attractive way of realizing both high-speed metro links and long distance transmissions. In metro areas, there is a strong demand for a smaller, faster transceiver module. This demand is mainly driven by the rapidly increasing data center interconnection traffic, where transmission capacity per faceplane is a key feature. Therefore, optical integration technology is desired. Since compensation in digital coherent technology is performed in the electrical or digital domain, users can deal with those optics performances that are not compensated for digitally. This means using a new material that cannot provide perfect characteristics but that is suitable for miniaturization and integration is possible. Silicon photonics (SiPh) is considered an attractive technology that would enable the significant miniaturization of optical circuits and be capable of optical integration with high manufacturability. While SiPh-based devices have begun to be deployed for very short or short reach links on the basis of direct detection technology, their digital coherent applications have recently been investigated in view of their integration capability. This paper describes recent progress on SiPh-based integrated optical devices for high-speed digital coherent transceivers targeting metro links. An optical modulator and receiver with related circuits have been integrated into a single SiPh chip. TEC-free operation under non-hermetic conditions and the direct attachment of optical fibers have both been realized. Very thin and small packaging with sufficient performance has been demonstrated by using the SiPh chip co-packaged with high-speed ICs.

Estimating the Effects of Module Area on Thin-Film Photovoltaic System Costs: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Horowitz, Kelsey A; Fu, Ran; Silverman, Timothy J

We investigate the potential effects of module area on the cost and performance of photovoltaic systems. Applying a bottom-up methodology, we analyzed the costs associated with thin-film modules and systems as a function of module area. We calculate a potential for savings of up to 0.10 dollars/W and 0.13 dollars/W in module manufacturing costs for CdTe and CIGS respectively, with large area modules. We also find that an additional 0.04 dollars/W savings in balance-of-systems costs may be achieved. Sensitivity of the dollar/W cost savings to module efficiency, manufacturing yield, and other parameters is presented. Lifetime energy yield must also bemore » maintained to realize reductions in the levelized cost of energy; the effects of module size on energy yield for monolithic thin-film modules are not yet well understood. Finally, we discuss possible non-cost barriers to adoption of large area modules.« less

Crossword Puzzle Makes It Fun: Introduce Green Manufacturing in Wood Technology Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iley, John L.; Hague, Doug

2012-01-01

Sustainable, or "green," manufacturing and its practices are becoming more and more a part of today's industry, including wood product manufacturing. This article provides introductory information on green manufacturing in wood technology and a crossword puzzle based on green manufacturing terms. The authors use the puzzle at the college level to…

Alternative Fuels Data Center

Science.gov Websites

Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV) and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Manufacturing Incentives Through the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, manufacturers may be eligible for direct loans for up to 30% of the cost of re-equipping, expanding, or establishing manufacturing

Regional Technical Exchange Centers Connect Fuel Cell Technology Suppliers,

Science.gov Websites

Manufacturers | News | NREL Regional Technical Exchange Centers Connect Fuel Cell Technology Suppliers, Manufacturers Regional Technical Exchange Centers Connect Fuel Cell Technology Suppliers fuel cell and hydrogen components and systems and improve U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. The

Costs, Benefits, and Adoption of Additive Manufacturing: A Supply Chain Perspective

PubMed Central

Thomas, Douglas

2017-01-01

There are three primary aspects to the economics of additive manufacturing: measuring the value of goods produced, measuring the costs and benefits of using the technology, and estimating the adoption and diffusion of the technology. This paper provides an updated estimate of the value of goods produced. It then reviews the literature on additive manufacturing costs and identifies those instances in the literature where this technology is cost effective. The paper then goes on to propose an approach for examining and understanding the societal costs and benefits of this technology both from a monetary viewpoint and a resource consumption viewpoint. The final section discusses the trends in the adoption of additive manufacturing. Globally, there is an estimated $667 million in value added produced using additive manufacturing, which equates to 0.01 % of total global manufacturing value added. US value added is estimated as $241 million. Current research on additive manufacturing costs reveals that it is cost effective for manufacturing small batches with continued centralized production; however, with increased automation distributed production may become cost effective. Due to the complexities of measuring additive manufacturing costs and data limitations, current studies are limited in their scope. Many of the current studies examine the production of single parts and those that examine assemblies tend not to examine supply chain effects such as inventory and transportation costs along with decreased risk to supply disruption. The additive manufacturing system and the material costs constitute a significant portion of an additive manufactured product; however, these costs are declining over time. The current trends in costs and benefits have resulted in this technology representing 0.02 % of the relevant manufacturing industries in the US; however, as the costs of additive manufacturing systems decrease, this technology may become widely adopted and change the supplier, manufacturer, and consumer interactions. An examination in the adoption of additive manufacturing reveals that for this technology to exceed $4.4 billion in 2020, $16.0 billion in 2025, and $196.8 billion in 2035 it would need to deviate from its current trends of adoption. PMID:28747809

Costs, Benefits, and Adoption of Additive Manufacturing: A Supply Chain Perspective.

PubMed

Thomas, Douglas

2016-07-01

There are three primary aspects to the economics of additive manufacturing: measuring the value of goods produced, measuring the costs and benefits of using the technology, and estimating the adoption and diffusion of the technology. This paper provides an updated estimate of the value of goods produced. It then reviews the literature on additive manufacturing costs and identifies those instances in the literature where this technology is cost effective. The paper then goes on to propose an approach for examining and understanding the societal costs and benefits of this technology both from a monetary viewpoint and a resource consumption viewpoint. The final section discusses the trends in the adoption of additive manufacturing. Globally, there is an estimated $667 million in value added produced using additive manufacturing, which equates to 0.01 % of total global manufacturing value added. US value added is estimated as $241 million. Current research on additive manufacturing costs reveals that it is cost effective for manufacturing small batches with continued centralized production; however, with increased automation distributed production may become cost effective. Due to the complexities of measuring additive manufacturing costs and data limitations, current studies are limited in their scope. Many of the current studies examine the production of single parts and those that examine assemblies tend not to examine supply chain effects such as inventory and transportation costs along with decreased risk to supply disruption. The additive manufacturing system and the material costs constitute a significant portion of an additive manufactured product; however, these costs are declining over time. The current trends in costs and benefits have resulted in this technology representing 0.02 % of the relevant manufacturing industries in the US; however, as the costs of additive manufacturing systems decrease, this technology may become widely adopted and change the supplier, manufacturer, and consumer interactions. An examination in the adoption of additive manufacturing reveals that for this technology to exceed $4.4 billion in 2020, $16.0 billion in 2025, and $196.8 billion in 2035 it would need to deviate from its current trends of adoption.

America Makes: The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII) Status Report and Future Opportunities (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

manufacturing, direct part manufacturing, manufacturing institute, public- private partnership, rapid manufacturing, 3D printing 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION...Manufacturing Science and Technology Pro- gram and selected Additive Manufacturing (or more popularly known as 3D printing ) as the technical subject. Working...operations, America Makes is starting to hit its stride in developing technology for 3D printing and in leading the way in how the United States should

Emerging technology: A key enabler for modernizing pharmaceutical manufacturing and advancing product quality.

PubMed

O'Connor, Thomas F; Yu, Lawrence X; Lee, Sau L

2016-07-25

Issues in product quality have produced recalls and caused drug shortages in United States (U.S.) in the past few years. These quality issues were often due to outdated manufacturing technologies and equipment as well as lack of an effective quality management system. To ensure consistent supply of safe, effective and high-quality drug products available to the patients, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supports modernizing pharmaceutical manufacturing for improvements in product quality. Specifically, five new initiatives are proposed here to achieve this goal. They include: (i) advancing regulatory science for pharmaceutical manufacturing; (ii) establishing a public-private institute for pharmaceutical manufacturing innovation; (iii) creating incentives for investment in the technological upgrade of manufacturing processes and facilities; (iv) leveraging external expertise for regulatory quality assessment of emerging technologies; and (v) promoting the international harmonization of approaches for expediting the global adoption of emerging technologies. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Method for thermoelectric cooler utilization using manufacturer's technical information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajiwiguna, Tri Ayodha; Nugroho, Rio; Ismardi, Abrar

2018-03-01

Thermoelectric cooler (TEC) module has been widely used for many applications. In this study, a procedure to use TEC module for specific requirement is developed based on manufacturer's technical data. For study case, the cooling system using TEC module is designed and tested to maintain 6.6 liter of water at 24 °C while surrounding temperature is 26 °C. First, cooling load estimation is performed empirically by observing the temperature change when cold water is inside the container. Second, the working temperature on hot side and cold side of TEC are determined. Third, the parameters of Seebeck coefficient, thermal resistance and electrical resistance are predicted by using information from the manufacturer. Fourth, the operating current is determined by the assumption the voltage across the TEC is 12V. Fifth, cooling capacity of TEC module is calculated by using energy balance equation of TEC. Sixth, the cooling load and cooling capacity are compared to determine the number of TEC module needed. The result of these calculations showed that one TEC module is enough for cooling system since the cooling load is 17.5 W while the cooling capacity is 18.87 W. From the experimental result, the set point temperature was achieved using one TEC module as predicted in calculations steps.

Status review of field emission displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghrayeb, Joseph; Daniels, Reginald

2001-09-01

Cathode ray tube (CRT) technology dominates the direct view display market. Mature CRT technology for many designs is still the preferred choice. CRT manufacturers have greatly improved the size and weight of the CRT displays. High performance CRTs continue to be in great demand, however, supply have to contend with the vanishing CRT vendor syndrome. Therefore, the vanishing CRT vendor syndrome fuels the search for an alternate display technology source. Within the past 10 years, field emission display (FED) technology had gained momentum and, at one time, was considered the most viable electronic display technology candidate [to replace the CRT]. The FED community had advocated and promised many advantages over active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCD), electro luminescent (EL) or Plasma displays. Some observers, including potential FED manufacturers and the Department of Defense, (especially the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA)), consider the FED entry as having leapfrog potential. Despite major investments by US manufacturers as well as Asian manufacturers, reliability and manufacturing difficulties greatly slowed down the advancement of the technology. The FED manufacturing difficulties have caused many would-be FED manufacturing participants to abandon FED research. This paper will examine the trends, which are leading this nascent technology to its downfall. FED technology was once considered to have the potential to leapfrog over AMLCD's dominance in the display industry. At present the FED has suffered severe setbacks and there are very few [FED] manufacturers still pursuing research in the area. These companies have yet to deliver a display beyond the prototype stage.

Developing magnetorheological finishing (MRF) technology for the manufacture of large-aperture optics in megajoule class laser systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menapace, Joseph A.

2010-11-01

Over the last eight years we have been developing advanced MRF tools and techniques to manufacture meter-scale optics for use in Megajoule class laser systems. These systems call for optics having unique characteristics that can complicate their fabrication using conventional polishing methods. First, exposure to the high-power nanosecond and sub-nanosecond pulsed laser environment in the infrared (>27 J/cm2 at 1053 nm), visible (>18 J/cm2 at 527 nm), and ultraviolet (>10 J/cm2 at 351 nm) demands ultra-precise control of optical figure and finish to avoid intensity modulation and scatter that can result in damage to the optics chain or system hardware. Second, the optics must be super-polished and virtually free of surface and subsurface flaws that can limit optic lifetime through laser-induced damage initiation and growth at the flaw sites, particularly at 351 nm. Lastly, ultra-precise optics for beam conditioning are required to control laser beam quality. These optics contain customized surface topographical structures that cannot be made using traditional fabrication processes. In this review, we will present the development and implementation of large-aperture MRF tools and techniques specifically designed to meet the demanding optical performance challenges required in large aperture high-power laser systems. In particular, we will discuss the advances made by using MRF technology to expose and remove surface and subsurface flaws in optics during final polishing to yield optics with improve laser damage resistance, the novel application of MRF deterministic polishing to imprint complex topographical information and wavefront correction patterns onto optical surfaces, and our efforts to advance the technology to manufacture largeaperture damage resistant optics.

Developing Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF) Technology for the Manufacture of Large-Aperture Optics in Megajoule Class Laser Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Menapace, J A

2010-10-27

Over the last eight years we have been developing advanced MRF tools and techniques to manufacture meter-scale optics for use in Megajoule class laser systems. These systems call for optics having unique characteristics that can complicate their fabrication using conventional polishing methods. First, exposure to the high-power nanosecond and sub-nanosecond pulsed laser environment in the infrared (>27 J/cm{sup 2} at 1053 nm), visible (>18 J/cm{sup 2} at 527 nm), and ultraviolet (>10 J/cm{sup 2} at 351 nm) demands ultra-precise control of optical figure and finish to avoid intensity modulation and scatter that can result in damage to the optics chainmore » or system hardware. Second, the optics must be super-polished and virtually free of surface and subsurface flaws that can limit optic lifetime through laser-induced damage initiation and growth at the flaw sites, particularly at 351 nm. Lastly, ultra-precise optics for beam conditioning are required to control laser beam quality. These optics contain customized surface topographical structures that cannot be made using traditional fabrication processes. In this review, we will present the development and implementation of large-aperture MRF tools and techniques specifically designed to meet the demanding optical performance challenges required in large-aperture high-power laser systems. In particular, we will discuss the advances made by using MRF technology to expose and remove surface and subsurface flaws in optics during final polishing to yield optics with improve laser damage resistance, the novel application of MRF deterministic polishing to imprint complex topographical information and wavefront correction patterns onto optical surfaces, and our efforts to advance the technology to manufacture large-aperture damage resistant optics.« less

A Petri net synthesis theory for modeling flexible manufacturing systems.

PubMed

Jeng, M D

1997-01-01

A theory that synthesizes Petri nets for modeling flexible manufacturing systems is presented. The theory adopts a bottom-up or modular-composition approach to construct net models. Each module is modeled as a resource control net (RCN), which represents a subsystem that controls a resource type in a flexible manufacturing system. Interactions among the modules are described as the common transition and transition subnets. The net obtained by merging the modules with two minimal restrictions is shown to be conservative and thus bounded. An algorithm is developed to detect two sufficient conditions for structural liveness of the net. The algorithm examines only the net's structure and the initial marking, and appears to be more efficient than state enumeration techniques such as the reachability tree method. In this paper, the sufficient conditions for liveness are shown to be related to some structural objects called siphons. To demonstrate the applicability of the theory, a flexible manufacturing system of a moderate size is modeled and analyzed using the proposed theory.

Advanced manufacturing: Technology and international competitiveness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tesar, A.

1995-02-01

Dramatic changes in the competitiveness of German and Japanese manufacturing have been most evident since 1988. All three countries are now facing similar challenges, and these challenges are clearly observed in human capital issues. Our comparison of human capital issues in German, Japanese, and US manufacturing leads us to the following key judgments: Manufacturing workforces are undergoing significant changes due to advanced manufacturing technologies. As companies are forced to develop and apply these technologies, the constituency of the manufacturing workforce (especially educational requirements, contingent labor, job content, and continuing knowledge development) is being dramatically and irreversibly altered. The new workforcemore » requirements which result due to advanced manufacturing require a higher level of worker sophistication and responsibility.« less

Tapioca starch graft copolymers and Dome Matrix® modules II. Effect of modules assemblage on riboflavin release kinetics.

PubMed

Casas, Marta; Strusi, Orazio Luca; Jiménez-Castellanos, M Rosa; Colombo, Paolo

2011-01-01

This paper studies the Riboflavin release from systems made of assembled modules of Dome Matrix® technology using tapioca starch-ethylmethacrylate (TSEMA) and tapioca hydroxypropylstarch-ethylmethacrylate (THSEMA) graft copolymers produced by two different drying methods. Two different shape modules were manufactured for this study, i.e., female and male modules, in order to facilitate their assemblage in "void configuration", a system with an internal void space. Drug release studies on void configurations based on THSEMA show faster releases than TSEMA; HPMC systems used as a comparative reference showed intermediate release. Moreover, using void configurations made with one module of TSEMA and the other of THSEMA is possible to average the drug release, without difference between the drying methods used for the polymers. With respect to the floatation characteristics, all the void configurations floated immediately and, due to the mass center of the system, the floatation position of the system was always axial with the female module up and the male down. The drug release studies performed with a sinker to force the immersion of the systems in the medium did not show differences with respect to the dissolution test without a sinker. The combination of floatation capability of the assembled modules and the prolonged drug release provided with the graft copolymers make these assembled modules candidates as controlled release gastro-retentive dosage forms. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mathematical modeling of solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Cheng-Yi; Maloney, Thomas M.

1988-01-01

Development of predictive techniques, with regard to cell behavior, under various operating conditions is needed to improve cell performance, increase energy density, reduce manufacturing cost, and to broaden utilization of various fuels. Such technology would be especially beneficial for the solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) at it early demonstration stage. The development of computer models to calculate the temperature, CD, reactant distributions in the tubular and monolithic SOFCs. Results indicate that problems of nonuniform heat generation and fuel gas depletion in the tubular cell module, and of size limitions in the monolithic (MOD 0) design may be encountered during FC operation.

Experimental elaboration and analysis of dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cells (DSSC) dyed by natural dyes and conductive polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KałuŻyński, P.; Maciak, E.; Herzog, T.; Wójcik, M.

2016-09-01

In this paper we propose low cost and easy in development fully working dye-sensitized solar cell module made with use of a different sensitizing dyes (various anthocyanins and P3HT) for increasing the absorption spectrum, transparent conducting substrates (vaccum spattered chromium and gold), nanometer sized TiO2 film, iodide and methyl viologen dichloride based electrolyte, and a counter electrode (vaccum spattered platinum or carbon). Moreover, some of the different technologies and optimization manufacturing processes were elaborated for energy efficiency increase and were presented in this paper.

Launch Vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts the preparation and placement of a confidence ring for friction stir welding used in manufacturing aluminum panels that will fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel. The aluminum panels are manufactured and subjected to confidence tests during which the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

Stir Friction Welding Used in Ares I Upper Stage Fabrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts the preparation and placement of a confidence ring for friction stir welding used in manufacturing aluminum panels that will fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel. The aluminum panels are manufactured and subjected to confidence tests during which the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

A design study of mirror modules and an assembly based on the slumped glass for an Athena-like optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basso, Stefano; Civitani, Marta; Pareschi, Giovanni; Buratti, Enrico; Eder, Josef; Friedrich, Peter; Fürmetz, Maria

2015-09-01

The Athena mission was selected for the second large-class mission, due for launch in 2028, in ESA's Cosmic Vision program. The current solution for the optics is based on the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) technology with the goal of 2m2 effective area at 1keV (aperture about 3m diameter) with a focal length of 12m. The SPO advantages are the compactness along the axial direction and the high conductivity of the Silicon. Recent development in the fabrication of mirror shells based on the Slumped Glass Optics (SGO) makes this technology an attractive solution for the mirror modules for Athena or similar telescopes. The SGO advantages are a potential high collecting area with a limited vignetting due to the lower shadowing and the aptitude to curve the glass plates up to small radius of curvature. This study shows an alternative mirror design based on SGO technology, tailored for Athena needs. The main challenges are the optimization of the manufacturing technology with respect to the required accuracy and the thermal control of the large surface in conjunction with the low conductivity of the glass. A concept has been elaborated which considers the specific benefits of the SGO technology and provides an efficient thermal control. The output of the study is a preliminary design substantiated by analyses and technological studies. The study proposes interfaces and predicts performances and budgets. It describes also how such a mirror system could be implemented as a modular assembly for X-ray telescope with a large collecting area.

Smart Manufacturing Technologies and Data Analytics for Improving Energy Efficiency in Industrial Energy Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nimbalkar, Sachin U.; Guo, Wei; Wenning, Thomas J.

Smart manufacturing and advanced data analytics can help the manufacturing sector unlock energy efficiency from the equipment level to the entire manufacturing facility and the whole supply chain. These technologies can make manufacturing industries more competitive, with intelligent communication systems, real-time energy savings, and increased energy productivity. Smart manufacturing can give all employees in an organization the actionable information they need, when they need it, so that each person can contribute to the optimal operation of the corporation through informed, data-driven decision making. This paper examines smart technologies and data analytics approaches for improving energy efficiency and reducing energy costsmore » in process-supporting energy systems. It dives into energy-saving improvement opportunities through smart manufacturing technologies and sophisticated data collection and analysis. The energy systems covered in this paper include those with motors and drives, fans, pumps, air compressors, steam, and process heating.« less

Computerized Manufacturing Automation. Employment, Education, and the Workplace. Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Office of Technology Assessment.

