IQL Awarded $3.9M
IQL Awarded $3.9M Research Contract to Develop Metrology Based CAE Tools
Rockville, RI - IQL (Independent Quality Labs, Inc.) has been awarded a $3.9M research contract. The three-year contract will be administered by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s (RDECOM) Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) Prototype Manufacturing Team. It will focus on achieving the Army’s vision of a highly efficient production base through enhancement of manufacturing metrology based computer aided engineering (CAE) tools. The CAE tools will focus on manufacturing process output prediction and supply chain risk mitigation.
The program’s research objectives are the result of IQL’s participation in an ongoing ARDEC-OSD Network Centric Manufacturing (NCM) initiative focused on improving supply chain performance and federal agency interoperability goals. The technologies being advanced build upon prior IQL research in the area of machine tool behavior and implications on manufacturing process outcomes in conjunction with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.
U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a senior member of the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, secured $1.76 million for IQL in the FY09 DOD Appropriations bill and supported the program, which will create an estimated 5 to 7 new high skill engineering jobs, in addition to purchasing materials, technical support sub-contracts for local engineering and services firms within the state’s manufacturing sector.
In announcing the award, IQL Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Michael A. Mariani stated, “We appreciate Senator Reed’s support and we share the Army’s vision for improving capability and developing better predictive tools for manufacturing firms, specifically those machining high precision components. Development of an enhanced suite of CAE modules in this area will provide predictive and diagnostics tools for improved supplier matching as well as simplify the identification of areas for manufacturing capability improvement.”
IQL is a leader in the development and application of methods and tools for improving machining processes by aligning machine tool positioning capabilities with part feature tolerance requirements. The company’s technology uses machine tool behavior to diagnosis and resolve manufacturing issues related to challenging feature tolerances. With more than twenty years of experience, IQL is the preferred resource of manufacturers wishing to create and sustain “First Part Correct” manufacturing processes.
