THE GEORGIA TECH CALS TECHNOLOGY CENTER (GT/CTC) IS ACTIVELY SEEKING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL MANUFACTURERS IN GEORGIA THAT COULD APPLY CALS (COMPUTER-AIDED ACQUISITION AND LOGISTICS SUPPORT) TECHNOLOGIES TO THEIR MANUFACTURING PROCESSES TO REMAIN GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE.
BECAUSE OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEFENSE CONVERSION INITIATIVES, THE CENTER IS EAGER TO TEST STATE-OF-THE-ART MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES DEVELOPED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD), ACCORDING TO V. GOURISANKAR, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER.
MR. GOURISANKAR CITED THE EXAMPLE OF THE WRIGHT TOOL & ENGINEERING CO. IN TENNESSEE WHICH WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE AN AIRPLANE PART WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF CONSULTANTS FROM MARTIN-MARIETTA’S OAK RIDGE LABORATORIES. BY USING CAL TECHNOLOGIES, THEY WERE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD PARTS DATA, INCLUDING ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS AND MACHINE WORK INSTRUCTIONS CODES, TO PRODUCE THE PART IN ONLY 90 MINUTES.
CALS TECHNOLOGIES PROVIDE STANDARDS THAT FACILITATE THE EXCHANGE OF DIGITAL DATA AMONG THE VARIOUS PROCESSES INVOLVED IN THE ENTIRE LIFECYCLE OF A WEAPON’S SYSTEM. ONCE CAPTURED DIGITALLY, THE PRODUCT REPRESENTATION CAN BE USED REPEATEDLY WITHOUT EXPENSIVE RE-CREATION OF PRODUCT DATA.
MR. GOURISANKAR EXPLAINED THAT WITH CALS TECHNOLOGIES MANUFACTURERS COULD DESIGN CUSTOMIZED, COUNTRY-SPECIFIC PRODUCTS, TRANSMIT THE DESIGN TO A FACILITY WHICH COULD RUN AN EXPERT SYSTEM PROGRAM THAT ANALYZES ALL THE MANUFACTURING STEPS SUCH AS DRILLING, SANDING, FINISHING, ETC., AND REPORT PRODUCTION FLAWS AND BOTTLENECKS TO THE INITIAL DESIGNER, ALL IN A MATTER OF HOURS. SUCH CAPABILITIES PROVIDE MANUFACTURING MORE OPTIONS IN DETERMINING PLANT LOCATIONS.
CALS AND A HOST OF OTHER ACRONYMS: FCIM, CAD, CAE, ETC., REPRESENTING THE FRUITS OF A DECADE-LONG TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER INITIATIVE OF THE DOD, WERE ON DISPLAY LAST MONTH IN ATLANTA DURING A FOUR-DAY TRADE SHOW, WHICH WAS ATTENDED MOSTLY BY REPRESENTATIVES OF ASIAN AND EUROPEAN COMPANIES.
MR. GOURISANKAR, AND OTHER GA. TECH ENGINEERS, ARE CONVINCED THAT SUCH FACILITATING TECHNOLOGIES WILL OFFER EVEN THE SMALLEST U.S. MANUFACTURER THE CAPABILITY OF PRODUCING SMALL CUSTOMIZED PRODUCT RUNS PROFITABLY BECAUSE SO LITTLE LABOR WOULD NEED TO BE EXPENDED ON DEVELOPING PRODUCTS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CALS AND OTHER ADVANCED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES, MR. GOURISANKAR MAY BE REACH BY TELEPHONE AT (404) 894-7772, OR BY FAX AT (404) 894-9812.
THE PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN-ISRAEL CHAMBER ANNOUNCES A SEMINAR ON ISRAEL’S MANUFACTURING ADVANTAGES FOR YOUR CORPORATE CLIENTS, TUES., NOV. 23, 7:30-9:30 A.M. AT THE PEACHTREE CLUB. CONTACT TOM GLASER: (404) 874-6970.