The application of programmable automation (PA) offers new opportunities to enhance and streamline manufacturing processes. Five PA technologies are examined in this report: computer-aided design, robots, numerically controlled machine tools, flexible manufacturing systems, and computer-integrated manufacturing. Each technology is in a relatively…

Enabling Smart Manufacturing Research and Development using a Product Lifecycle Test Bed.

PubMed

Helu, Moneer; Hedberg, Thomas

2015-01-01

Smart manufacturing technologies require a cyber-physical infrastructure to collect and analyze data and information across the manufacturing enterprise. This paper describes a concept for a product lifecycle test bed built on a cyber-physical infrastructure that enables smart manufacturing research and development. The test bed consists of a Computer-Aided Technologies (CAx) Lab and a Manufacturing Lab that interface through the product model creating a "digital thread" of information across the product lifecycle. The proposed structure and architecture of the test bed is presented, which highlights the challenges and requirements of implementing a cyber-physical infrastructure for manufacturing. The novel integration of systems across the product lifecycle also helps identify the technologies and standards needed to enable interoperability between design, fabrication, and inspection. Potential research opportunities enabled by the test bed are also discussed, such as providing publicly accessible CAx and manufacturing reference data, virtual factory data, and a representative industrial environment for creating, prototyping, and validating smart manufacturing technologies.

Enabling Smart Manufacturing Research and Development using a Product Lifecycle Test Bed

PubMed Central

Helu, Moneer; Hedberg, Thomas

2017-01-01

Smart manufacturing technologies require a cyber-physical infrastructure to collect and analyze data and information across the manufacturing enterprise. This paper describes a concept for a product lifecycle test bed built on a cyber-physical infrastructure that enables smart manufacturing research and development. The test bed consists of a Computer-Aided Technologies (CAx) Lab and a Manufacturing Lab that interface through the product model creating a “digital thread” of information across the product lifecycle. The proposed structure and architecture of the test bed is presented, which highlights the challenges and requirements of implementing a cyber-physical infrastructure for manufacturing. The novel integration of systems across the product lifecycle also helps identify the technologies and standards needed to enable interoperability between design, fabrication, and inspection. Potential research opportunities enabled by the test bed are also discussed, such as providing publicly accessible CAx and manufacturing reference data, virtual factory data, and a representative industrial environment for creating, prototyping, and validating smart manufacturing technologies. PMID:28664167

Bioprinting: an assessment based on manufacturing readiness levels.

PubMed

Wu, Changsheng; Wang, Ben; Zhang, Chuck; Wysk, Richard A; Chen, Yi-Wen

2017-05-01

Over the last decade, bioprinting has emerged as a promising technology in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. With recent advances in additive manufacturing, bioprinting is poised to provide patient-specific therapies and new approaches for tissue and organ studies, drug discoveries and even food manufacturing. Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) is a method that has been applied to assess manufacturing maturity and to identify risks and gaps in technology-manufacturing transitions. Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is used to evaluate the maturity of a technology. This paper reviews recent advances in bioprinting following the MRL scheme and addresses corresponding MRL levels of engineering challenges and gaps associated with the translation of bioprinting from lab-bench experiments to ultimate full-scale manufacturing of tissues and organs. According to our step-by-step TRL and MRL assessment, after years of rigorous investigation by the biotechnology community, bioprinting is on the cusp of entering the translational phase where laboratory research practices can be scaled up into manufacturing products specifically designed for individual patients.

Organizational Considerations for Advanced Manufacturing Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeRuntz, Bruce D.; Turner, Roger M.

2003-01-01

In the last several decades, the United States has experienced a decline in productivity, while the world has seen a maturation of the global marketplace. Nations have moved manufacturing strategy and process technology issues to the top of management priority lists. The issues surrounding manufacturing technologies and their implementations have…

Manufacturing process applications team (MATeam)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bangs, E. R.

1980-01-01

Progress in the transfer of aerospace technology to solve key problems in the manufacturing sector of the economy is reported. Potential RTOP programs are summarized along with dissemination activities. The impact of transferred NASA manufacturing technology is discussed. Specific areas covered include aircraft production, robot technology, machining of alloys, and electrical switching systems.

Manufacturing Technology for Apparel Automation. Phase 1, 2 and 3 Activity.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-10-15

A189 129 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY FOR APPAREL AUTOMATION PHASE I t/l 2 AND I ACTIVITY(U) NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV ATRALEIGH SCHOOL OF TEXTILES E M...34III 1.8 - iai T ON HART St 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 MTC FILE coax Report: NCSU/DLA-87/2 CDRL A004 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY FOR APPAREL...I Report: NCSU/DLA-87/2 CDRL A004 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY FOR APPAREL AUTOMATION Phase I, II and III Activity Edwin M. McPherson North Carolina

Make or Buy: Cost Impacts of Additive Manufacturing, 3D Laser Scanning Technology, and Collaborative Product Lifecycle Management on Ship Maintenance and Modernization

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

management during operations 4 Potential Technology 3: Additive Manufacturing (“ 3D Printing ”) 5 • 3D design/image (e.g. from 3D LS) of final part...1 Make or Buy: Cost Impacts of Additive Manufacturing, 3D Laser Scanning Technology, and Collaborative Product Lifecycle Management on Ship...DATES COVERED 00-00-2015 to 00-00-2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Make or Buy: Cost Impacts of Additive Manufacturing, 3D Laser Scanning Technology

Emerging technologies in arthroplasty: additive manufacturing.

PubMed

Banerjee, Samik; Kulesha, Gene; Kester, Mark; Mont, Michael A

2014-06-01

Additive manufacturing is an industrial technology whereby three-dimensional visual computer models are fabricated into physical components by selectively curing, depositing, or consolidating various materials in consecutive layers. Although initially developed for production of simulated models, the technology has undergone vast improvements and is currently increasingly being used for the production of end-use components in various aerospace, automotive, and biomedical specialties. The ability of this technology to be used for the manufacture of solid-mesh-foam monolithic and coated components of complex geometries previously considered unmanufacturable has attracted the attention of implant manufacturers, bioengineers, and orthopedic surgeons. Currently, there is a paucity of reports describing this fabrication method in the orthopedic literature. Therefore, we aimed to briefly describe this technology, some of the applications in other orthopedic subspecialties, its present use in hip and knee arthroplasty, and concerns with the present form of the technology. As there are few reports of clinical trials presently available, the true benefits of this technology can only be realized when studies evaluating the clinical and radiographic outcomes of cementless implants manufactured with additive manufacturing report durable fixation, less stress shielding, and better implant survivorship. Nevertheless, the authors believe that this technology holds great promise and may potentially change the conventional methods of casting, machining, and tooling for implant manufacturing in the future. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Present Status and Future Growth of Advanced Maintenance Technology and Strategy in US Manufacturing.

PubMed

Jin, Xiaoning; Weiss, Brian A; Siegel, David; Lee, Jay

2016-01-01

The goals of this paper are to 1) examine the current practices of diagnostics, prognostics, and maintenance employed by United States (U.S.) manufacturers to achieve productivity and quality targets and 2) to understand the present level of maintenance technologies and strategies that are being incorporated into these practices. A study is performed to contrast the impact of various industry-specific factors on the effectiveness and profitability of the implementation of prognostics and health management technologies, and maintenance strategies using both surveys and case studies on a sample of U.S. manufacturing firms ranging from small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large-sized manufacturing enterprises in various industries. The results obtained provide important insights on the different impacts of specific factors on the successful adoption of these technologies between SMEs and large manufacturing enterprises. The varying degrees of success with respect to current maintenance programs highlight the opportunity for larger manufacturers to improve maintenance practices and consider the use of advanced prognostics and health management (PHM) technology. This paper also provides the existing gaps, barriers, future trends, and roadmaps for manufacturing PHM technology and maintenance strategy.

Present Status and Future Growth of Advanced Maintenance Technology and Strategy in US Manufacturing

PubMed Central

Jin, Xiaoning; Weiss, Brian A.; Siegel, David; Lee, Jay

2016-01-01

The goals of this paper are to 1) examine the current practices of diagnostics, prognostics, and maintenance employed by United States (U.S.) manufacturers to achieve productivity and quality targets and 2) to understand the present level of maintenance technologies and strategies that are being incorporated into these practices. A study is performed to contrast the impact of various industry-specific factors on the effectiveness and profitability of the implementation of prognostics and health management technologies, and maintenance strategies using both surveys and case studies on a sample of U.S. manufacturing firms ranging from small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large-sized manufacturing enterprises in various industries. The results obtained provide important insights on the different impacts of specific factors on the successful adoption of these technologies between SMEs and large manufacturing enterprises. The varying degrees of success with respect to current maintenance programs highlight the opportunity for larger manufacturers to improve maintenance practices and consider the use of advanced prognostics and health management (PHM) technology. This paper also provides the existing gaps, barriers, future trends, and roadmaps for manufacturing PHM technology and maintenance strategy. PMID:28058173

Launch Vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts confidence testing of a manufactured aluminum panel that will fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel. In this test, bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

Launch Vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts the manufacturing of aluminum panels that will be used to form the Ares I barrel. The panels are manufacturing process demonstration articles that will undergo testing until perfected. The panels are built by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

n/a

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts a manufactured panel that will be used for the Ares I upper stage barrel fabrication. The aluminum panels are manufacturing process demonstration articles that will undergo testing until perfected. The panels are built by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

Innovative hybrid optics: combining the thermal stability of glass with low manufacturing cost of polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doushkina, Valentina

2010-08-01

Innovative hybrid glass-polymer optical solutions on a component, module, or system level offer thermal stability of glass with low manufacturing cost of polymers reducing component weight, enhancing the safety and appeal of the products. Narrow choice of polymer materials is compensated by utilizing sophisticated optical surfaces such as refractive, reflective, and diffractive substrates with spherical, aspherical, cylindrical, and freeform prescriptions. Current advancements in polymer technology and injection molding capabilities placed polymer optics in the heart of many high tech devices and applications including Automotive Industry, Defense & Aerospace; Medical/Bio Science; Projection Displays, Sensors, Information Technology, Commercial and Industrial. This paper is about integration of polymer and glass optics for enhanced optical performance with reduced number of components, thermal stability, and low manufacturing cost. The listed advantages are not achievable when polymers or glass optics are used as stand-alone. The author demonstrates that integration of polymer and glass on component or optical system level on one hand offers high resolution and diffraction limited image quality, similar to the glass optics with stable refractive index and stable thermal performance when design is athermalized within the temperature range. On the other hand, the integrated hybrid solution significantly reduces cost, weight, and complexity, just like the polymer optics. The author will describe the design and analyzes process of combining glass and polymer optics for variety of challenging applications such as fast optics with low F/#, wide field of view lenses or systems, free form optics, etc.

77 FR 58112 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Proposed Conveyance of Land...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-19

..., including warehousing and distribution; research and development; technology manufacturing; food processing... warehousing and distribution; research and development; technology manufacturing; food processing and... defense manufacturing, sensor manufacturing, or medical devices; (iv) Food/Agriculture--such as wine, food...

Space construction base support requirements for environmental control and life support systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thiele, R. J.; Secord, T. C.; Murphy, G. L.

1977-01-01

A Space Station analysis study is being performed for NASA which identifies cost-effective Space Station options that can provide a space facility capable of performing space construction, space manufacturing, cosmological research, earth services, and other functions. A space construction base concept for the construction of large structures, such as those needed to implement satellite solar power for earth usage, will be used as a basis for discussing requirements that impact the design selection, level of integration, and operation of environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS). The space construction base configuration also provides a basic Space Station facility that can accommodate biological manufacturing modules, ultrapure glasses manufacturing modules, and modules for other services in a building-block fashion. Examples of special problems that could dictate hardware required to augment the basic ECLSS for autonomous modules will be highlighted. Additionally, overall intravehicular (IVA) and extravehicular (EVA) activities and requirements that could impact the basic station ECLSS degree of closure are discussed.

Additive Manufacturing in Production: A Study Case Applying Technical Requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ituarte, Iñigo Flores; Coatanea, Eric; Salmi, Mika; Tuomi, Jukka; Partanen, Jouni

Additive manufacturing (AM) is expanding the manufacturing capabilities. However, quality of AM produced parts is dependent on a number of machine, geometry and process parameters. The variability of these parameters affects the manufacturing drastically and therefore standardized processes and harmonized methodologies need to be developed to characterize the technology for end use applications and enable the technology for manufacturing. This research proposes a composite methodology integrating Taguchi Design of Experiments, multi-objective optimization and statistical process control, to optimize the manufacturing process and fulfil multiple requirements imposed to an arbitrary geometry. The proposed methodology aims to characterize AM technology depending upon manufacturing process variables as well as to perform a comparative assessment of three AM technologies (Selective Laser Sintering, Laser Stereolithography and Polyjet). Results indicate that only one machine, laser-based Stereolithography, was feasible to fulfil simultaneously macro and micro level geometrical requirements but mechanical properties were not at required level. Future research will study a single AM system at the time to characterize AM machine technical capabilities and stimulate pre-normative initiatives of the technology for end use applications.

Advances in High Temperature Materials for Additive Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordin, Nurul Amira Binti; Johar, Muhammad Akmal Bin; Ibrahim, Mohd Halim Irwan Bin; Marwah, Omar Mohd Faizan bin

2017-08-01

In today’s technology, additive manufacturing has evolved over the year that commonly known as 3D printing. Currently, additive manufacturing have been applied for many industries such as for automotive, aerospace, medical and other commercial product. The technologies are supported by materials for the manufacturing process to produce high quality product. Plus, additive manufacturing technologies has been growth from the lowest to moderate and high technology to fulfil manufacturing industries obligation. Initially from simple 3D printing such as fused deposition modelling (FDM), poly-jet, inkjet printing, to selective laser sintering (SLS), and electron beam melting (EBM). However, the high technology of additive manufacturing nowadays really needs high investment to carry out the process for fine products. There are three foremost type of material which is polymer, metal and ceramic used for additive manufacturing application, and mostly they were in the form of wire feedstock or powder. In circumstance, it is crucial to recognize the characteristics of each type of materials used in order to understand the behaviours of the materials on high temperature application via additive manufacturing. Therefore, this review aims to provide excessive inquiry and gather the necessary information for further research on additive material materials for high temperature application. This paper also proposed a new material based on powder glass, which comes from recycled tempered glass from automotive industry, having a huge potential to be applied for high temperature application. The technique proposed for additive manufacturing will minimize some cost of modelling with same quality of products compare to the others advanced technology used for high temperature application.

Work with Us | Advanced Manufacturing Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

advanced manufacturing R&D project through analysis and our world-class facilities. Contact Us Headshot of a man Matthew Ringer Laboratory Program Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Email | 303-275-4469 facilities for your advanced manufacturing R&D projects. License Our Technologies See our technologies

Benchmark Study of Global Clean Energy Manufacturing | Advanced

Science.gov Websites

Manufacturing Research | NREL Benchmark Study of Global Clean Energy Manufacturing Benchmark Study of Global Clean Energy Manufacturing Through a first-of-its-kind benchmark study, the Clean Energy Technology End Product.' The study examined four clean energy technologies: wind turbine components

Raman spectroscopy as a process analytical technology for pharmaceutical manufacturing and bioprocessing.

PubMed

Esmonde-White, Karen A; Cuellar, Maryann; Uerpmann, Carsten; Lenain, Bruno; Lewis, Ian R

2017-01-01

Adoption of Quality by Design (QbD) principles, regulatory support of QbD, process analytical technology (PAT), and continuous manufacturing are major factors effecting new approaches to pharmaceutical manufacturing and bioprocessing. In this review, we highlight new technology developments, data analysis models, and applications of Raman spectroscopy, which have expanded the scope of Raman spectroscopy as a process analytical technology. Emerging technologies such as transmission and enhanced reflection Raman, and new approaches to using available technologies, expand the scope of Raman spectroscopy in pharmaceutical manufacturing, and now Raman spectroscopy is successfully integrated into real-time release testing, continuous manufacturing, and statistical process control. Since the last major review of Raman as a pharmaceutical PAT in 2010, many new Raman applications in bioprocessing have emerged. Exciting reports of in situ Raman spectroscopy in bioprocesses complement a growing scientific field of biological and biomedical Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy has made a positive impact as a process analytical and control tool for pharmaceutical manufacturing and bioprocessing, with demonstrated scientific and financial benefits throughout a product's lifecycle.

An Introduction to Intelligent Processing Programs Developed by the Air Force Manufacturing Technology Directorate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sampson, Paul G.; Sny, Linda C.

1992-01-01

The Air Force has numerous on-going manufacturing and integration development programs (machine tools, composites, metals, assembly, and electronics) which are instrumental in improving productivity in the aerospace industry, but more importantly, have identified strategies and technologies required for the integration of advanced processing equipment. An introduction to four current Air Force Manufacturing Technology Directorate (ManTech) manufacturing areas is provided. Research is being carried out in the following areas: (1) machining initiatives for aerospace subcontractors which provide for advanced technology and innovative manufacturing strategies to increase the capabilities of small shops; (2) innovative approaches to advance machine tool products and manufacturing processes; (3) innovative approaches to advance sensors for process control in machine tools; and (4) efforts currently underway to develop, with the support of industry, the Next Generation Workstation/Machine Controller (Low-End Controller Task).

Comparing multi-module connections in membrane chromatography scale-up.

PubMed

Yu, Zhou; Karkaria, Tishtar; Espina, Marianela; Hunjun, Manjeet; Surendran, Abera; Luu, Tina; Telychko, Julia; Yang, Yan-Ping

2015-07-20

Membrane chromatography is increasingly used for protein purification in the biopharmaceutical industry. Membrane adsorbers are often pre-assembled by manufacturers as ready-to-use modules. In large-scale protein manufacturing settings, the use of multiple membrane modules for a single batch is often required due to the large quantity of feed material. The question as to how multiple modules can be connected to achieve optimum separation and productivity has been previously approached using model proteins and mass transport theories. In this study, we compare the performance of multiple membrane modules in series and in parallel in the production of a protein antigen. Series connection was shown to provide superior separation compared to parallel connection in the context of competitive adsorption. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Instantaneous angular speed monitoring of gearboxes under non-cyclic stationary load conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stander, C. J.; Heyns, P. S.

2005-07-01

Recent developments in the condition monitoring and asset management market have led to the commercialisation of online vibration-monitoring systems. These systems are primarily utilised to monitor large mineral mining equipment such as draglines, continuous miners and hydraulic shovels. Online monitoring systems make diagnostic information continuously available for asset management, production outsourcing and maintenance alliances with equipment manufacturers. However, most online vibration-monitoring systems are based on conventional vibration-monitoring technologies, which are prone to giving false equipment deterioration warnings on gears that operate under fluctuating load conditions. A simplified mathematical model of a gear system was developed to illustrate the feasibility of monitoring the instantaneous angular speed (IAS) as a means of monitoring the condition of gears that are subjected to fluctuating load conditions. A distinction is made between cyclic stationary load modulation and non-cyclic stationary load modulation. It is shown that rotation domain averaging will suppress the modulation caused by non-cyclic stationary load conditions but will not suppress the modulation caused by cyclic stationary load conditions. An experimental investigation on a test rig indicated that the IAS of a gear shaft could be monitored with a conventional shaft encoder to indicate a deteriorating gear fault condition.

Thin-film amorphous silicon alloy research partnership. Phase 2, Annual technical progress report, 2 February 1996--1 February 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guha, S

This is Phase II of a 3-phase, 3-year program. It is intended to expand, enhance, and accelerate knowledge and capabilities for developing high-performance, two-terminal multijunction amorphous Si alloy modules. We discuss investigations on back reflectors to improve cell performance and investigate uniformity in performance over a 1-sq.-ft. area. We present results on component cell performance, both in the initial and in the light-degraded states, deposited over a 1-sq.-ft. area. The uniformity in deposited is investigated by studying the performance of subcells deposited over the entire area. We also present results on the performance of triple- junction cells and modules. Themore » modules use grid-lines and encapsulants compatible with our production technology. We discuss the novel laser-processing technique that has bee developed at United Solar to improve energy-conversion efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs. We discuss in detail the optimization of the processing steps, and the performance of a laser-processed, triple- junction device of 12.6 cm{sup 2} area is presented. We also present experimental results on investigations of module reliability.« less

Low-Temperature Presynthesized Crystalline Tin Oxide for Efficient Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules.

PubMed

Bu, Tongle; Shi, Shengwei; Li, Jing; Liu, Yifan; Shi, Jielin; Chen, Li; Liu, Xueping; Qiu, Junhao; Ku, Zhiliang; Peng, Yong; Zhong, Jie; Cheng, Yi-Bing; Huang, Fuzhi

2018-05-02

Organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been emerging as one of the most promising next generation photovoltaic technologies with a breakthrough power conversion efficiency (PCE) over 22%. However, aiming for commercialization, it still encounters challenges for the large-scale module fabrication, especially for flexible devices which have attracted intensive attention recently. Low-temperature processed high-performance electron-transporting layers (ETLs) are still difficult. Herein, we present a facile low-temperature synthesis of crystalline SnO 2 nanocrystals (NCs) as efficient ETLs for flexible PSCs including modules. Through thermal and UV-ozone treatments of the SnO 2 ETLs, the electron transporting resistance of the ETLs and the charge recombination at the interface of ETL/perovskite were decreased. Thus, the hysteresis-free highly efficient rigid and flexible PSCs were obtained with PCEs of 19.20 and 16.47%, respectively. Finally, a 5 × 5 cm 2 flexible PSC module with a PCE of 12.31% (12.22% for forward scan and 12.40% for reverse scan) was fabricated with the optimized perovskite/ETL interface. Thus, employing presynthesized SnO 2 NCs to fabricate ETLs has showed promising for future manufacturing.

Diffraction-Based Optical Switching with MEMS

DOE PAGES

Blanche, Pierre-Alexandre; LaComb, Lloyd; Wang, Youmin; ...

2017-04-19

In this article, we are presenting an overview of MEMS-based (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) optical switch technology starting from the reflective two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) MEMS implementations. To further increase the speed of the MEMS from these devices, the mirror size needs to be reduced. Small mirror size prevents efficient reflection but favors a diffraction-based approach. Two implementations have been demonstrated, one using the Texas Instruments DLP (Digital Light Processing), and the other an LCoS-based (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) SLM (Spatial Light Modulator). These switches demonstrated the benefit of diffraction, by independently achieving high speed, efficiency, and high number of ports.more » We also demonstrated for the first time that PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation format can be used with diffraction-based devices. To be truly effective in diffraction mode, the MEMS pixels should modulate the phase of the incident light. We are presenting our past and current efforts to manufacture a new type of MEMS where the pixels are moving in the vertical direction. The original structure is a 32 x 32 phase modulator array with high contrast grating pixels, and we are introducing a new sub-wavelength linear array capable of a 310 kHz modulation rate« less

Diffraction-Based Optical Switching with MEMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blanche, Pierre-Alexandre; LaComb, Lloyd; Wang, Youmin

In this article, we are presenting an overview of MEMS-based (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) optical switch technology starting from the reflective two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) MEMS implementations. To further increase the speed of the MEMS from these devices, the mirror size needs to be reduced. Small mirror size prevents efficient reflection but favors a diffraction-based approach. Two implementations have been demonstrated, one using the Texas Instruments DLP (Digital Light Processing), and the other an LCoS-based (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) SLM (Spatial Light Modulator). These switches demonstrated the benefit of diffraction, by independently achieving high speed, efficiency, and high number of ports.more » We also demonstrated for the first time that PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation format can be used with diffraction-based devices. To be truly effective in diffraction mode, the MEMS pixels should modulate the phase of the incident light. We are presenting our past and current efforts to manufacture a new type of MEMS where the pixels are moving in the vertical direction. The original structure is a 32 x 32 phase modulator array with high contrast grating pixels, and we are introducing a new sub-wavelength linear array capable of a 310 kHz modulation rate« less

Launching the dialogue: Safety and innovation as partners for success in advanced manufacturing.

PubMed

Geraci, C L; Tinkle, S S; Brenner, S A; Hodson, L L; Pomeroy-Carter, C A; Neu-Baker, N

2018-06-01

Emerging and novel technologies, materials, and information integrated into increasingly automated and networked manufacturing processes or into traditional manufacturing settings are enhancing the efficiency and productivity of manufacturing. Globally, there is a move toward a new era in manufacturing that is characterized by: (1) the ability to create and deliver more complex designs of products; (2) the creation and use of materials with new properties that meet a design need; (3) the employment of new technologies, such as additive and digital techniques that improve on conventional manufacturing processes; and (4) a compression of the time from initial design concept to the creation of a final product. Globally, this movement has many names, but "advanced manufacturing" has become the shorthand for this complex integration of material and technology elements that enable new ways to manufacture existing products, as well as new products emerging from new technologies and new design methods. As the breadth of activities associated with advanced manufacturing suggests, there is no single advanced manufacturing industry. Instead, aspects of advanced manufacturing can be identified across a diverse set of business sectors that use manufacturing technologies, ranging from the semiconductors and electronics to the automotive and pharmaceutical industries. The breadth and diversity of advanced manufacturing may change the occupational and environmental risk profile, challenge the basic elements of comprehensive health and safety (material, process, worker, environment, product, and general public health and safety), and provide an opportunity for development and dissemination of occupational and environmental health and safety (OEHS) guidance and best practices. It is unknown how much the risk profile of different elements of OEHS will change, thus requiring an evolution of health and safety practices. These changes may be accomplished most effectively through multi-disciplinary, multi-sector, public-private dialogue that identifies issues and offers solutions.

Space Technology Mission Directorate: Game Changing Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaddis, Stephen W.

2015-01-01

NASA and the aerospace community have deep roots in manufacturing technology and innovation. Through it's Game Changing Development Program and the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Project NASA develops and matures innovative, low-cost manufacturing processes and products. Launch vehicle propulsion systems are a particular area of interest since they typically comprise a large percentage of the total vehicle cost and development schedule. NASA is currently working to develop and utilize emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing (i.e. 3D printing) and computational materials and processing tools that could dramatically improve affordability, capability, and reduce schedule for rocket propulsion hardware.

Manufacturing process applications team (MATeam)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bangs, E. R.; Meyer, J. D.

1978-01-01

Activities of the manufacturing applications team (MATeam) in effecting widespread transfer of NASA technology to aid in the solution of manufacturing problems in the industrial sector are described. During the program's first year of operation, 450 companies, industry associations, and government agencies were contacted, 150 manufacturing problems were documented, and 20 potential technology transfers were identified. Although none of the technology transfers has been commercialized and put in use, several are in the applications engineering phase, and others are in the early stages of implementation. The technology transfer process is described and guidelines used for the preparation of problems statements are included.

NREL/industry interaction: Amorphous silicon alloy research team formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luft, Werner

1994-06-01

The low material cost and proven manufacturability of amorphous silicon (a-Si) alloy photovoltaic technology make it ideally suited for large-scale terrestrial applications. The present efficiency of a-Si alloy modules is, however, much lower than the 15% stable efficiency that would lead to significant penetration of the electric utility bulk-power market. The slow progress in achieving high stabilized a-Si alloy module efficiencies may in part be attributed to the fact that only in the last few years did we emphasize stable efficiencies. A mission-focused integrated effort among the a-Si PV industry, universities, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) would help. To foster research integration, NREL has established four research teams with significant industry participation. In the 11 months since the research team formation, a close interaction among the a-Si PV industry, universities, and NREL has been achieved and has resulted in mission-directed research.

NREL/industry interaction: Amorphous silicon alloy research team formation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luft, W.

1994-06-30

The low material cost and proven manufacturability of amorphous silicon (a-Si) alloy photovoltaic technology make it ideally suited for large-scale terrestrial applications. The present efficiency of a-Si alloy modules is, however, much lower than the 15% stable efficiency that would lead to [ital significant] penetration of the electric utility bulk-power market. The slow progress in achieving high stabilized a-Si alloy module efficiencies may in part be attributed to the fact that only in the last few years did we emphasize stable efficiencies. A mission-focused integrated effort among the a-Si PV industry, universities, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) wouldmore » help. To foster research integration, NREL has established four research teams with significant industry participation. In the 11 months since the research team formation, a close interaction among the a-Si PV industry, universities, and NREL has been achieved and has resulted in mission-directed research.« less

The strategic relevance of manufacturing technology: An overall quality concept to promote innovation preventing drug shortage.

PubMed

Panzitta, Michele; Ponti, Mauro; Bruno, Giorgio; Cois, Giancarlo; D'Arpino, Alessandro; Minghetti, Paola; Mendicino, Francesca Romana; Perioli, Luana; Ricci, Maurizio

2017-01-10

Manufacturing is the bridge between research and patient: without product, there is no clinical outcome. Shortage has a variety of causes, in this paper we analyse only causes related to manufacturing technology and we use shortage as a paradigm highliting the relevance of Pharmaceutical Technology. Product and process complexity and capacity issues are the main challenge for the Pharmaceutical Industry Supply chain. Manufacturing Technology should be acknowledged as a R&D step and as a very important matter during University degree in Pharmacy and related disciplines, promoting collaboration between Academia and Industry, measured during HTA step and rewarded in terms of price and reimbursement. The above elements are not yet properly recognised, and manufacturing technology is taken in to consideration only when a shortage is in place. In a previous work, Panzitta et al. proposed to perform a full technology assessment at the Health Technological Assessment stage, evaluating three main technical aspects of a medicine: manufacturing process, physicochemical properties, and formulation characteristics. In this paper, we develop the concept of manufacturing appraisal, providing a technical overview of upcoming challenges, a risk based approach and an economic picture of shortage costs. We develop also an overall quality concept, not limited to GMP factors but broaden to all elements leading to a robust supply and promoting technical innovation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improved Large Aperture Collector Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Rourke, Deven; Farr, Adrian

2015-12-01

The parabolic trough is the most established CSP technology and carries a long history of design experimentation dating back to the 1970’s. This has led to relatively standardized collector architectures, a maturing global supply chain, and a fairly uniform cost reduction strategy. Abengoa has deployed more than 1,500MWe of CSP troughs across several countries and has built and tested full-scale prototypes of many R&D concepts. The latest trough R&D efforts involved efforts to internalize non-CSP industry experience including a preliminary DFMA principles review done with Boothroyd Dewhurst, a construction literature review by the Arizona State University School of Construction Management,more » and two more focused manufacturing engineering subcontracts done by Ricardo Inc. and the nonprofit Edison Welding Institute. The first two studies highlighted strong opportunities in lowering part count, standardizing components and fasteners, developing modular designs to support prefabrication and automation, and devising simple, error-proof manual assembly methods. These principles have delivered major new cost savings in otherwise “mature” products in analogous industries like automotive, truck trailer manufacture, metal building fabrication, and shipbuilding. For this reason, they were core in the design development of the SpaceTube® collector, and arguably key to its early successes. The latter two studies were applied specifically to the first-generation SpaceTube® design and were important in setting the direction of the present SolarMat project. These studies developed a methodology to analyze the costs of manufacture and assembly, and identify new tooling concepts for more efficient manufacture. Among the main opportunities identified in these studies were the automated mirror arm manufacturing concept and the need for a less infrastructure-intensive assembly line, both of which now form central pillars of the SolarMat project strategy. These new designs will be supported by new technology in the area of quality control inspection, in which state of the art photogrammetry and laser CMM inspection methods will be used to qualify parts and assemblies, and in which the recently-developed Absorber Reflection Method will enable in-line quality control inspection of modules produced by the new high-rate production line.« less

Smart manufacturing systems for Industry 4.0: Conceptual framework, scenarios, and future perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Pai; wang, Honghui; Sang, Zhiqian; Zhong, Ray Y.; Liu, Yongkui; Liu, Chao; Mubarok, Khamdi; Yu, Shiqiang; Xu, Xun

2018-06-01

Information and communication technology is undergoing rapid development, and many disruptive technologies, such as cloud computing, Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence, have emerged. These technologies are permeating the manufacturing industry and enable the fusion of physical and virtual worlds through cyber-physical systems (CPS), which mark the advent of the fourth stage of industrial production (i.e., Industry 4.0). The widespread application of CPS in manufacturing environments renders manufacturing systems increasingly smart. To advance research on the implementation of Industry 4.0, this study examines smart manufacturing systems for Industry 4.0. First, a conceptual framework of smart manufacturing systems for Industry 4.0 is presented. Second, demonstrative scenarios that pertain to smart design, smart machining, smart control, smart monitoring, and smart scheduling, are presented. Key technologies and their possible applications to Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing systems are reviewed based on these demonstrative scenarios. Finally, challenges and future perspectives are identified and discussed.

Composite fuselage crown panel manufacturing technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willden, Kurtis; Metschan, S.; Grant, C.; Brown, T.

1992-01-01

Commercial fuselage structures contain significant challenges in attempting to save manufacturing costs with advanced composite technology. Assembly issues, materials costs, and fabrication of elements with complex geometry are each expected to drive the cost of composite fuselage structure. Key technologies, such as large crown panel fabrication, were pursued for low cost. An intricate bond panel design and manufacturing concept were selected based on the efforts of the Design Build Team. The manufacturing processes selected for the intricate bond design include multiple large panel fabrication with Advanced Tow Placement (ATP) process, innovative cure tooling concepts, resin transfer molding of long fuselage frames, and use of low cost materials forms. The process optimization for final design/manufacturing configuration included factory simulations and hardware demonstrations. These efforts and other optimization tasks were instrumental in reducing costs by 18 pct. and weight by 45 pct. relative to an aluminum baseline. The qualitative and quantitative results of the manufacturing demonstrations were used to assess manufacturing risks and technology readiness.

Composite fuselage crown panel manufacturing technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willden, Kurtis; Metschan, S.; Grant, C.; Brown, T.

1992-01-01

Commercial fuselage structures contain significant challenges in attempting to save manufacturing costs with advanced composite technology. Assembly issues, material costs, and fabrication of elements with complex geometry are each expected to drive the cost of composite fuselage structures. Boeing's efforts under the NASA ACT program have pursued key technologies for low-cost, large crown panel fabrication. An intricate bond panel design and manufacturing concepts were selected based on the efforts of the Design Build Team (DBT). The manufacturing processes selected for the intricate bond design include multiple large panel fabrication with the Advanced Tow Placement (ATP) process, innovative cure tooling concepts, resin transfer molding of long fuselage frames, and utilization of low-cost material forms. The process optimization for final design/manufacturing configuration included factory simulations and hardware demonstrations. These efforts and other optimization tasks were instrumental in reducing cost by 18 percent and weight by 45 percent relative to an aluminum baseline. The qualitative and quantitative results of the manufacturing demonstrations were used to assess manufacturing risks and technology readiness.

Manned Mission Space Exploration Utilizing a Flexible Universal Module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humphries, P.; Barez, F.; Gowda, A.

2018-02-01

The proposed ASMS, Inc. "Flexible Universal Module" is in support of NASA's Deep Space Gateway project. The Flexible Universal Module provides a possible habitation or manufacturing environment in support of Manned Mission for Space Exploration.

The Current State of Sensing, Health Management, and Control for Small-To-Medium-Sized Manufacturers

PubMed Central

Helu, Moneer; Weiss, Brian

2017-01-01

The development of digital technologies for manufacturing has been challenged by the difficulty of navigating the breadth of new technologies available to industry. This difficulty is compounded by technologies developed without a good understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the manufacturing environment, especially within small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper describes industrial case studies conducted to identify the needs, priorities, and constraints of manufacturing SMEs in the areas of performance measurement, condition monitoring, diagnosis, and prognosis. These case studies focused on contract and original equipment manufacturers with less than 500 employees from several industrial sectors. Solution and equipment providers and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers were also included. Each case study involved discussions with key shop-floor personnel as well as site visits with some participants. The case studies highlight SME's strong need for access to appropriate data to better understand and plan manufacturing operations. They also help define industrially-relevant use cases in several areas of manufacturing operations, including scheduling support, maintenance planning, resource budgeting, and workforce augmentation. PMID:28736773

Improvements in Cz silicon PV module manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Richard R.; Mitchell, Kim W.; Jester, Theresa L.

1997-02-01

Work focused on reducing the cost per watt of Cz Si photovoltaic modules under Phase I of Siemens Solar Industries' DOE/NREL PVMaT 4A subcontract is described. Module cost components are analyzed and solutions to high-cost items are discussed in terms of specific module designs. The approaches of using larger cells and modules to reduce per-part processing cost, and of minimizing yield loss are particularly leveraging. Yield components for various parts of the fabrication process and various types of defects are shown, and measurements of the force required to break wafers throughout the cell fabrication sequence are given. The most significant type of yield loss is mechanical breakage. The implementation of statistical process control on key manufacturing processes at Siemens Solar Industries is described. Module configurations prototyped during Phase I of this project and scheduled to begin production in Phase II have a projected cost per watt reduction of 19%.

The Effect of the Implementation of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies on Training in the Manufacturing Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castrillon, Isabel Dieguez; Cantorna, Ana I. Sinde

2005-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this article is to gain insight into some of the factors that determine personnel-training efforts in companies introducing advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs). The study provides empirical evidence from a sector with high rates of technological modernisation. Design/methodology/approach: "Ad hoc" survey of 90…

Spring 2006. Industry Study. Manufacturing Industry

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

ANALYSIS OF TRENDS Today the U.S. is the global leader in manufacturing innovation and technology . Continued advancements in both computing power and...than ninety percent of all annual U.S. patents as reported by the Department of Commerce. Through innovation and the application of new technology ...mobilization, innovation and technology , the manufacturing transformation, environmental balance, and international travel impressions

Ultra Barrier Topsheet Film for Flexible Photovoltaics with 3M Company

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Funkenbusch, Arnie; Ruth, Charles

2014-12-30

In this DOE sponsored program, 3M achieved the critical UBT features to enable durable flexible high efficiency modules to be produced by a range of customers who have now certified the 3M UBT and are actively developing said flexible modules. The specific objectives and accomplishments of the work under this program were; Scale-up the current Generation-1 UBT from 12” width, as made on 3M’s pilot line, to 1+meter width full-scale manufacturing, while maintaining baseline performance metrics (see table below); This objective was fully met; Validate service life of Generation-1 UBT for the 25+ year lifetime demanded by the photovoltaic market;more » Aggressive testing revealed potential failure modes in the Gen 1 UBT. Deficiencies were identified and corrective action taken in the Gen 2 UBT; Develop a Generation-2 UBT on the pilot line, targeting improved performance relative to baseline, including higher %T (percent transmission), lower water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) with targets based on what the technology needs for 25 year lifetime, proven lifetime of 25 years in solar module construction in the field, and lower cost; Testing of UBT Gen 2 under a wide range of conditions presented in this report failed to reveal any failure mode. Therefore UBT Gen 2 is known to be highly durable. 3M will continue to test towards statistically validating a 25 year lifetime under 3M funding; Transfer Generation-2 UBT from the pilot line to the full-scale manufacturing line within three years; and This objective was fully met.« less

Manufacturing Methods and Technology Program Plan, CY 1984.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-09-01

77nD-Al48 828 MANUFACTURING METHODS AIND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM PLAN CY 1/3 1984(U) ARMY INDUSTRIAL BASE ENGINEERING ACTIVITY ROCK ISLAND IL G FISCHER...1984 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY DIVISION U S ARMY INDUSTRIAL BASE ENGINEERING ACTIVITY ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS 61299-7260 8 4 30 033 .. . . . . ...4i.l...NUMBE2N. GOVT ACCESSION NO. 3. RECIPIENT’S CATALOG NUMBER i2- ffl7’ NONE 14TTITLE (Mid Skdde) S. TYPE OF REPORT & PERIOD COVERED MANUFACTURING METHODS

Advantages of utilizing DMD based rapid manufacturing systems in mass customization applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Siblani, A.

2010-02-01

The Use of DMD based Rapid Manufacturing Systems has proven to be very advantageous in the production of highly accurate plastic based components for use in mass customization market such as hearing aids, and dental markets. The voxelization process currently afforded with the DLP technology eliminates any layering effect associated with all existing additive Rapid Manufacturing technologies. The smooth accurate surfaces produced in an additive process utilizing DLP technology, through the voxelization approach, allow for the production of custom finished products. The implementation of DLP technology in rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing systems allow for the usage of highly viscous photopolymer based liquid and paste composites for rapid manufacturing that could not be used in any other additive process prior to implementation of DLP technology in RP and RM systems. It also allowed for the greater throughput in production without sacrificing quality and accuracy.

Manufacturing Technology Information Analysis Center: Knowledge Is Strength

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Safar, Michal

1992-01-01

The Center's primary function is to facilitate technology transfer within DoD, other government agencies and industry. The DoD has recognized the importance of technology transfer, not only to support specific weapon system manufacture, but to strengthen the industrial base that sustains DoD. MTIAC uses an experienced technical staff of engineers and information specialists to acquire, analyze, and disseminate technical information. Besides ManTech project data, MTIAC collects manufacturing technology from other government agencies, commercial publications, proceedings, and various international sources. MTIAC has various means of disseminating this information. Much of the technical data is on user accessible data bases. The Center researches and writes a number of technical reports each year and publishes a newsletter monthly. Customized research is performed in response to specific inquiries from government and industry. MTIAC serves as a link between Government and Industry to strengthen the manufacturing technology base through the dissemination of advanced manufacturing information.

Using microwave Doppler radar in automated manufacturing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Gregory C.

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, manufacturers worldwide have used automation to improve productivity, gain market share, and meet growing or changing consumer demand for manufactured products. To stimulate further industrial productivity, manufacturers need more advanced automation technologies: "smart" part handling systems, automated assembly machines, CNC machine tools, and industrial robots that use new sensor technologies, advanced control systems, and intelligent decision-making algorithms to "see," "hear," "feel," and "think" at the levels needed to handle complex manufacturing tasks without human intervention. The investigator's dissertation offers three methods that could help make "smart" CNC machine tools and industrial robots possible: (1) A method for detecting acoustic emission using a microwave Doppler radar detector, (2) A method for detecting tool wear on a CNC lathe using a Doppler radar detector, and (3) An online non-contact method for detecting industrial robot position errors using a microwave Doppler radar motion detector. The dissertation studies indicate that microwave Doppler radar could be quite useful in automated manufacturing applications. In particular, the methods developed may help solve two difficult problems that hinder further progress in automating manufacturing processes: (1) Automating metal-cutting operations on CNC machine tools by providing a reliable non-contact method for detecting tool wear, and (2) Fully automating robotic manufacturing tasks by providing a reliable low-cost non-contact method for detecting on-line position errors. In addition, the studies offer a general non-contact method for detecting acoustic emission that may be useful in many other manufacturing and non-manufacturing areas, as well (e.g., monitoring and nondestructively testing structures, materials, manufacturing processes, and devices). By advancing the state of the art in manufacturing automation, the studies may help stimulate future growth in industrial productivity, which also promises to fuel economic growth and promote economic stability. The study also benefits the Department of Industrial Technology at Iowa State University and the field of Industrial Technology by contributing to the ongoing "smart" machine research program within the Department of Industrial Technology and by stimulating research into new sensor technologies within the University and within the field of Industrial Technology.

Technological innovation capability in Malaysian-owned resource-based manufacturing companies: Early findings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razali, Nur Fhathyhah; Mohd Suradi, Nur Riza; Ahmad Shahabuddin, Faridatul Azna; Ismail, Wan Rosmanira; Abidin, Norkisme Zainal; Ahmad, Nor Amalina; Mustafa, Zainol

2013-04-01

This study aims to identify the determinants of technological innovation capability of Malaysian-owned companies in the resources-based manufacturing, to identify the relationship between technological innovation capability (TIC) and technological innovation performance (TIP) for the resource-based manufacturing. Furthermore, this study also aims to identify innovation capability factors that need more emphasis and improvements from the respective authority. The scope of the study covers four industries which are petrochemical industries, pharmaceutical industries, palm oil-based industries and food processing industries which are located in the state of Selangor. Descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and performance capability analysis were used in this study. It was found that, technological innovation capabilities (TIC) for companies in the resource-based manufacturing are moderate. Factors such as policies capability, human resources capability and facilities capability have a positive relationship with the performance of technological innovation (TIP). These findings will help the government in making decisions and better implementation of policies to strengthen the competitiveness of the company, particularly in resource-based manufacturing.

Advanced CIGS Photovoltaic Technology: Annual Technical Report--Phase II, 15 November 2002--14 November 2003

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Delahoy, A. E.; Chen, L.

2004-05-01

The objective of this subcontract is to develop and integrate the various pieces of new technology that EPV considers enabling for cost-effective production of CIGS modules. EPV has conducted research to help generate a technology base for production of CIGS PV modules using vacuum deposition of CIGS onto glass. This strategy is consistent with the observation that, despite there being several approaches to forming device-quality CIGS, vacuum deposition has maintained the world record for the highest-efficiency CIGS device. A record thin-film solar cell efficiency of 19.2% (with Ni-Al grid and MgF2 ARC) for a 0.41-cm2 device was achieved by NRELmore » in 2003 using vacuum-deposited CIGS. The deposition employed four point sources and detection of the Cu-poor to Cu-rich transition for process control. To extend this type of processing to the realm of large-area substrates, EPV developed vacuum equipment designed for heating and coating 0.43-m2 moving substrates, with a projected further scale up to 0.79 m2. The substrates are typically low-cost, soda-lime glass, and the materials are supplied to the moving substrates using novel linear-source technology developed by EPV. The use of elemental selenium rather than toxic H2Se gas helps make for a safe manufacturing environment. These choices concerning film deposition, substrates, and source materials help to minimize the processing costs of CIGS.« less

Improved high operating temperature MCT MWIR modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutz, H.; Breiter, R.; Figgemeier, H.; Schallenberg, T.; Schirmacher, W.; Wollrab, R.

2014-06-01

High operating temperature (HOT) IR-detectors are a key factor to size, weight and power (SWaP) reduced IR-systems. Such systems are essential to provide infantrymen with low-weight handheld systems with increased battery lifetimes or most compact clip-on weapon sights in combination with high electro-optical performance offered by cooled IR-technology. AIM's MCT standard n-on-p technology with vacancy doping has been optimized over many years resulting in MWIR-detectors with excellent electro-optical performance up to operating temperatures of ~120K. In the last years the effort has been intensified to improve this standard technology by introducing extrinsic doping with Gold as an acceptor. As a consequence the dark current could considerably be suppressed and allows for operation at ~140K with good e/o performance. More detailed investigations showed that limitation for HOT > 140K is explained by consequences from rising dark current rather than from defective pixel level. Recently, several crucial parameters were identified showing great promise for further optimization of HOT-performance. Among those, p-type concentration could successfully be reduced from the mid 1016 / cm3 to the lower 1015/ cm3 range. Since AIM is one of the leading manufacturers of split linear cryocoolers, an increase in operating temperature will directly lead to IR-modules with improved SWaP characteristics by making use of the miniature members of its SX cooler family with single piston and balancer technology. The paper will present recent progress in the development of HOT MWIR-detector arrays at AIM and show electro-optical performance data in comparison to focal plane arrays produced in the standard technology.

Photovoltaic Subcontract Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Surek, Thomas; Catalano, Anthony

1993-03-01

This report summarizes the fiscal year (FY) 1992 progress of the subcontracted photovoltaic (PV) research and development (R D) performed under the Photovoltaic Advanced Research and Development Project at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)-formerly the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI). The mission of the national PV program is to develop PV technology for large-scale generation of economically competitive electric power in the United States. The technical sections of the report cover the main areas of the subcontract program: the Crystalline Materials and Advanced Concepts project, the Polycrystalline Thin Films project, Amorphous Silicon Research project, the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT)more » project, PV Module and System Performance and Engineering project, and the PV Analysis and Applications Development project. Technical summaries of each of the subcontracted programs provide a discussion of approaches, major accomplishments in FY 1992, and future research directions.« less

Using Module-Based Learning Methods to Introduce Sustainable Manufacturing in Engineering Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sengupta, Debalina; Huang, Yinlun; Davidson, Cliff I.; Edgar, Thomas F.; Eden, Mario R.; El-Halwagi, Mahmoud M.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Sustainable manufacturing may be defined as the creation of manufactured products that use processes that are non-polluting, conserve energy and natural resources, and are economically sound and safe for employees, communities and consumers. Recently, there have been several industrial and governmental endeavors to launch sustainable…

Thin EFG octagons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalejs, J. P.

1994-06-01

This report describes the impact of the technical achievements made in the first 18 months of the three year PVMaT program at Mobil Solar on lowering the manufacturing costs of its photovoltaic polycrystalline silicon-based modules. Manufacturing cost decreases are being achieved through a reduction of silicon material utilization, increases in productivity and yield in crystal growth, and through improvements in the laser cutting process for EFG wafers. The yield, productivity, and throughput advances made possible by these technical achievements are shown to be able to enhance future market share growth for Mobil Solar products as a consequence of significant reductions in a number of direct manufacturing cost elements in EFG wafer and module production.

Film Delivery Module For Fiber Placement Fabrication of Hybridized Composite Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hulcher, Anthony Bruce; Young, Greg

2005-01-01

A new fabrication technology has been developed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center that will allow for the fabrication of hybridized composite structures using fiber placement processing. This technology was originally developed in response to a need to address the issue of hydrogen permeation and microcracking in cryogenic propellant tanks. Numerous thin polymeric and metallized films were investigated under low temperatures conditions for use as barrier films in a composite tank. Manufacturing studies conducted at that time did not address the processing issues related to fabrication of a hybridized tank wall. A film processing head was developed that will allow for the processing of thin polymeric and metallized films, metallic foils, and adhesives using fiber placement processing machinery. The film head is designed to enable the simultaneous processing of film materials and composite tape/tow during the composite part layup process and is also capable of processing the film during an independent operation. Several initial demonstrations were conducted to assess the performance of the film module device. Such assessments included film strip lay-up accuracy, capability to fabricate panels having internal film liners, and fabrication of laminates with embedded film layers.

Research on Automatic Positioning System of Ultrasonic Testing of Wind Turbine Blade Flaws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Q. X.; Wang, Z. H.; Long, S. G.; Cai, M.; Cai, M.; Wang, X.; Chen, X. Y.; Bu, J. L.

2017-11-01

Ultrasonic testing technology has been used essentially in non-destructive testing of wind turbine blades. However, it is fact that the ultrasonic flaw detection method has inefficiently employed in recent years. This is because the testing result will illustrate a small deviation due to the artificial, environmental and technical factors. Therefore, it is an urgent technical demand for engineers to test the various flaws efficiently and quickly. An automatic positioning system has been designed in this paper to record the moving coordinates and the target distance in real time. Simultaneously, it could launch and acquire the sonic wave automatically. The ADNS-3080 optoelectronic chip is manufactured by Agilent Technologies Inc, which is also utilized in the system. With the combination of the chip, the power conversion module and the USB transmission module, the collected data can be transmitted from the upper monitor to the hardware that could process and control the data through software programming. An experiment has been designed to prove the reliability of automotive positioning system. The result has been validated by comparing the result collected form LABVIEW and actual plots on Perspex plane, it concludes that the system possesses high accuracy and magnificent meanings in practical engineering.

ITER-FEAT vacuum vessel and blanket design features and implications for the R&D programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ioki, K.; Dänner, W.; Koizumi, K.; Krylov, V. A.; Cardella, A.; Elio, F.; Onozuka, M.; ITER Joint Central Team; ITER Home Teams

2001-03-01

A configuration in which the vacuum vessel (VV) fits tightly to the plasma aids the passive plasma vertical stability, and ferromagnetic material in the VV reduces the toroidal field ripple. The blanket modules are supported directly by the VV. A full scale VV sector model has provided critical information related to fabrication technology and for testing the magnitude of welding distortions and achievable tolerances. This R&D validated the fundamental feasibility of the double wall VV design. The blanket module configuration consists of a shield body to which a separate first wall is mounted. The separate first wall has a facet geometry consisting of multiple flat panels, where 3-D machining will not be required. A configuration with deep slits minimizes the induced eddy currents and loads. The feasibility and robustness of solid hot isostatic pressing joining were demonstrated in the R&D by manufacturing and testing several small and medium scale mock-ups and finally two prototypes. Remote handling tests and assembly tests of a blanket module have demonstrated the basic feasibility of its installation and removal.

BIOASPEN: System for technology development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The public version of ASPEN was installed in the VAX 11/750 computer. To examine the idea of BIOASPEN, a test example (the manufacture of acetone, butanol, and ethanol through a biological route) was chosen for simulation. Previous reports on the BIOASPEN project revealed the limitations of ASPEN in modeling this process. To overcome some of the difficulties, modules were written for the acid and enzyme hydrolyzers, the fermentor, and a sterilizer. Information required for these modules was obtained from the literature whenever possible. Additional support modules necessary for interfacing with ASPEN were also written. Some of ASPEN subroutines were themselves altered in order to ensure the correct running of the simulation program. After testing of these additions and charges was completed, the Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) process was simulated. A release of ASPEN (which contained the Economic Subsystem) was obtained and installed. This subsection was tested and numerous charges were made in the FORTRAN code. Capital investment and operating cost studies were performed on the ABE process. Some alternatives in certain steps of the ABE simulation were investigated in order to elucidate their effects on the overall economics of the process.

Assessment of rechargeable batteries for high power applications.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Delnick, Frank M.; Ripple, Robert Eugene; Butler, Paul Charles

2004-05-01

This paper describes an assessment of a variety of battery technologies for high pulse power applications. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is performing the assessment activities in collaboration with NSWC-Dahlgren. After an initial study of specifications and manufacturers' data, the assessment team identified the following electrochemistries as promising for detailed evaluation: lead-acid (Pb-acid), nickel/metal hydride (Ni/MH), nickel/cadmium (Ni/Cd), and a recently released high power lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology. In the first three technology cases, test cells were obtained from at least two and in some instances several companies that specialize in the respective electrochemistry. In the case of the Li-ion technology, cellsmore » from a single company and are being tested. All cells were characterized in Sandia's battery test labs. After several characterization tests, the Pb-acid technology was identified as a backup technology for the demanding power levels of these tests. The other technologies showed varying degrees of promise. Following additional cell testing, the assessment team determined that the Ni/MH technology was suitable for scale-up and acquired 50-V Ni/MH modules from two suppliers for testing. Additional tests are underway to better characterize the Ni/Cd and the Li-ion technologies as well. This paper will present the testing methodology and results from these assessment activities.« less

The Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center (CEMAC): Providing Analysis and Insights on Clean Technology Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Nicholi S

The U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center (CEMAC) provides objective analysis and up-to-date data on global supply chains and manufacturing of clean energy technologies. Policymakers and industry leaders seek CEMAC insights to inform choices to promote economic growth and the transition to a clean energy economy.

Identifying Critical Manufacturing Technologies Required for Transforming the Army Industrial Base

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

mechanism, 1 = least common mechanism)? ................................................................... 29 Figure 5 – Which Technology “ Test Beds...facilities, produce new designs , and incorporate efficient manufacturing processes. The value and continued success of the Army Industrial Base depends on...in materiel supplies to troops. Specific programs, described in AR 700-09, that are designed to transition manufacturing technology into the Army

Factors that influence the rejection of new manufacturing technologies and concepts

Treesearch

Kristen G. Hoff; Timothy J. Greene; Timothy J. Greene

1998-01-01

New manufacturing technologies or concepts often are adopted to improve a firm's competitive advantage over other firms in the same industry. The benefits that a firm expects to receive as a result of that adoption are presumed to outweigh the risk factors that accompany the adoption of a new manufacturing technology. Much research has been conducted to...

Additive Manufacturing and Casting Technology Comparison: Mechanical Properties, Productivity and Cost Benchmark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vevers, A.; Kromanis, A.; Gerins, E.; Ozolins, J.

2018-04-01

The casting technology is one of the oldest production technologies in the world but in the recent years metal additive manufacturing also known as metal 3D printing has been evolving with huge steps. Both technologies have capabilities to produce parts with internal holes and at first glance surface roughness is similar for both technologies, which means that for precise dimensions parts have to be machined in places where precise fit is necessary. Benchmark tests have been made to find out if parts which are produced with metal additive manufacturing can be used to replace parts which are produced with casting technology. Most of the comparative tests have been made with GJS-400-15 grade which is one of the most popular cast iron grades. To compare mechanical properties samples have been produced using additive manufacturing and tested for tensile strength, hardness, surface roughness and microstructure and then the results have been compared with the samples produced with casting technology. In addition, both technologies have been compared in terms of the production time and production costs to see if additive manufacturing is competitive with the casting technology. The original paper has been written in the Latvian language as part of the Master Thesis within the framework of the production technology study programme at Riga Technical University.

Smart substrates: Making multi-chip modules smarter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wunsch, T. F.; Treece, R. K.

1995-05-01

A novel multi-chip module (MCM) design and manufacturing methodology which utilizes active CMOS circuits in what is normally a passive substrate realizes the 'smart substrate' for use in highly testable, high reliability MCMS. The active devices are used to test the bare substrate, diagnose assembly errors or integrated circuit (IC) failures that require rework, and improve the testability of the final MCM assembly. A static random access memory (SRAM) MCM has been designed and fabricated in Sandia Microelectronics Development Laboratory in order to demonstrate the technical feasibility of this concept and to examine design and manufacturing issues which will ultimately determine the economic viability of this approach. The smart substrate memory MCM represents a first in MCM packaging. At the time the first modules were fabricated, no other company or MCM vendor had incorporated active devices in the substrate to improve manufacturability and testability, and thereby improve MCM reliability and reduce cost.

Proceedings of the 4th Conference on Aerospace Materials, Processes, and Environmental Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, D. E. (Editor); Stanley, D. C. (Editor)

2001-01-01

The next millennium challenges us to produce innovative materials, processes, manufacturing, and environmental technologies that meet low-cost aerospace transportation needs while maintaining US leadership. The pursuit of advanced aerospace materials, manufacturing processes, and environmental technologies supports the development of safer, operational, next-generation, reusable, and expendable aeronautical and space vehicle systems. The Aerospace Materials, Processes, and Environmental Technology Conference (AMPET) provided a forum for manufacturing, environmental, materials, and processes engineers, scientists, and managers to describe, review, and critically assess advances in these key technology areas.

Manufacturing Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, James L.

This curriculum guide is designed to assist junior high school industrial arts teachers in planning new courses and revising existing courses in manufacturing technology. Addressed in the individual units of the guide are the following topics: introduction to manufacturing, materials processing, personnel management, production management,…

Automated Array Assembly, Phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daiello, R. V.

1978-01-01

The purpose of the overall program is to establish technological readiness and provide verification for the elements of a manufacturing sequence which would ultimately be suitable for the large-scale production of silicon solar-array modules at a selling price of less than $500/kW. A program and process plan for accomplishing this objective was developed and put into operation. Three junction-formation processes are shown; since cost analysis shows that they do not differ greatly in cost, each should be considered for technical merits and possible future cost reduction. The progress made in the various process steps of the plan is described, and conclusions are presented.

Affordable MMICs for Air Force systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemerley, Robert T.; Fayette, Daniel F.

1991-05-01

The paper deals with a program directed at demonstrating affordable MMIC chips - the microwave/mm-wave monolithic integrated circuit (MIMIC) program. Focus is placed on experiments involving the growth and characterization of III-V materials, and the design, fabrication, and evaluation of ICs in the 1 to 60 GHz frequency range, as well as efforts related to the reliability testing, failure analysis, and generation of qualified manufacture's list procedures for GaAs MMICs and modules. Attributes associated with GaAs-technology devices, quality, reliability, and performance in select environments are discussed, including the dependence of these structures over temperature ranges, electrostatic discharge sensitivity, and susceptibility to environmental stresses.

Cell module and fuel conditioner development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feret, J. M.

1981-01-01

A phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) stack design having a 10 kW power rating for operation at higher than atmospheric pressure based on the existing Mark II design configuration is described. Functional analysis, trade studies and thermodynamic cycle analysis for requirements definition and system operating parameter selection purposes were performed. Fuel cell materials and components, and performance testing and evaluation of the repeating electrode components were characterized. The state of the art manufacturing technology for all fuel cell components and the fabrication of short stacks of various sites were established. A 10 kW PAFC stack design for higher pressure operation utilizing the top down systems engineering aproach was developed.

Innovative Techniques Simplify Vibration Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2010-01-01

In the early years of development, Marshall Space Flight Center engineers encountered challenges related to components in the space shuttle main engine. To assess the problems, they evaluated the effects of vibration and oscillation. To enhance the method of vibration signal analysis, Marshall awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to AI Signal Research, Inc. (ASRI), in Huntsville, Alabama. ASRI developed a software package called PC-SIGNAL that NASA now employs on a daily basis, and in 2009, the PKP-Module won Marshall s Software of the Year award. The technology is also used in many industries: aircraft and helicopter, rocket engine manufacturing, transportation, and nuclear power."

Technology: Manufacturing, Transportation, Construction, Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational Education.

The technology-based student activities in this curriculum resource book are intended to be incorporated into any industrial arts/technology education program. The activities are classified according to one of four technological systems--construction, communications, manufacturing, and transportation. Within the four parts of the guide, individual…

The Present, Mid-Term, and Long-Term Supply Curves for Tellurium; and Updates in the Results from NREL's CdTe PV Module Manufacturing Cost Model (Presentation)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Woodhouse, M.; Goodrich, A.; Redlinger, M.

2013-09-01

For those PV technologies that rely upon Te, In, and Ga, first-order observations and calculations hint that there may be resource constraints that could inhibit their successful deployment at a SunShot level. These are only first-order approximations, however, and the possibility for an expansion in global Te, In, and Ga supplies needs to be considered in the event that there are upward revisions in their demand and prices.In this study, we examine the current, mid-term, and long-term prospects of Tellurium (Te) for use in PV. We find that the current global supply base of Te would support <10 GW ofmore » annual traditional CdTe PV manufacturing production. But as for the possibility that the supply base for Te might be expanded, after compiling several preliminary cumulative availability curves we find that there may be significant upside potential in the supply base for this element - principally vis a vis increasing demand and higher prices. Primarily by reducing the Tellurium intensity in manufacturing and by increasing the recovery efficiency of Te in Cu refining processes, we calculate that it may prove affordable to PV manufacturers to expand the supply base for Te such that 100 GW, or greater, of annual CdTe PV production is possible in the 2030 - 2050 timeframe.« less

Advanced light source technologies that enable high-volume manufacturing of DUV lithography extensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cacouris, Theodore; Rao, Rajasekhar; Rokitski, Rostislav; Jiang, Rui; Melchior, John; Burfeindt, Bernd; O'Brien, Kevin

2012-03-01

Deep UV (DUV) lithography is being applied to pattern increasingly finer geometries, leading to solutions like double- and multiple-patterning. Such process complexities lead to higher costs due to the increasing number of steps required to produce the desired results. One of the consequences is that the lithography equipment needs to provide higher operating efficiencies to minimize the cost increases, especially for producers of memory devices that experience a rapid decline in sales prices of these products over time. In addition to having introduced higher power 193nm light sources to enable higher throughput, we previously described technologies that also enable: higher tool availability via advanced discharge chamber gas management algorithms; improved process monitoring via enhanced on-board beam metrology; and increased depth of focus (DOF) via light source bandwidth modulation. In this paper we will report on the field performance of these technologies with data that supports the desired improvements in on-wafer performance and operational efficiencies.

QWIP Status at THALES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costard, E.; Nedelcu, A.; Truffer, J. P.; Huet, O.; Dua, L.; Robo, J. A.; Marcadet, X.; Brière de l'Isle, N.; Facoetti, H.; Bois, P.

2009-11-01

Since 2002, the THALES Group has been manufacturing sensitive arrays using QWIP technology based on GaAs and related III-V compounds, at the Alcatel-Thales-III-V Lab (formerly part of THALES Research and Technology Laboratory). In the past researchers claimed many advantages of QWIPs. Uniformity was one of these and has been the key parameter for the production to start. Another widely claimed advantage for QWIPs was the so-called band-gap engineering and versatility of the III-V processing allowing the custom design of quantum structures to fulfil the requirements of specific applications such as very long wavelength (VLWIR) or multi-spectral detection. In this presentation, we give the status of our LWIR QWIP production line, and also the current status of QWIPs for MWIR (<5 μm) and VLWIR (>15 μm) arrays. As the QWIP technology cannot cover the full electromagnetic spectrum, we develop other semiconductor compounds for SWIR and UV applications. We present here the status of our 320 × 256 SWIR module with InGaAs photodiodes.

Technology Pathway Partnership Final Scientific Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hall, John C. Dr.; Godby, Larry A.

2012-04-26

This report covers the scientific progress and results made in the development of high efficiency multijunction solar cells and the light concentrating non-imaging optics for the commercial generation of renewable solar energy. During the contract period the efficiency of the multijunction solar cell was raised from 36.5% to 40% in commercially available fully qualified cells. In addition significant strides were made in automating production process for these cells in order to meet the costs required to compete with commercial electricity. Concurrent with the cells effort Boeing also developed a non imaging optical systems to raise the light intensity at themore » photovoltaic cell to the rage of 800 to 900 suns. Solar module efficiencies greater than 30% were consistently demonstrated. The technology and its manufacturing were maturated to a projected price of < $0.015 per kWh and demonstrated by automated assembly in a robotic factory with a throughput of 2 MWh/yr. The technology was demonstrated in a 100 kW power plant erected at California State University Northridge, CA.« less

Fostering Innovation in the Manufacturing Sector through R&D Consortia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKittrick, M.

2017-12-01

In the U.S. Department of Energy, the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) has the mission to catalyze research, development and adoption of energy-related advanced manufacturing technologies and practices to drive U.S. economic competitiveness and energy productivity. Within strategic areas of manufacturing, AMO brings together manufacturers, suppliers, institutes of higher education, national laboratories, and state and local governments in public-private R&D consortia to accelerate technology innovation. One such R&D Consortia is the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), established in 2013 and led by Ames Laboratory. CMI is a sustained, multidisciplinary effort to develop solutions across the materials lifecycle of materials essential to clean energy technologies and manufacturing, as well as reduce the impact of supply chain disruptions associated with these valuable resources. By bringing together scientists and engineers from diverse disciplines, CMI is addressing challenges in critical materials, including mineral processing, manufacture, substitution, efficient use, and end-of-life recycling; integrating scientific research, engineering innovation, manufacturing and process improvements; and developing a holistic solution to the materials challenges facing the nation. It includes expertise from four national laboratories, seven universities, and ten industry partners to minimize materials criticality as an impediment to the commercialization of clean energy technologies.

Challenges in Teaching Modern Manufacturing Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngaile, Gracious; Wang, Jyhwen; Gau, Jenn-Terng

2015-01-01

Teaching of manufacturing courses for undergraduate engineering students has become a challenge due to industrial globalisation coupled with influx of new innovations, technologies, customer-driven products. This paper discusses development of a modern manufacturing course taught concurrently in three institutions where students collaborate in…

75 FR 66739 - Technology Innovation Program (TIP) Seeks White Papers

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-29

... network analyses in the following areas--sustainable manufacturing models, resource management and... manufacturing, all endeavors require energy as input. Escalating energy demands throughout the world can lead to... such as: Technologies for improved manufacturing of critical components for alternative energy...

Technology transfer from NASA to targeted industries, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccain, Wayne; Schroer, Bernard J.; Souder, William E.; Spann, Mary S.; Watters, Harry; Ziemke, M. Carl

1993-01-01

This volume contains the following materials to support Volume 1: (1) Survey of Metal Fabrication Industry in Alabama; (2) Survey of Electronics Manufacturing/Assembly Industry in Alabama; (3) Apparel Modular Manufacturing Simulators; (4) Synopsis of a Stereolithography Project; (5) Transferring Modular Manufacturing Technology to an Apparel Firm; (6) Letters of Support; (7) Fact Sheets; (8) Publications; and (9) One Stop Access to NASA Technology Brochure.

Manufacturing Technology Support (MATES II) Task Order 0005: Manufacturing Integration and Technology Evaluation to Enable Technology Transition. Subtask Phase 0 Study Task: Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) and Systems Engineering For Quick Reaction Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

Porosity from gas entrapment & shrinkage 4 Continuous Fiber Ti Metal Matrix Composites (Aircraft panels and rotor components) [14...process models for casting, forging, and welding , and software capability to integrate various independent models with design, thermal, and structural...Applications, Ph.D. Thesis, Queen’s College, University of Oxford, (2007). 14. S.A. Singerman and J.J. Jackson, Titanium Metal Matrix Composites for

Multiscale analysis of replication technique efficiency for 3D roughness characterization of manufactured surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolivet, S.; Mezghani, S.; El Mansori, M.

2016-09-01

The replication of topography has been generally restricted to optimizing material processing technologies in terms of statistical and single-scale features such as roughness. By contrast, manufactured surface topography is highly complex, irregular, and multiscale. In this work, we have demonstrated the use of multiscale analysis on replicates of surface finish to assess the precise control of the finished replica. Five commercial resins used for surface replication were compared. The topography of five standard surfaces representative of common finishing processes were acquired both directly and by a replication technique. Then, they were characterized using the ISO 25178 standard and multiscale decomposition based on a continuous wavelet transform, to compare the roughness transfer quality at different scales. Additionally, atomic force microscope force modulation mode was used in order to compare the resins’ stiffness properties. The results showed that less stiff resins are able to replicate the surface finish along a larger wavelength band. The method was then tested for non-destructive quality control of automotive gear tooth surfaces.

Towards stable and commercially available perovskite solar cells

DOE PAGES

Park, Nam-Gyu; Grätzel, Michael; Miyasaka, Tsutomu; ...

2016-10-17

Solar cells employing a halide perovskite with an organic cation now show power conversion efficiency of up to 22%. But, these cells are facing issues towards commercialization, such as the need to achieve long-term stability and the development of a manufacturing method for the reproducible fabrication of high-performance devices. We propose a strategy to obtain stable and commercially viable perovskite solar cells. A reproducible manufacturing method is suggested, as well as routes to manage grain boundaries and interfacial charge transport. Electroluminescence is regarded as a metric to gauge theoretical efficiency. We highlight how optimizing the design of device architectures ismore » important not only for achieving high efficiency but also for hysteresis-free and stable performance. Here, we argue that reliable device characterization is needed to ensure the advance of this technology towards practical applications. We believe that perovskite-based devices can be competitive with silicon solar modules, and discuss issues related to the safe management of toxic material.« less

12. VIEW OF THE INSPECTION MODULE (MODULE D). THE GLOVE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

12. VIEW OF THE INSPECTION MODULE (MODULE D). THE GLOVE BOX IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE PHOTOGRAPH CONTAINS A DRILL PRESS; OTHER GLOVE BOXES ARE USED FOR PARTS INSPECTION. (5/70) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Comparison of vision through surface modulated and spatial light modulated multifocal optics.

PubMed

Vinas, Maria; Dorronsoro, Carlos; Radhakrishnan, Aiswaryah; Benedi-Garcia, Clara; LaVilla, Edward Anthony; Schwiegerling, Jim; Marcos, Susana

2017-04-01

Spatial-light-modulators (SLM) are increasingly used as active elements in adaptive optics (AO) systems to simulate optical corrections, in particular multifocal presbyopic corrections. In this study, we compared vision with lathe-manufactured multi-zone (2-4) multifocal, angularly and radially, segmented surfaces and through the same corrections simulated with a SLM in a custom-developed two-active-element AO visual simulator. We found that perceived visual quality measured through real manufactured surfaces and SLM-simulated phase maps corresponded highly. Optical simulations predicted differences in perceived visual quality across different designs at Far distance, but showed some discrepancies at intermediate and near.

Comparison of vision through surface modulated and spatial light modulated multifocal optics

PubMed Central

Vinas, Maria; Dorronsoro, Carlos; Radhakrishnan, Aiswaryah; Benedi-Garcia, Clara; LaVilla, Edward Anthony; Schwiegerling, Jim; Marcos, Susana

2017-01-01

Spatial-light-modulators (SLM) are increasingly used as active elements in adaptive optics (AO) systems to simulate optical corrections, in particular multifocal presbyopic corrections. In this study, we compared vision with lathe-manufactured multi-zone (2-4) multifocal, angularly and radially, segmented surfaces and through the same corrections simulated with a SLM in a custom-developed two-active-element AO visual simulator. We found that perceived visual quality measured through real manufactured surfaces and SLM-simulated phase maps corresponded highly. Optical simulations predicted differences in perceived visual quality across different designs at Far distance, but showed some discrepancies at intermediate and near. PMID:28736655

n/a

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts friction stir welding used in manufacturing aluminum panels that will fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel. The aluminum panels are subjected to confidence panel tests during which the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

Launch Vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts friction stir welding used in manufacturing aluminum panels that will fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel. The panels are subjected to confidence tests in which the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

n/a

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts a manufactured aluminum panel that will be used to fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel, undergoing a confidence panel test. In this test, the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California.

Launch Vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image, depicts a manufactured aluminum panel, that will be used to fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel, undergoing a confidence panel test. In this test, the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

Launch Vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts a manufactured aluminum panel, that will fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel, undergoing a confidence panel test. In this test, the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

Launch Vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts a manufactured aluminum panel, that will fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel, undergoing a confidence panel test. In this test, bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

Launch Vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-08

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts a manufactured aluminum panel that will be used to fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel, undergoing a confidence panel test. In this test, the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

Stir Friction Welding Used in Ares I Upper Stage Fabrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts friction stir welding used in manufacturing aluminum panels that will fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel. The panels are subjected to confidence tests in which the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available)

Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Technology. Tech Prep Competency Profile.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakeland Tech Prep Consortium, Kirtland, OH.

This tech prep competency profile for computer-integrated manufacturing technology begins with definitions for four occupations: manufacturing technician, quality technician, mechanical engineering technician, and computer-assisted design/drafting (CADD) technician. A chart lists competencies by unit and indicates whether entire or partial unit is…

Use of digital technologies for nasal prosthesis manufacturing.

PubMed

Palousek, David; Rosicky, Jiri; Koutny, Daniel

2014-04-01

Digital technology is becoming more accessible for common use in medical applications; however, their expansion in prosthetic and orthotic laboratories is not large because of the persistent image of difficult applicability to real patients. This article aims to offer real example in the area of human facial prostheses. This article describes the utilization of optical digitization, computational modelling, rapid prototyping, mould fabrication and manufacturing of a nasal silicone prosthesis. This technical note defines the key points of the methodology and aspires to contribute to the introduction of a certified manufacturing procedure. The results show that the used technologies reduce the manufacturing time, reflect patient's requirements and allow the manufacture of high-quality prostheses for missing facial asymmetric parts. The methodology provides a good position for further development issues and is usable for clinical practice. Clinical relevance Utilization of digital technologies in facial prosthesis manufacturing process can be a good contribution for higher patient comfort and higher production efficiency but with higher initial investment and demands for experience with software tools.

Copper Disk Manufactured at the Space Optics Manufacturing and Technology Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This photograph shows Wes Brown, Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) lead diamond tuner, an expert in the science of using diamond-tipped tools to cut metal, inspecting the mold's physical characteristics to ensure the uniformity of its more than 6,000 grooves. This king-size copper disk, manufactured at the Space Optics Manufacturing and Technology Center (SOMTC) at MSFC, is a special mold for making high resolution monitor screens. This master mold will be used to make several other molds, each capable of forming hundreds of screens that have a type of lens called a fresnel lens. Weighing much less than conventional optics, fresnel lenses have multiple concentric grooves, each formed to a precise angle, that together create the curvature needed to focus and project images. The MSFC leads NASA's space optics manufacturing technology development as a technology leader for diamond turning. The machine used to manufacture this mold is among many one-of-a-kind pieces of equipment of MSFC's SOMTC.

Advantage Management Strategy in Competition via Technological Race Perspective: Empirical Evidence from the Taiwanese Manufacturing Industry

PubMed Central

Hung, Tsu-Yi; Hsiao, Yu-Ju; Wu, Shih-Wei

2014-01-01

This study investigated the advantage management strategies of a firm regarding the technological race in the manufacturing sector. This is to reveal whether firms adopt a catch-up or leapfrogging strategy in the competition for innovation. The results show that competition is fierce in the Taiwanese manufacturing industry. Taiwanese manufacturing firms (mostly SMEs) tend to adopt the “catch-up” strategy to keep up with their competitors in order to remain in the technological race. The result indicates that, under financial constraints, Taiwanese manufacturing firms attempt to invest in R&D to catch up with their rivals or to avoid being eliminated from the race. PMID:25295307

Advantage management strategy in competition via technological race perspective: empirical evidence from the Taiwanese manufacturing industry.

PubMed

Hung, Tsu-Yi; Hsiao, Yu-Ju; Wu, Shih-Wei

2014-01-01

This study investigated the advantage management strategies of a firm regarding the technological race in the manufacturing sector. This is to reveal whether firms adopt a catch-up or leapfrogging strategy in the competition for innovation. The results show that competition is fierce in the Taiwanese manufacturing industry. Taiwanese manufacturing firms (mostly SMEs) tend to adopt the "catch-up" strategy to keep up with their competitors in order to remain in the technological race. The result indicates that, under financial constraints, Taiwanese manufacturing firms attempt to invest in R&D to catch up with their rivals or to avoid being eliminated from the race.

Quantifying Adoption Rates and Energy Savings Over Time for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanes, Rebecca; Carpenter Petri, Alberta C; Riddle, Matt

Energy-efficient manufacturing technologies can reduce energy consumption and lower operating costs for an individual manufacturing facility, but increased process complexity and the resulting risk of disruption means that manufacturers may be reluctant to adopt such technologies. In order to quantify potential energy savings at scales larger than a single facility, it is necessary to account for how quickly and how widely the technology will be adopted by manufacturers. This work develops a methodology for estimating energy-efficient manufacturing technology adoption rates using quantitative, objectively measurable technology characteristics, including energetic, economic and technical criteria. Twelve technology characteristics are considered, and each characteristicmore » is assigned an importance weight that reflects its impact on the overall technology adoption rate. Technology characteristic data and importance weights are used to calculate the adoption score, a number between 0 and 1 that represents how quickly the technology is likely to be adopted. The adoption score is then used to estimate parameters for the Bass diffusion curve, which quantifies the change in the number of new technology adopters in a population over time. Finally, energy savings at the sector level are calculated over time by multiplying the number of new technology adopters at each time step with the technology's facility-level energy savings. The proposed methodology will be applied to five state-of-the-art energy-efficient technologies in the carbon fiber composites sector, with technology data obtained from the Department of Energy's 2016 bandwidth study. Because the importance weights used in estimating the Bass curve parameters are subjective, a sensitivity analysis will be performed on the weights to obtain a range of parameters for each technology. The potential energy savings for each technology and the rate at which each technology is adopted in the sector are quantified and used to identify the technologies which offer the greatest cumulative sector-level energy savings over a period of 20 years. Preliminary analysis indicates that relatively simple technologies, such as efficient furnaces, will be adopted more quickly and result in greater cumulative energy savings compared to more complex technologies that require process retrofitting, such as advanced control systems.« less

A new application for food customization with additive manufacturing technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serenó, L.; Vallicrosa, G.; Delgado, J.; Ciurana, J.

2012-04-01

Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies have emerged as a freeform approach capable of producing almost any complete three dimensional (3D) objects from computer-aided design (CAD) data by successively adding material layer by layer. Despite the broad range of possibilities, commercial AM technologies remain complex and expensive, making them suitable only for niche applications. The developments of the Fab@Home system as an open AM technology discovered a new range of possibilities of processing different materials such as edible products. The main objective of this work is to analyze and optimize the manufacturing capacity of this system when producing 3D edible objects. A new heated syringe deposition tool was developed and several process parameters were optimized to adapt this technology to consumers' needs. The results revealed in this study show the potential of this system to produce customized edible objects without qualified personnel knowledge, therefore saving manufacturing costs compared to traditional technologies.

Cost-effective FITL technologies for small business and residential customers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, Niels E.; Woolnough, Peter; Seidenberg, Juergen; Ferreira, Mario F. S.

1995-02-01

FIRST is a RACE project where 5 main European telecoms operators, 4 equipment manufacturers and one university have joined up to define and test in a field trial in Portugal a cost effective Optical Access Network. The main design target has been a system which gives cost effective provision of wideband services for small and medium business customers. The system however, incorporates provision of telephone, ISDN and analog and digital video for residential customers as well. Technologies have been chosen with the objective of providing a simple, robust and flexible system where initial deployment costs are low and closely related to the service take up. The paper describes the main technical features of the system and network applications which shows how the system may be introduced in network planning. The system is based on Passive Optical Network technology where video is distributed in the 1550 nm window and telecoms services transmitted at 1300 nm in full duplex mode. The telecoms system provides high capacity, flexibility in loop length and robustness towards outside plant performance. The Subcarrier Multiple Access (SCMA) method is used for upstream transmission of bi-directional telecoms services. SCMA has advantages compared to the Time Division Multiple Access technology used in other systems. Bandwidth/cost tradeoff is better and the lower requirements to the outside plant increases the overall cost benefit. Optical beat noise due to overlapping of laser spectra which may be a problem for this technology has been addressed with success through the use of a suitable modulation and control technique. This technology is further validated in the field trial. The video system provides cost effective long distance transmission on standard fiber with externally modulated lasers and cascaded amplifiers. Coexistence of analog and digital video on one fiber with different modulation schemes i.e. BPSK, QPSK and 64 QAM have been validated. Total life cycle cost evaluations based on availability data, maintenance requirements and expectations for service development have been made. The field trial will be running for two years.

Achieving continuous manufacturing for final dosage formation: challenges and how to meet them. May 20-21, 2014 Continuous Manufacturing Symposium.

PubMed

Byrn, Stephen; Futran, Maricio; Thomas, Hayden; Jayjock, Eric; Maron, Nicola; Meyer, Robert F; Myerson, Allan S; Thien, Michael P; Trout, Bernhardt L

2015-03-01

We describe the key issues and possibilities for continuous final dosage formation, otherwise known as downstream processing or drug product manufacturing. A distinction is made between heterogeneous processing and homogeneous processing, the latter of which is expected to add more value to continuous manufacturing. We also give the key motivations for moving to continuous manufacturing, some of the exciting new technologies, and the barriers to implementation of continuous manufacturing. Continuous processing of heterogeneous blends is the natural first step in converting existing batch processes to continuous. In heterogeneous processing, there are discrete particles that can segregate, versus in homogeneous processing, components are blended and homogenized such that they do not segregate. Heterogeneous processing can incorporate technologies that are closer to existing technologies, where homogeneous processing necessitates the development and incorporation of new technologies. Homogeneous processing has the greatest potential for reaping the full rewards of continuous manufacturing, but it takes long-term vision and a more significant change in process development than heterogeneous processing. Heterogeneous processing has the detriment that, as the technologies are adopted rather than developed, there is a strong tendency to incorporate correction steps, what we call below "The Rube Goldberg Problem." Thus, although heterogeneous processing will likely play a major role in the near-term transformation of heterogeneous to continuous processing, it is expected that homogeneous processing is the next step that will follow. Specific action items for industry leaders are: Form precompetitive partnerships, including industry (pharmaceutical companies and equipment manufacturers), government, and universities. These precompetitive partnerships would develop case studies of continuous manufacturing and ideally perform joint-technology development, including development of small-scale equipment and processes. Develop ways to invest internally in continuous manufacturing. How best to do this will depend on the specifics of a given organization, in particular the current development projects. Upper managers will need to energize their process developers to incorporate continuous manufacturing in at least part of their processes to gain experience and demonstrate directly the benefits. Training of continuous manufacturing technologies, organizational approaches, and regulatory approaches is a key area that industrial leaders should pursue together. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Monolithic amorphous silicon modules on continuous polymer substrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grimmer, D.P.

This report examines manufacturing monolithic amorphous silicon modules on a continuous polymer substrate. Module production costs can be reduced by increasing module performance, expanding production, and improving and modifying production processes. Material costs can be reduced by developing processes that use a 1-mil polyimide substrate and multilayers of low-cost material for the front encapsulant. Research to speed up a-Si and ZnO deposition rates is needed to improve throughputs. To keep throughput rates compatible with depositions, multibeam fiber optic delivery systems for laser scribing can be used. However, mechanical scribing systems promise even higher throughputs. Tandem cells and production experience canmore » increase device efficiency and stability. Two alternative manufacturing processes are described: (1) wet etching and sheet handling and (2) wet etching and roll-to-roll fabrication.« less

Comprehensive hands-on training for influenza vaccine manufacturing: a WHO-BARDA-BTEC partnership for global workforce development.

PubMed

Ruiz, Jennifer; Gilleskie, Gary L; Brown, Patty; Burnett, Bruce; Carbonell, Ruben G

2014-01-01

The critical need for enhancing influenza pandemic preparedness in many developing nations has led the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to develop an international influenza vaccine capacity-building program. Among the critical limitations faced by many of these nations is lack of access to training programs for staff supporting operations within vaccine production facilities. With support from BARDA, the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) at North Carolina State University has addressed this need for training by developing and delivering a comprehensive training program, consisting of three courses: Fundamentals of cGMP Influenza Vaccine Manufacturing, Advanced Upstream Processes for Influenza Vaccine Manufacturing, and Advanced Downstream Processes for Influenza Vaccine Manufacturing. The courses cover process design, transfer, and execution at manufacturing scale, quality systems, and regulations covering both manufacturing and approval of pandemic vaccines. The Fundamentals course focuses on the concepts, equipment, applicable regulations, and procedures commonly used to produce influenza vaccine. The two Advanced courses focus on process design, scale up, validation, and new technologies likely to improve efficiency of vaccine production. All three courses rely on a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on training in BTEC's various laboratories. Each course stands alone, and participants may take one or more of the three courses. Overall participant satisfaction with the courses has been high, and follow-up surveys show that participants actively transferred the knowledge they gained to the workplace. Future plans call for BTEC to continue offering the three courses and to create an online version of several modules of the Fundamentals course. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

FMS: The New Wave of Manufacturing Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Industrial Education, 1986

1986-01-01

Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) are described as a marriage of all of the latest technologies--robotics, numerical control, CAD/CAM (computer-assisted design/computer-assisted manufacturing), etc.--into a cost-efficient, optimized production process yielding the greatest flexibility in making various parts. A typical curriculum to teach FMS…

Arizona Industrial Arts Manufacturing Technology. Teacher's Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Milton; And Others

This curriculum guide is intended to assist junior and senior high school vocational instructors in presenting a course in manufacturing technology. The package contains a competency/skill and task list, an instructor's guide, and a bibliography. The following competencies are covered: the historical development of manufacturing (the…

Space Manufacturing: The Next Great Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, Ann F.; Curreri, Peter; Sharpe, Jonathan B.; Colberg, Wendell R.; Vickers, John H.

1998-01-01

Space manufacturing encompasses the research, development and manufacture necessary for the production of any product to be used in near zero gravity, and the production of spacecraft required for transporting research or production devices to space. Manufacturing for space, and manufacturing in space will require significant breakthroughs in materials and manufacturing technology, as well as in equipment designs. This report reviews some of the current initiatives in achieving space manufacturing. The first initiative deals with materials processing in space, e.g., processing non-terrestrial and terrestrial materials, especially metals. Some of the ramifications of the United States Microgravity Payloads fourth (USMP-4) mission are discussed. Some problems in non-terrestrial materials processing are mentioned. The second initiative is structures processing in space. In order to accomplish this, the International Space Welding Experiment was designed to demonstrate welding technology in near-zero gravity. The third initiative is advancements in earth-based manufacturing technologies necessary to achieve low cost access to space. The advancements discussed include development of lightweight material having high specific strength, and automated fabrication and manufacturing methods for these materials.

15. VIEW OF MODULE H, THE HIGH PRESSURE ASSEMBLY AREA. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

15. VIEW OF MODULE H, THE HIGH PRESSURE ASSEMBLY AREA. PROCESSES IN THIS MODULE OCCURRED UNDER HIGH PRESSURES AND TEMPERATURES. (5/70) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

78 FR 64019 - Manufacturer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Agilent Technologies

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-25

...; Notice of Registration; Agilent Technologies By Notice dated May 24, 2013, and published in the Federal Register on June 4, 2013, 78 FR 33441, Agilent Technologies, 25200 Commercentre Drive, Lake Forest... of Agilent Technologies to manufacture the listed basic classes of controlled substances is...

77 FR 43864 - Manufacturer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Rhodes Technologies

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-26

...; Notice of Registration; Rhodes Technologies By Notice dated April 17, 2012, and published in the Federal Register on April 26, 2012, 77 FR 24986, Rhodes Technologies, 498 Washington Street, Coventry, Rhode Island... Technologies to manufacture the listed basic classes of controlled substances is consistent with the public...

78 FR 49547 - Manufacturer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Registration, Rhodes Technologies

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-14

..., Notice of Registration, Rhodes Technologies By Notice dated April 10, 2013, and published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2013, 78 FR 23596, Rhodes Technologies, 498 Washington Street, Coventry, Rhode Island... registration of Rhodes Technologies to manufacture the listed basic classes of controlled substances is...

78 FR 52505 - Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-23

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce. ACTION: Notice of Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces that the...

78 FR 32240 - Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-29

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces that the...

3D model of filler melting with micro-beam plasma arc based on additive manufacturing technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Weilin; Yang, Tao; Yang, Ruixin

2017-07-01

Additive manufacturing technology is a systematic process based on discrete-accumulation principle, which is derived by the dimension of parts. Aiming at the dimension mathematical model and slicing problems in additive manufacturing process, the constitutive relations between micro-beam plasma welding parameters and the dimension of part were investigated. The slicing algorithm and slicing were also studied based on the dimension characteristics. By using the direct slicing algorithm according to the geometric characteristics of model, a hollow thin-wall spherical part was fabricated by 3D additive manufacturing technology using micro-beam plasma.

The effect of dietary pigmentation on the esthetic appearance of clear orthodontic elastomeric modules

PubMed Central

Talic, Nabeel F; Almudhi, Abdullazez A

2016-01-01

Objective: To compare the stain resistance of three types of clear elastomeric modules exposed to several common dietary substances through the assessment of the perception of a group of dentists to discoloration using visual analog scale (VAS). Materials and Methods: Elastomeric modules from Unitek (AU), Ormco (OR), and dentaurum (DE) were immersed in the following food substances: Coffee, black tea, chocolate, energy drink, ketchup, and Coca-Cola for 72 h. VAS was used to reflect the module staining severity. Results: Significant difference was found among the three types of modules examined in this study. OR modules showed the least mean staining ratings by the examiners. There was no statistical difference in the staining properties between AU and DE modules. Coffee and tea showed higher staining potential as compared to all staining media. Furthermore, there was no difference in the staining characteristics of coffee and black tea. Conclusions: Coffee and tea are strong staining media that should be avoided by patients who opted to have esthetic appliances for their orthodontic treatment. Elastomeric modules manufactured by AU showed higher staining optical properties as compared to the other two companies, which could be related to the manufacturing processing of these modules. PMID:27127754

Practical Education Support to Foster Engineers at Manufacturing and Engineering Design Center in Muroran Institute of Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazama, Toshiharu; Hanajima, Naohiko; Shimizu, Kazumichi; Satoh, Kohki

To foster engineers with creative power, Muroran Institute of Technology established Manufacturing and Engineering Design Center (MEDeC) that concentrates on Monozukuri. MEDeC consists of three project groups : i) Education Support Group provides educational support for practical training classes on and off campus and PDCA (plan-do-check-action) -conscious engineering design education related to Monozukuri ; ii) Fundamental Manufacturing Research Group carries out nurture research into fundamental and innovative technology of machining and manufacturing, and iii) Regional Cooperation Group coordinates the activities in cooperation with bureau, schools and industries in and around Muroran City. MEDeC has a fully integrated collection of machine tools and hand tools for manufacturing, an atelier, a tatara workplace, implements for measurement and related equipment designed for practically teaching state-of-the-practice manufacturing methods.

Design of Intelligent Robot as A Tool for Teaching Media Based on Computer Interactive Learning and Computer Assisted Learning to Improve the Skill of University Student

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuhrie, M. S.; Basuki, I.; Asto B, I. G. P.; Anifah, L.

2018-01-01

The focus of the research is the teaching module which incorporates manufacturing, planning mechanical designing, controlling system through microprocessor technology and maneuverability of the robot. Computer interactive and computer-assisted learning is strategies that emphasize the use of computers and learning aids (computer assisted learning) in teaching and learning activity. This research applied the 4-D model research and development. The model is suggested by Thiagarajan, et.al (1974). 4-D Model consists of four stages: Define Stage, Design Stage, Develop Stage, and Disseminate Stage. This research was conducted by applying the research design development with an objective to produce a tool of learning in the form of intelligent robot modules and kit based on Computer Interactive Learning and Computer Assisted Learning. From the data of the Indonesia Robot Contest during the period of 2009-2015, it can be seen that the modules that have been developed confirm the fourth stage of the research methods of development; disseminate method. The modules which have been developed for students guide students to produce Intelligent Robot Tool for Teaching Based on Computer Interactive Learning and Computer Assisted Learning. Results of students’ responses also showed a positive feedback to relate to the module of robotics and computer-based interactive learning.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandor, Debra; Chung, Donald; Keyser, David

This report documents the CEMAC methodologies for developing and reporting annual global clean energy manufacturing benchmarks. The report reviews previously published manufacturing benchmark reports and foundational data, establishes a framework for benchmarking clean energy technologies, describes the CEMAC benchmark analysis methodologies, and describes the application of the methodologies to the manufacturing of four specific clean energy technologies.

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Industrial Efficiency and Energy Productivity

ScienceCinema

Selldorff, John; Atwell, Monte

2018-05-18

Industrial efficiency and low-cost energy resources are key components to increasing U.S. energy productivity and makes the U.S. manufacturing sector more competitive. Companies find a competitive advantage in implementing efficiency technologies and practices, and technologies developed and manufactured in the U.S. enable greater competitiveness economy-wide.

Advanced Manufacturing Office Clean Water Processing Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)’s Advanced Manufacturing Office partners with industry, small business, universities, and other stakeholders to identify and invest in emerging technologies with the potential to create high-quality domestic manufacturing jobs and enhance the global competitiveness of the United States.

Additive Manufacturing Technology for Biomedical Components: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aimi Zaharin, Haizum; Rani, Ahmad Majdi Abdul; Lenggo Ginta, Turnad; Azam, Farooq I.

2018-03-01

Over the last decades, additive manufacturing has shown potential application in ranging fields. No longer a prototyping technology, it is now being utilised as a manufacturing technology for giant industries such as the automotive, aircraft and recently in the medical industry. It is a very successful method that provides health-care solution in biomedical sectors by producing patient-specific prosthetics, improve tissues engineering and facilitate pre-operating session. This paper thus presents a brief overview of the most commercially important additive manufacturing technologies, which is currently available for fabricating biomedical components such as Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and Electron Beam Melting (EBM). It introduces the basic principles of the main process, highlights some of the beneficial applications in medical industry and the current limitation of applied technology.

Benefit from NASA

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-10-01

Technology used to provide thermal protection for Apollo astronauts and spacecraft components provides firefighters with better protective clothing and equipment. Spinoffs include a portable firefighting module, protective clothing for workers in hazardous environments, fire-retardant paints and forms, fireblocking coating for outdoor structures, and flame-resistant fabric. Perhaps the farthest reaching is the breathing apparatus worn by firefighters throughout the U.S. for protection against smoke inhalation injury. The breathing system weighs approximately 20 pounds, one-third less than past systems, and it enables the wearer to have improved mobility. It consists of a face mask, frame and harness, a warning device, and an air bottle. The basic air cylinder offers the same 30-minutes of operation time as its predecessor. The result is a drastic reduction in the number of inhalation injuries to firefighters. Though they have made many design modifications and refinements, manufacturers of breathing apparatus still incorporate the original NASA technology.

Field Performance of Photovoltaic Systems in the Tucson Desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orsburn, Sean; Brooks, Adria; Cormode, Daniel; Greenberg, James; Hardesty, Garrett; Lonij, Vincent; Salhab, Anas; St. Germaine, Tyler; Torres, Gabe; Cronin, Alexander

2011-10-01

At the Tucson Electric Power (TEP) solar test yard, over 20 different grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems are being tested. The goal at the TEP solar test yard is to measure and model real-world performance of PV systems and to benchmark new technologies such as holographic concentrators. By studying voltage and current produced by the PV systems as a function of incident irradiance, and module temperature, we can compare our measurements of field-performance (in a harsh desert environment) to manufacturer specifications (determined under laboratory conditions). In order to measure high-voltage and high-current signals, we designed and built reliable, accurate sensors that can handle extreme desert temperatures. We will present several benchmarks of sensors in a controlled environment, including shunt resistors and Hall-effect current sensors, to determine temperature drift and accuracy. Finally we will present preliminary field measurements of PV performance for several different PV technologies.

Photovoltaic Subcontract Program. Annual report, FY 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1993-03-01

This report summarizes the fiscal year (FY) 1992 progress of the subcontracted photovoltaic (PV) research and development (R&D) performed under the Photovoltaic Advanced Research and Development Project at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)-formerly the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI). The mission of the national PV program is to develop PV technology for large-scale generation of economically competitive electric power in the United States. The technical sections of the report cover the main areas of the subcontract program: the Crystalline Materials and Advanced Concepts project, the Polycrystalline Thin Films project, Amorphous Silicon Research project, the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT) project,more » PV Module and System Performance and Engineering project, and the PV Analysis and Applications Development project. Technical summaries of each of the subcontracted programs provide a discussion of approaches, major accomplishments in FY 1992, and future research directions.« less

BTDI detector technology for reconnaissance application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hilbert, Stefan; Eckardt, Andreas; Krutz, David

2017-11-01

The Institute of Optical Sensor Systems (OS) at the Robotics and Mechatronics Center of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has more than 30 years of experience with high-resolution imaging technology. This paper shows the institute's scientific results of the leading-edge detector design in a BTDI (Bidirectional Time Delay and Integration) architecture. This project demonstrates an approved technological design for high or multi-spectral resolution spaceborne instruments. DLR OS and BAE Systems were driving the technology of new detectors and the FPA design for future projects, new manufacturing accuracy in order to keep pace with ambitious scientific and user requirements. Resulting from customer requirements and available technologies the current generation of space borne sensor systems is focusing on VIS/NIR high spectral resolution to meet the requirements on earth and planetary observation systems. The combination of large swath and high-spectral resolution with intelligent control applications and new focal plane concepts opens the door to new remote sensing and smart deep space instruments. The paper gives an overview of the detector development and verification program at DLR on detector module level and key parameters like SNR, linearity, spectral response, quantum efficiency, PRNU, DSNU and MTF.

Japan's technology and manufacturing infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulton, William R.; Meieran, Eugene S.; Tummala, Rao R.

1995-02-01

The JTEC panel found that, after four decades of development in electronics and manufacturing technologies, Japanese electronics companies are leaders in the development, support, and management of complex, low-cost packaging and assembly technologies used in the production of a broad range of consumer electronics products. The electronics industry's suppliers provide basic materials and equipment required for electronic packaging applications. Panelists concluded that some Japanese firms could be leading U.S. competitors by as much as a decade in these areas. Japan's technology and manufacturing infrastructure is an integral part of its microelectronics industry's success.

Japan's technology and manufacturing infrastructure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boulton, William R.; Meieran, Eugene S.; Tummala, Rao R.

1995-01-01

The JTEC panel found that, after four decades of development in electronics and manufacturing technologies, Japanese electronics companies are leaders in the development, support, and management of complex, low-cost packaging and assembly technologies used in the production of a broad range of consumer electronics products. The electronics industry's suppliers provide basic materials and equipment required for electronic packaging applications. Panelists concluded that some Japanese firms could be leading U.S. competitors by as much as a decade in these areas. Japan's technology and manufacturing infrastructure is an integral part of its microelectronics industry's success.

Measurement Science for Prognostics and Health Management for Smart Manufacturing Systems: Key Findings from a Roadmapping Workshop

PubMed Central

Weiss, Brian A.; Vogl, Gregory; Helu, Moneer; Qiao, Guixiu; Pellegrino, Joan; Justiniano, Mauricio; Raghunathan, Anand

2017-01-01

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosted the Roadmapping Workshop – Measurement Science for Prognostics and Health Management for Smart Manufacturing Systems (PHM4SMS) in Fall 2014 to discuss the needs and priorities of stakeholders in the PHM4SMS technology area. The workshop brought together over 70 members of the PHM community. The attendees included representatives from small, medium, and large manufacturers; technology developers and integrators; academic researchers; government organizations; trade associations; and standards bodies. The attendees discussed the current and anticipated measurement science challenges to advance PHM methods and techniques for smart manufacturing systems; the associated research and development needed to implement condition monitoring, diagnostic, and prognostic technologies within manufacturing environments; and the priorities to meet the needs of PHM in manufacturing. This paper will summarize the key findings of this workshop, and present some of the critical measurement science challenges and corresponding roadmaps, i.e., suggested courses of action, to advance PHM for manufacturing. Milestones and targeted capabilities will be presented for each roadmap across three areas: PHM Manufacturing Process Techniques; PHM Performance Assessment; and PHM Infrastructure – Hardware, Software, and Integration. An analysis of these roadmaps and crosscutting themes seen across the breakout sessions is also discussed. PMID:28664163

Large-area triple-junction a-Si alloy production scaleup. Annual subcontract report, 17 March 1993--18 March 1994

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oswald, R.; Morris, J.

1994-11-01

The objective of this subcontract over its three-year duration is to advance Solarex`s photovoltaic manufacturing technologies, reduce its a-Si:H module production costs, increase module performance and expand the Solarex commercial production capacity. Solarex shall meet these objectives by improving the deposition and quality of the transparent front contact, by optimizing the laser patterning process, scaling-up the semiconductor deposition process, improving the back contact deposition, scaling-up and improving the encapsulation and testing of its a-Si:H modules. In the Phase 2 portion of this subcontract, Solarex focused on improving deposition of the front contact, investigating alternate feed stocks for the front contact,more » maximizing throughput and area utilization for all laser scribes, optimizing a-Si:H deposition equipment to achieve uniform deposition over large-areas, optimizing the triple-junction module fabrication process, evaluating the materials to deposit the rear contact, and optimizing the combination of isolation scribe and encapsulant to pass the wet high potential test. Progress is reported on the following: Front contact development; Laser scribe process development; Amorphous silicon based semiconductor deposition; Rear contact deposition process; Frit/bus/wire/frame; Materials handling; and Environmental test, yield and performance analysis.« less

Optimization of Processing and Modeling Issues for Thin Film Solar Cell Devices Including Concepts for The Development of Polycrystalline Multijunctions: Annual Report; 24 August 1998-23 August 1999

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Birkmire, R.W.; Phillips, J.E.; Shafarman, W.N.

2000-08-25

This report describes results achieved during phase 1 of a three-phase subcontract to develop and understand thin-film solar cell technology associated to CuInSe{sub 2} and related alloys, a-Si and its alloys, and CdTe. Modules based on all these thin films are promising candidates to meet DOE long-range efficiency, reliability, and manufacturing cost goals. The critical issues being addressed under this program are intended to provide the science and engineering basis for the development of viable commercial processes and to improve module performance. The generic research issues addressed are: (1) quantitative analysis of processing steps to provide information for efficient commercial-scalemore » equipment design and operation; (2) device characterization relating the device performance to materials properties and process conditions; (3) development of alloy materials with different bandgaps to allow improved device structures for stability and compatibility with module design; (4) development of improved window/heterojunction layers and contacts to improve device performance and reliability; and (5) evaluation of cell stability with respect to illumination, temperature, and ambient and with respect to device structure and module encapsulation.« less

Small transport aircraft technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, L. J.

1983-01-01

Information on commuter airline trends and aircraft developments is provided to upgrade the preliminary findings of a NASA-formed small transport aircraft technology (STAT) team, established to determine whether the agency's research and development programs could help commuter aircraft manufacturers solve technical problems related to passenger acceptance and use of 19- to 50-passenger aircraft. The results and conclusions of the full set of completed STAT studies are presented. These studies were performed by five airplane manufacturers, five engine manufacturers, and two propeller manufacturers. Those portions of NASA's overall aeronautics research and development programs which are applicable to commuter aircraft design are summarized. Areas of technology that might beneficially be expanded or initiated to aid the US commuter aircraft manufacturers in the evolution of improved aircraft for the market are suggested.

Development of High Efficiency (14%) Solar Cell Array Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iles, P. A.; Khemthong, S.; Olah, S.; Sampson, W. J.; Ling, K. S.

1979-01-01

High efficiency solar cells required for the low cost modules was developed. The production tooling for the manufacture of the cells and modules was designed. The tooling consisted of: (1) back contact soldering machine; (2) vacuum pickup; (3) antireflective coating tooling; and (4) test fixture.

WASTE REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY EVALUATIONS AT THREE PRINTED WIRE BOARD MANUFACTURERS

EPA Science Inventory

Technologies at three printed wire board (PWB) manufacturers were evaluated for waste reduction, and costs were compared to existing operations. rom 1989 to 1993, these evaluations were conducted under US EPA's Waste Reduction Innovative Technology Evaluation (WRITE) Program, in ...

NREL module energy rating methodology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whitaker, C.; Newmiller, J.; Kroposki, B.

1995-11-01

The goals of this project were to develop a tool for: evaluating one module in different climates; comparing different modules; provide a Q&D method for estimating periodic energy production; provide an achievable module rating; provide an incentive for manufacturers to optimize modules to non-STC conditions; and to have a consensus-based, NREL-sponsored activity. The approach taken was to simulate module energy for five reference days of various weather conditions. A performance model was developed.

Additive manufacturing and analysis of high frequency interconnects for microwave devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harper, Elicia K.

Wire bond interconnects have been the main approach to interconnecting microelectronic devices within a package. Conventional wirebonding however offers little control of the impedance of the interconnect and also introduces parasitic inductance that can degrade performance at microwave frequencies. The size and compactness of microchips is often an issue when it comes to attaching wirebonds to the microchip or other components within a microwave module. This work demonstrates the use of additive manufacturing for printing interconnects directly between bare die microchips and other components within a microwave module. A test structure was developed consisting of a GaAs microchip sandwiched between two alumina blocks patterned with coplanar waveguides (CPW). A printed dielectric ink is used to fill the gap between the alumina CPW blocks and the GaAs chip. Conductive interconnects are printed on top of the dielectric bridge material to connect the CPW traces to the bonding pads on the GaAs microchip. Simulations of these structures were modeled in the electromagnetics simulation tool by ANSYS, high frequency structure simulation (HFSS), to optimize the printed interconnects at 1-40 GHz (ANSYS Inc., Canonsburg, PA). The dielectric constant and loss tangent of the simulated dielectric was varied along with the dimensions of the conductive interconnects. The best combination of dielectric properties and interconnect dimensions was chosen for impedance matching by analyzing the insertion losses and return losses. A dielectric ink, which was chosen based on the simulated results, was experimentally printed between the two CPW blocks and the GaAs chip and subsequently cured. The conductive interconnects were then printed with an aerosol jet printer, connecting the CPW traces to the bonding pads on the GaAs microchip. The experimental prototype was then measured with a network analyzer and the measured data were compared to simulations. Results show good agreement between the simulated and measured S-parameters. This work demonstrates the potential for using additive manufacturing technology to create impedance- matched interconnects between high frequency ICs and other module components such as high frequency CPW transmission lines.

Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Needed in Selected Engineering Technician Fields: Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gourley, Frank A., Jr.

A study identified the essential educational topics and the level of proficiency perceived to be required in these topics for selected two-year engineering technology programs in North Carolina. The four curricula studied were mechanical engineering technology, mechanical drafting and design technology, manufacturing engineering technology, and…

Application of virtual surgical planning with computer assisted design and manufacturing technology to cranio-maxillofacial surgery.

PubMed

Zhao, Linping; Patel, Pravin K; Cohen, Mimis

2012-07-01

Computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology today is the standard in manufacturing industry. The application of the CAD/CAM technology, together with the emerging 3D medical images based virtual surgical planning (VSP) technology, to craniomaxillofacial reconstruction has been gaining increasing attention to reconstructive surgeons. This article illustrates the components, system and clinical management of the VSP and CAD/CAM technology including: data acquisition, virtual surgical and treatment planning, individual implant design and fabrication, and outcome assessment. It focuses primarily on the technical aspects of the VSP and CAD/CAM system to improve the predictability of the planning and outcome.

Advance Manufacturing Office FY 2017 Budget At-A-Glance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2016-03-01

The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) brings together manufacturers, research institutions, suppliers, and universities to investigate manufacturing processes, information, and materials technologies critical to advance domestic manufacturing of clean energy products, and to support energy productivity across the entire manufacturing sector.

2015 Summer Design Challenge: Team A&E (2241) Additively Manufactured Discriminator.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, Sarah E.; Moore, Brandon James

Current discriminator designs are based on historical designs and traditional manufacturing methods. The goal of this project was to form non-traditional groups to create novel discriminator designs by taking advantage of additive manufacturing. These designs would expand current discriminator designs and provide insight on the applicability of additive manufacturing for future projects. Our design stretched the current abilities of additive manufacturing and noted desired improvements for the future. Through collaboration with NSC, we noted several additional technologies which work well with additive manufacturing such as topology optimization and CT scanning and determined how these technologies could be improved to bettermore » combine with additive manufacturing.« less

15 CFR 290.3 - Program description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NIST EXTRAMURAL PROGRAMS REGIONAL CENTERS FOR THE TRANSFER OF MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY § 290.3 Program description. (a) The Secretary, acting through the... for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology. Each Center shall be affiliated with a U.S.-based...

15 CFR 290.3 - Program description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NIST EXTRAMURAL PROGRAMS REGIONAL CENTERS FOR THE TRANSFER OF MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY § 290.3 Program description. (a) The Secretary, acting through the... for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology. Each Center shall be affiliated with a U.S.-based...

Development and trial manufacturing of 1/2-scale partial mock-up of blanket box structure for fusion experimental reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, Toshiyuki; Takatsu, Hideyuki; Sato, Satoshi

1994-07-01

Conceptual design of breeding blanket has been discussed during the CDA (Conceptual Design Activities) of ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). Structural concept of breeding blanket is based on box structure integrated with first wall and shield, which consists of three coolant manifolds for first wall, breeding and shield regions. The first wall must have cooling channels to remove surface heat flux and nuclear heating. The box structure includes plates to form the manifolds and stiffening ribs to withstand enormous electromagnetic load, coolant pressure and blanket internal (purge gas) pressure. A 1/2-scale partial model of the blanket box structure for the outboard side module near midplane is manufactured to estimate the fabrication technology, i.e. diffusion bonding by HIP (Hot Isostatic Pressing) and EBW (Electron Beam Welding) procedure. Fabrication accuracy is a key issue to manufacture first wall panel because bending deformation during HIP may not be small for a large size structure. Data on bending deformation during HIP was obtained by preliminary manufacturing of HIP elements. For the shield structure, it is necessary to reduce the welding strain and residual stress of the weldment to establish the fabrication procedure. Optimal shape of the parts forming the manifolds, welding locations and welding sequence have been investigated. In addition, preliminary EBW tests have been performed in order to select the EBW conditions, and fundamental data on built-up shield have been obtained. Especially, welding deformation by joining the first wall panel to the shield has been measured, and total deformation to build-up shield by EBW has been found to be smaller than 2 mm. Consequently, the feasibility of fabrication technologies has been successfully demonstrated for a 1m-scaled box structure including the first wall with cooling channels by means of HIP, EBW and TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas arc)-welding.

78 FR 22801 - Request for Comments on Developing a Program To Provide Loan Guarantees to Small- or Medium-Sized...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-17

... manufacturing; manufacture an innovative technology product or an integral component of such a product; or, to... use or production of innovative technologies for manufacturing? Dated: April 10, 2013. Matt Erskine.... SUMMARY: The Economic Development Administration (EDA) seeks public comment on, how to design and...

Manufacturing Materials and Processes. Grade 11-12. Course #8165 (Semester). Technology Education Course Guide. Industrial Arts/Technology Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational Education.

This guide is intended for use in teaching an introductory course in manufacturing materials and processes. The course centers around four basic materials--metallics, polymers, ceramics, and composites--and seven manufacturing processes--casting, forming, molding, separating, conditioning, assembling, and finishing. Concepts and classifications of…

Deep Space Network, Cryogenic HEMT LNAs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bautista, J. Javier

2006-01-01

Exploration of the Solar System with automated spacecraft that are more than ten astronomical units (1 AU = 149,597,870.691 km) from earth requires very large antennae employing extremely sensitive receivers. A key figure of merit in the specification of the spacecraft-to-earth telecommunications link is the ratio of the antenna gain to operatio nal noise temperature (G/Top) of the system. The Deep Space Network (DSN) receivers are cryogenic, low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) which addres s the need to maintain Top as low as technology permits. Historicall y, the extra-ordinarily sensitive receive systems operated by the DSN have required ctyogenically cooled, ruby masers, operating at a physi cal temperature near the boiling point of helium, as the LNA. Althoug h masers continue to be used today, they are hand crafted at JPL and expensive to manufacture and maintain. Recent advances in the developm ent of indium phosphide (InP) based high electron mobility transistor s (HEMTs) combined with cryogenic cooling near the boiling point of h ydrogen have made this alternate technology comparable with and a fraction of the cost of maser technology. InP HEMT LNA modules are demons trating noise temperatures less than ten times the quantum noise limi t (10hf/k) from 1 to 100 GHz. To date, the lowest noise LNA modules developed for the DSN have demonstrated noise temperatures of 3.5 K and 8.5 K at 8.5 K at 32 GHz, respectively. Front-end receiver packages employing these modules have demonstrated operating system noise temperatures of 17 K at 8.4 GHz (on a 70m antenna at zenith) and 39 K at 3 2 GHz (on a 34m antenna at zenith). The development and demonstration of cryogenic, InP HEMT based front-end amplifiers for the DSN requir es accurate component and module characterization, and modeling from 1 to 100 GHz at physical temperatures down to 12 K. The characterizati on and modeling begins with the HEMT chip, proceeds to the multi-stag e HEMT LNA module, and culminates with the complete front-end cryogenic receiver package for the antenna. This presentation will provide a n overview of this development process. Examples will be shown for de vices, LNA modules, front-end receiver packages, antennae employing these packages and the improvements to the down-link capacity.

Apollo experience report: Lunar module instrumentation subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Obrien, D. E., III; Woodfill, J. R., IV

1972-01-01

The design concepts and philosophies of the lunar module instrumentation subsystem are discussed along with manufacturing and systems integration. The experience gained from the program is discussed, and recommendations are made for making the subsystem more compatible and flexible in system usage. Characteristics of lunar module caution and warning circuits are presented.

Module performance and failure analysis area: Flat-plate solar array project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tornstrom, E.

1984-01-01

A redesign of the initial (Group I) Mobile Solar Block V module was done and documented. Manufacturing experience and accelerated test data from Group I formed the basis for the redesign. Ten Block V Group II modules were submitted for evaluation and the results are presented.

2D net shape weaving for cost effective manufacture of textile reinforced composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vo, D. M. P.; Kern, M.; Hoffmann, G.; Cherif, C.

2017-10-01

Despite significant weight and performance advantages over metal parts, the today’s demand for fibre-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC) has been limited mainly by their large manufacturing cost. The combination of dry textile preforms and low-cost consolidation processes such as resin transfer molding (RTM) has been appointed as a promising approach to low-cost FRPC manufacture. At the current state of the art, tooling and impregnation technology is well understood whereas preform fabrication technology has not been developed effectively. This paper presents an advanced 2D net shape weaving technology developed with the aim to establish a more cost effective system for the manufacture of dry textile preforms for FRPC. 2D net shape weaving is developed based on open reed weave (ORW) technology and enables the manufacture of 2D contoured woven fabrics with firm edge, so that oversize cutting and hand trimming after molding are no longer required. The introduction of 2D net shape woven fabrics helps to reduce material waste, cycle time and preform manufacturing cost significantly. Furthermore, higher grade of automation in preform fabrication can be achieved.

UOE Pipe Manufacturing Process Simulation: Equipment Designing and Construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delistoian, Dmitri; Chirchor, Mihael

2017-12-01

UOE pipe manufacturing process influence directly on pipeline resilience and operation capacity. At present most spreaded pipe manufacturing method is UOE. This method is based on cold forming. After each technological step appears a certain stress and strain level. For pipe stress strain study is designed and constructed special equipment that simulate entire technological process.UOE pipe equipment is dedicated for manufacturing of longitudinally submerged arc welded DN 400 (16 inch) steel pipe.

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Andasol-1 | Concentrating Solar Power

Science.gov Websites

: UTE CT Andasol-1: Cobra (80%) and Sener (20%) Operator(s): Cobra O&M Generation Offtaker(s # of Modules per SCA: 12 SCA Manufacturer (Model): UTE CT Andasol-1 (SKAL-ET) Mirror Manufacturer

Regulatory Perspectives on Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Moving From Theory to Practice: September 26-27, 2016, International Symposium on the Continuous Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals.

PubMed

Nasr, Moheb M; Krumme, Markus; Matsuda, Yoshihiro; Trout, Bernhardt L; Badman, Clive; Mascia, Salvatore; Cooney, Charles L; Jensen, Keith D; Florence, Alastair; Johnston, Craig; Konstantinov, Konstantin; Lee, Sau L

2017-11-01

Continuous manufacturing plays a key role in enabling the modernization of pharmaceutical manufacturing. The fate of this emerging technology will rely, in large part, on the regulatory implementation of this novel technology. This paper, which is based on the 2nd International Symposium on the Continuous Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals, describes not only the advances that have taken place since the first International Symposium on Continuous Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals in 2014, but the regulatory landscape that exists today. Key regulatory concepts including quality risk management, batch definition, control strategy, process monitoring and control, real-time release testing, data processing and management, and process validation/verification are outlined. Support from regulatory agencies, particularly in the form of the harmonization of regulatory expectations, will be crucial to the successful implementation of continuous manufacturing. Collaborative efforts, among academia, industry, and regulatory agencies, are the optimal solution for ensuring a solid future for this promising manufacturing technology. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. All rights reserved.

Design and implementation of a Windows NT network to support CNC activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shearrow, C. A.

1996-01-01

The Manufacturing, Materials, & Processes Technology Division is undergoing dramatic changes to bring it's manufacturing practices current with today's technological revolution. The Division is developing Computer Automated Design and Computer Automated Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) abilities. The development of resource tracking is underway in the form of an accounting software package called Infisy. These two efforts will bring the division into the 1980's in relationship to manufacturing processes. Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is the final phase of change to be implemented. This document is a qualitative study and application of a CIM application capable of finishing the changes necessary to bring the manufacturing practices into the 1990's. The documentation provided in this qualitative research effort includes discovery of the current status of manufacturing in the Manufacturing, Materials, & Processes Technology Division including the software, hardware, network and mode of operation. The proposed direction of research included a network design, computers to be used, software to be used, machine to computer connections, estimate a timeline for implementation, and a cost estimate. Recommendation for the division's improvement include action to be taken, software to utilize, and computer configurations.

Changing Manufacturing Technology and Jobs in Defense Industries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Richard P.

1983-01-01

Provides information on the current status of computer-assisted manufacturing, current employment, and plans for new technology in three defense-related industries: aircraft, shipbuilding, and ordnance. (SK)

Development of a High Volume Capable Process to Manufacture High Performance Photovoltaic Cells: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-08-322

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geisz, J. F.

2012-11-01

The intent of the work is for RFMD and NREL to cooperate in the development of a commercially viable and high volume capable process to manufacture high performance photovoltaic cells, based on inverted metamorphic (IMM) GaAs technology. The successful execution of the agreement will result in the production of a PV cell using technology that is capable of conversion efficiency at par with the market at the time of release (reference 2009: 37-38%), using RFMD's production facilities. The CRADA work has been divided into three phases: (1) a foundation phase where the teams will demonstrate the manufacturing of a basicmore » PV cell at RFMD's production facilities; (2) a technology demonstration phase where the teams will demonstrate the manufacturing of prototype PV cells using IMM technology at RFMD's production facilities, and; (3) a production readiness phase where the teams will demonstrate the capability to manufacture PV cells using IMM technology with high yields, high reliability, high reproducibility and low cost.« less

Roughness and compressive strength of FDM 3D printed specimens affected by acetone vapour treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beniak, Juraj; Križan, Peter; Šooš, Ľubomír; Matúš, Miloš

2018-01-01

Rapid Prototyping technologies are the fastest growing technologies in the manufacturing of components and parts. There are many techniques which can be used with different materials and different purposes of produced part. Gradually, Rapid Prototyping systems have grown into Additive Manufacturing, because technology expansion brings faster production, improved manufactured components, and expanded palette of used materials. So now this techniques are also used for regular production of special parts, where is usual change of part design, where is necessary to produce variety of different designs and shapes. The following article deals with Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technology, the core of which is the manufacture models and components from thermoplastic polymers by deposition single fibres of semi-molten plastic material layer by layer. The article focuses on the results of research for testing of manufactured specimens by FDM technology. Components are modified by acetone vapour for surface smoothing. The purpose is to point out how the additional specimen treatment influence the strength properties. Presented paper shows realized experiments and measurements of compressive force on specimens and surface roughness which are influenced by acetone vapour treatment.

76 FR 14690 - Manufacturer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-17

... December 3, 2010, (75 FR 75498), Agilent Technologies, 25200 Commercentre Drive, Lake Forest, California... determined that the registration of Agilent Technologies to manufacture the listed basic classes of... Technologies to ensure that the company's registration is consistent with the public interest. The...

Preliminary test of the prototype modular cryostat for a 10 MW offshore superconducting wind turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jiuce; Ramalingam, R.; Sanz, Santiago; Neumann, Holger

2017-02-01

The SUPerconducting Reliable lightweight And more POWERful offshore wind turbine (SUPRAPOWER), an EU FP7 funded research project, are under development for an innovative superconducting 10 MW class offshore wind turbine. Due to the requirements of handling, maintenance, reliability of long term and offshore operation, the cryostats are divided in two major parts: the modular cryostat able to accommodate a single coil and a thermal collector that links all the modules. The prototype modular cryostat was designed, manufactured and assembled in Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The paper reports preliminary test results of proto-type modular cryostat with a two-stage Gifford-McMahon (GM) cryocooler.

A preliminary design of the Ti:LiNbO3 optical channel waveguide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Yat

1992-03-01

One of the goals of technology-based activities within the Electronic Warfare Division is to facilitate the development within Australia, of facilities and a capability to manufacture sophisticated, highspeed electro-optic devices, in particular, the integrated optical amplitude modulator and integrated optical switch, for use in microwave and millimetre-wave systems for the Australian Defense Force (ADF). An initial step towards this goal would be to produce a low-loss and single-mode propagation optical channel waveguide using titanium-indiffused lithium niobate (Ti:LiNbO3). As no dimensions and fabrication parameters have yet been optimized, this technical report provides preliminary design data which optimizes these parameters.

Training Implications of Technological Change in Manufacturing in New Industrial Countries: The Case of Yugoslavia. Training Policies Discussion Paper No. 15.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matejic, Vlastimir; Kamhi, Meri

This report is a study of the training implications of technological change in manufacturing in Yugoslavia. Part 1 analyzes the general technological and educational infrastructure in Yugoslavia. The sources of technology as well as the present state and future prospects of technological research are described. Education is discussed in terms of…

Rapid manufacturing of metallic Molds for parts in Automobile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Renji; Xu, Da; Liu, Yuan; Yan, Xudong; Yan, Yongnian

1998-03-01

The recent research of RPM (Rapid Prototyping Manufacturing) in our lab has been focused on the rapid creation of alloyed cast iron (ACI) molds. There are a lot of machinery parts in an automobile, so a lot of mettallic molds are needed in automobile industry. A new mold manufacturing technology has been proposed. A new large scale RP machine has been set up in our lab now. Then rapid prototypes could be manufactured by means of laminated object manufacturing (LOM) technology. The molds for parts in automobile have been produced by ceramic shell precision casting. An example is a drawing mold for cover parts in automobile. Sufficient precision and surface roughness have been obtained. Itis proved that this is a vew kind of technology. Work supported by the Mational Science Foundation of China.

Smart Manufacturing.

PubMed

Davis, Jim; Edgar, Thomas; Graybill, Robert; Korambath, Prakashan; Schott, Brian; Swink, Denise; Wang, Jianwu; Wetzel, Jim

2015-01-01

Historic manufacturing enterprises based on vertically optimized companies, practices, market share, and competitiveness are giving way to enterprises that are responsive across an entire value chain to demand dynamic markets and customized product value adds; increased expectations for environmental sustainability, reduced energy usage, and zero incidents; and faster technology and product adoption. Agile innovation and manufacturing combined with radically increased productivity become engines for competitiveness and reinvestment, not simply for decreased cost. A focus on agility, productivity, energy, and environmental sustainability produces opportunities that are far beyond reducing market volatility. Agility directly impacts innovation, time-to-market, and faster, broader exploration of the trade space. These changes, the forces driving them, and new network-based information technologies offering unprecedented insights and analysis are motivating the advent of smart manufacturing and new information technology infrastructure for manufacturing.

Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing Technology Transfer and Training Initiative (ECMT3I) Technology Transfer Model Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM.

The Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing Technology Transfer and Training Initiative (ECMT3I) is a cooperative effort among education and research institutions in New Mexico to analyze problems in transferring environmental technologies from Department of Energy laboratories to small and medium enterprises (SME's). The goal of the ECMT3I is to…

Advancing Measurement Science to Assess Monitoring, Diagnostics, and Prognostics for Manufacturing Robotics

PubMed Central

Qiao, Guixiu; Weiss, Brian A.

2016-01-01

Unexpected equipment downtime is a ‘pain point’ for manufacturers, especially in that this event usually translates to financial losses. To minimize this pain point, manufacturers are developing new health monitoring, diagnostic, prognostic, and maintenance (collectively known as prognostics and health management (PHM)) techniques to advance the state-of-the-art in their maintenance strategies. The manufacturing community has a wide-range of needs with respect to the advancement and integration of PHM technologies to enhance manufacturing robotic system capabilities. Numerous researchers, including personnel from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have identified a broad landscape of barriers and challenges to advancing PHM technologies. One such challenge is the verification and validation of PHM technology through the development of performance metrics, test methods, reference datasets, and supporting tools. Besides documenting and presenting the research landscape, NIST personnel are actively researching PHM for robotics to promote the development of innovative sensing technology and prognostic decision algorithms and to produce a positional accuracy test method that emphasizes the identification of static and dynamic positional accuracy. The test method development will provide manufacturers with a methodology that will allow them to quickly assess the positional health of their robot systems along with supporting the verification and validation of PHM techniques for the robot system. PMID:28058172

Advancing Measurement Science to Assess Monitoring, Diagnostics, and Prognostics for Manufacturing Robotics.

PubMed

Qiao, Guixiu; Weiss, Brian A

2016-01-01

Unexpected equipment downtime is a 'pain point' for manufacturers, especially in that this event usually translates to financial losses. To minimize this pain point, manufacturers are developing new health monitoring, diagnostic, prognostic, and maintenance (collectively known as prognostics and health management (PHM)) techniques to advance the state-of-the-art in their maintenance strategies. The manufacturing community has a wide-range of needs with respect to the advancement and integration of PHM technologies to enhance manufacturing robotic system capabilities. Numerous researchers, including personnel from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have identified a broad landscape of barriers and challenges to advancing PHM technologies. One such challenge is the verification and validation of PHM technology through the development of performance metrics, test methods, reference datasets, and supporting tools. Besides documenting and presenting the research landscape, NIST personnel are actively researching PHM for robotics to promote the development of innovative sensing technology and prognostic decision algorithms and to produce a positional accuracy test method that emphasizes the identification of static and dynamic positional accuracy. The test method development will provide manufacturers with a methodology that will allow them to quickly assess the positional health of their robot systems along with supporting the verification and validation of PHM techniques for the robot system.

Additive Manufacturing of Low Cost Upper Stage Propulsion Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Protz, Christopher; Bowman, Randy; Cooper, Ken; Fikes, John; Taminger, Karen; Wright, Belinda

2014-01-01

NASA is currently developing Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies and design tools aimed at reducing the costs and manufacturing time of regeneratively cooled rocket engine components. These Low Cost Upper Stage Propulsion (LCUSP) tasks are funded through NASA's Game Changing Development Program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate. The LCUSP project will develop a copper alloy additive manufacturing design process and develop and optimize the Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (EBF3) manufacturing process to direct deposit a nickel alloy structural jacket and manifolds onto an SLM manufactured GRCop chamber and Ni-alloy nozzle. In order to develop these processes, the project will characterize both the microstructural and mechanical properties of the SLMproduced GRCop-84, and will explore and document novel design techniques specific to AM combustion devices components. These manufacturing technologies will be used to build a 25K-class regenerative chamber and nozzle (to be used with tested DMLS injectors) that will be tested individually and as a system in hot fire tests to demonstrate the applicability of the technologies. These tasks are expected to bring costs and manufacturing time down as spacecraft propulsion systems typically comprise more than 70% of the total vehicle cost and account for a significant portion of the development schedule. Additionally, high pressure/high temperature combustion chambers and nozzles must be regeneratively cooled to survive their operating environment, causing their design to be time consuming and costly to build. LCUSP presents an opportunity to develop and demonstrate a process that can infuse these technologies into industry, build competition, and drive down costs of future engines.

Additive manufacturing in production: challenges and opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahuja, Bhrigu; Karg, Michael; Schmidt, Michael

2015-03-01

Additive manufacturing, characterized by its inherent layer by layer fabrication methodology has been coined by many as the latest revolution in the manufacturing industry. Due to its diversification of Materials, processes, system technology and applications, Additive Manufacturing has been synonymized with terminology such as Rapid prototyping, 3D printing, free-form fabrication, Additive Layer Manufacturing, etc. A huge media and public interest in the technology has led to an innovative attempt of exploring the technology for applications beyond the scope of the traditional engineering industry. Nevertheless, it is believed that a critical factor for the long-term success of Additive Manufacturing would be its ability to fulfill the requirements defined by the traditional manufacturing industry. A parallel development in market trends and product requirements has also lead to a wider scope of opportunities for Additive Manufacturing. The presented paper discusses some of the key challenges which are critical to ensure that Additive Manufacturing is truly accepted as a mainstream production technology in the industry. These challenges would highlight on various aspects of production such as product requirements, process management, data management, intellectual property, work flow management, quality assurance, resource planning, etc. In Addition, changing market trends such as product life cycle, mass customization, sustainability, environmental impact and localized production will form the foundation for the follow up discussion on the current limitations and the corresponding research opportunities. A discussion on ongoing research to address these challenges would include topics like process monitoring, design complexity, process standardization, multi-material and hybrid fabrication, new material development, etc.

Simulation, design and fabrication of a planar micro thermoelectric generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelegrini, S.; Adami, A.; Collini, C.; Conci, P.; Lorenzelli, L.; Pasa, A. A.

2013-05-01

This study describes the design, simulation, and micro fabrication of a micro thermoelectric generator (μTEG) based on planar technology using constantan (CuNi) and copper (Cu) thermocouples deposited electrochemically (ECD) on silicon substrate. The present thin film technology can be manufactured into large area and also on flexible substrate with low cost of production and can be used to exploit waste heat from equipments or hot surfaces in general. In the current implementation, the silicon structure has been designed and optimized with analytical models and FE simulations in order to exploit the different thermal conductivity of silicon and air gaps to produce the maximum temperature difference on a planar surface. The results showed that a temperature difference of 10K across the structure creates a temperature difference of 5.3K on the thermocouples, thus providing an efficiency of thermal distribution up to 55%, depending on the heat convection at the surface. Efficiency of module has been experimentally tested under different working condition, showing the dependence of module output on the external heat exchange (natural and forced convection). Maximum generated potential at 6m/s airflow is 5.7V/m2 K and thermoelectric efficiency is 1.9μW K-2 m-2.

System-Level Integrated Circuit (SLIC) Technology Development for Phased Array Antenna Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Windyka, John A.; Zablocki, Ed G.

1997-01-01

This report documents the efforts and progress in developing a 'system-level' integrated circuit, or SLIC, for application in advanced phased array antenna systems. The SLIC combines radio-frequency (RF) microelectronics, digital and analog support circuitry, and photonic interfaces into a single micro-hybrid assembly. Together, these technologies provide not only the amplitude and phase control necessary for electronic beam steering in the phased array, but also add thermally-compensated automatic gain control, health and status feedback, bias regulation, and reduced interconnect complexity. All circuitry is integrated into a compact, multilayer structure configured for use as a two-by-four element phased array module, operating at 20 Gigahertz, using a Microwave High-Density Interconnect (MHDI) process. The resultant hardware is constructed without conventional wirebonds, maintains tight inter-element spacing, and leads toward low-cost mass production. The measured performances and development issues associated with both the two-by-four element module and the constituent elements are presented. Additionally, a section of the report describes alternative architectures and applications supported by the SLIC electronics. Test results show excellent yield and performance of RF circuitry and full automatic gain control for multiple, independent channels. Digital control function, while suffering from lower manufacturing yield, also proved successful.

Laser-Assisted Wire Additive Manufacturing System for the Deep Space Gateway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, B. D.; Matthews, B.

2018-02-01

Investigation on the Deep Space Gateway will involve experiments/operations inside pressurized modules. Support for those experiments may necessitate a means to fabricate and repair required articles. This capability can be provided through an additive manufacturing (AM) system.

Evaluation of the axonics modulation technologies sacral neuromodulation system for the treatment of urinary and fecal dysfunction.

PubMed

Cohn, Joshua A; Kowalik, Casey G; Kaufman, Melissa R; Reynolds, W Stuart; Milam, Douglas F; Dmochowski, Roger R

2017-01-01

Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) remains one of the few effective treatments for refractory bladder and bowel dysfunction. However, SNM is associated with frequent need for surgical intervention, in many cases because of a failed battery. A rechargeable SNM system, with a manufacturer-reported battery life of 15 years or more, has entered post-market clinical testing in Europe but has not yet been approved for clinical testing in the United States. Areas covered: We review existing neuromodulation technologies for the treatment of lower urinary tract and bowel dysfunction and explore the limitations of available technology. In addition, we discuss implantation technique and device specifications and programming of the rechargeable SNM system in detail. Lastly, we present existing evidence for the use of SNM in bladder and bowel dysfunction and evaluate the anticipated trajectory of neuromodulation technologies over the next five years. Expert commentary: A rechargeable system for SNM is a welcome technological advance. However surgical revision not related to battery changes is not uncommon. Therefore, while a rechargeable system would be expected to reduce costs, it will not eliminate the ongoing maintenance associated with neuromodulation. No matter the apparent benefits, all new technologies require extensive post-market monitoring to ensure safety and efficacy.

Terrestrial solar cell module automated array assembly, task 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

A cost effective design and manufacturing process which would produce solar cell modules capable of meeting qualification test criteria was developed. Emphasis was placed on the development of an aluminum paste back contact process.

Overview of NASA/OAST efforts related to manufacturing technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saunders, N. T.

1976-01-01

Activities of the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) in a number of areas related to manufacturing technology are considered. In the computer-aided design area improved approaches are developed for the design of specific classes of components or structural subsystems. A generalized approach for the design of a complete aerospace vehicle is also developed. Efforts directed toward an increased use of composite materials in aerospace structures are also discussed and attention is given to projects concerned with the manufacture of turbine engine components.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT, SEDIMENT SAMPLING TECHNOLOGY, ART'S MANUFACTURING, SPLIT CORE SAMPLER FOR SUBMERGED SEDIMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

The Split Core Sampler for Submerged Sediments (Split Core Sampler) designed and fabricated by Arts Manufacturing & Supply, Inc., was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in April and May 1999 at ...

75 FR 53722 - Manufacturer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-01

..., 2010, (75 FR 14189), Rhodes Technologies, 498 Washington Street, Coventry, Rhode Island 02816, made... Technologies to manufacture the listed basic classes of controlled substances is consistent with the public interest at this time. DEA has investigated Rhodes Technologies to ensure that the company's registration...

Exploring Technology Education: Exploring Manufacturing Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joerschke, John D.

These instructional materials include a teacher's guide designed to assist instructors in organizing and presenting a unit of study on manufacturing technology and a student guide. The materials are based on the curriculum-alignment concept of first stating the objectives, developing instructional strategies for teaching those objectives, and then…

Study of Potential Cost Reductions Resulting from Super-Large-Scale Manufacturing of PV Modules: Final Subcontract Report, 7 August 2003--30 September 2004

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keshner, M. S.; Arya, R.

2004-10-01

Hewlett Packard has created a design for a ''Solar City'' factory that will process 30 million sq. meters of glass panels per year and produce 2.1-3.6 GW of solar panels per year-100x the volume of a typical, thin-film, solar panel manufacturer in 2004. We have shown that with a reasonable selection of materials, and conservative assumptions, this ''Solar City'' can produce solar panels and hit the price target of $1.00 per peak watt (6.5x-8.5x lower than prices in 2004) as the total price for a complete and installed rooftop (or ground mounted) solar energy system. This breakthrough in the pricemore » of solar energy comes without the need for any significant new invention. It comes entirely from the manufacturing scale of a large plant and the cost savings inherent in operating at such a large manufacturing scale. We expect that further optimizations from these simple designs will lead to further improvements in cost. The manufacturing process and cost depend on the choice for the active layer that converts sunlight into electricity. The efficiency by which sunlight is converted into electricity can range from 7% to 15%. This parameter has a large effect on the overall price per watt. There are other impacts, as well, and we have attempted to capture them without creating undue distractions. Our primary purpose is to demonstrate the impact of large-scale manufacturing. This impact is largely independent of the choice of active layer. It is not our purpose to compare the pro's and con's for various types of active layers. Significant improvements in cost per watt can also come from scientific advances in active layers that lead to higher efficiency. But, again, our focus is on manufacturing gains and not on the potential advances in the basic technology.« less

Technology assessment of automation trends in the modular home industry

Treesearch

Phil Mitchell; Robert Russell Hurst

2009-01-01

This report provides an assessment of technology used in manufacturing modular homes in the United States, and that used in the German prefabricated wooden home industry. It is the first step toward identifying the research needs in automation and manufacturing methods that will facilitate mass customization in the home manufacturing industry. Within the United States...

Air Force Manufacturing Technology. Year 2000 Project Book

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

Electronic Warfare Component Manufacturing 13 National Center for Manufacturing Science 14 Product Research Market Analysis System 15 Electronics Acoustic...other agile organizations that can respond to rapidly changing market demands. Approach This program demonstrated and evaluated the advanced design...production worker contact with customers and suppliers; shopfloor identification of new technologies, markets , and products; and strategic planning to assure

New and future heat pump technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creswick, F. A.

It is not possible to say for sure what future heat pumps will look like, but there are some interesting possibilities. In the next five years, we are likely to see US heat pumps with two kinds of innovations: capacity modulation and charge control. Capacity modulation will be accomplished by variable-speed compressor motors. The objective of charge control is to keep the refrigerant charge in the system where it belongs for best performance; there are probably many ways to accomplish this. Charge control will improve efficiency and durability; capacity modulation will further improve efficiency and comfort. The Stirling cycle heat pump has several interesting advantages, but it is farther out in time. At present, we don't know how to make it as efficient as the conventional vapor-compression heat pump. Electric utility people should be aware that major advances are being made in gas-fired heat pumps which could provide strong competition in the future. However, even a gas-fired heat pump has a substantial auxiliary electric power requirement. The resources needed to develop advanced heat pumps are substantial and foreign competition will be intense. It will be important for utilities, manufacturers, and the federal government to work in close cooperation.

Abnormal Condition Monitoring of Workpieces Based on RFID for Wisdom Manufacturing Workshops.

PubMed

Zhang, Cunji; Yao, Xifan; Zhang, Jianming

2015-12-03

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been widely used in many fields. However, previous studies have mainly focused on product life cycle tracking, and there are few studies on real-time status monitoring of workpieces in manufacturing workshops. In this paper, a wisdom manufacturing model is introduced, a sensing-aware environment for a wisdom manufacturing workshop is constructed, and RFID event models are defined. A synthetic data cleaning method is applied to clean the raw RFID data. The Complex Event Processing (CEP) technology is adopted to monitor abnormal conditions of workpieces in real time. The RFID data cleaning method and data mining technology are examined by simulation and physical experiments. The results show that the synthetic data cleaning method preprocesses data well. The CEP based on the Rifidi(®) Edge Server technology completed abnormal condition monitoring of workpieces in real time. This paper reveals the importance of RFID spatial and temporal data analysis in real-time status monitoring of workpieces in wisdom manufacturing workshops.

MANTECH project book

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The effective integration of processes, systems, and procedures used in the production of aerospace systems using computer technology is managed by the Integration Technology Division (MTI). Under its auspices are the Information Management Branch, which is actively involved with information management, information sciences and integration, and the Implementation Branch, whose technology areas include computer integrated manufacturing, engineering design, operations research, and material handling and assembly. The Integration Technology Division combines design, manufacturing, and supportability functions within the same organization. The Processing and Fabrication Division manages programs to improve structural and nonstructural materials processing and fabrication. Within this division, the Metals Branch directs the manufacturing methods program for metals and metal matrix composites processing and fabrication. The Nonmetals Branch directs the manufacturing methods programs, which include all manufacturing processes for producing and utilizing propellants, plastics, resins, fibers, composites, fluid elastomers, ceramics, glasses, and coatings. The objective of the Industrial Base Analysis Division is to act as focal point for the USAF industrial base program for productivity, responsiveness, and preparedness planning.

Abnormal Condition Monitoring of Workpieces Based on RFID for Wisdom Manufacturing Workshops

PubMed Central

Zhang, Cunji; Yao, Xifan; Zhang, Jianming

2015-01-01

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been widely used in many fields. However, previous studies have mainly focused on product life cycle tracking, and there are few studies on real-time status monitoring of workpieces in manufacturing workshops. In this paper, a wisdom manufacturing model is introduced, a sensing-aware environment for a wisdom manufacturing workshop is constructed, and RFID event models are defined. A synthetic data cleaning method is applied to clean the raw RFID data. The Complex Event Processing (CEP) technology is adopted to monitor abnormal conditions of workpieces in real time. The RFID data cleaning method and data mining technology are examined by simulation and physical experiments. The results show that the synthetic data cleaning method preprocesses data well. The CEP based on the Rifidi® Edge Server technology completed abnormal condition monitoring of workpieces in real time. This paper reveals the importance of RFID spatial and temporal data analysis in real-time status monitoring of workpieces in wisdom manufacturing workshops. PMID:26633418