TECH TRANSFER NEWS
March 2000
Invention to Income
MTTC
and the Advanced Technology Council are co-sponsoring a
conference for inventors and entrepreneurs entitled "Technical Entrepreneurship:
Invention to Income." The seminar will be held on Wednesday, March 22, 2000 from
8 AM until 4 PM at the Radisson Conference Center (formerly the Doubletree Hotel). The
primary purpose of this conference will be to lead inventors through the step-by-step
process necessary to transform a good idea into a money-making manufactured product.
Individual presenters and panel discussion members will represent sources of assistance
for inventors including banks, legal firms, accounting firms, and sources of investment
capital. More broad-based resource organizations, including the MTTC and organizations
funded by city or state governments, will also be represented.
Navy Looking for Answers
(3/1/00) Our readers may be able to help the Navy solve an ongoing
problem. Shipboard watertight doors (WTD) have handles that, when not being used, are
stowed in the vertical direction. The handles are held there in place by spring metal
clamps. Some of these WTDs are operated hundreds of times a day. Unfortunately, the clamps
being used can corrode, lose their spring (which causes the handles to fall down and block
the doorway) or simply break off. The MTTC is looking for a replacement for these clips.
They do not have to be made of metal, but, if they are metal, they must be able to
withstand salt-water environment. If you have a product or an idea that we could propose
to the Navy, please call or email Dick Gilbert at the numbers at the bottom of this page. 
Attention: "Closet
Inventors": MTTC Luncheon Speakers Available
Are you an inventor? How many of us have had an idea
for a product, or a way to make things, while we were driving in the car, taking a shower,
or otherwise going about our normal business? If you’ve ever had a
"brainstorm" like that, have you done anything about it? Would you know what to
do about it? Would you really know if your idea has any potential? And how do you get it
to market before someone steals your great idea, or you go broke in the process?
Not only does MTTC, through their ITAP (Innovative Technologies Assistance Program)
plan help inventors assess their product, protect it, develop it, and get good inventions
to market, now the ITAP team from MTTC is ready to tell your group how we do it. Luncheon
or meeting speakers are now available to entertain your gathering on the subject of
"Idea to Income." For more details, contact Dave Goddard at 367-2186, or Brian
Daly at 452-1131.
MTTC Fleet Maintenance Projects
(3/1/00) The Project Status is as
follows:
Portable Chlorinator. The installation of injection ports and other ship modifications is
complete. All equipment and supplies have been delivered to the USS CARR.
Final crew training was accomplished in December 1999. Operational tests have now
commenced.
Lynx Motor Shock. A new robust
design, with the Space Shuttle APU application in mind, has been completed. Current
plans are to produce this motor from February - May 2000, conduct laboratory tests with
Boeing and then to subject this motor to level 1 shock in the summer of 2000.
Heat Exchanger Descaler. This
has become a very high visibility project in the last two months. COMNAVSURFLANT has
expressed a strong desire to accelerate it in order to provide shipboard capability as
soon as possible. As a result, COMNAVSEASYSCOM has become personally involved.
NSWC Carderock/Philadelphia has prepared the test plan and has initiated actions
with the Naval Environmental Health Center and the test activities. Limited onboard trials
have been conducted.
Watertight Door Hinge. The
1.25 million cycle operational test has been completed. There were three clear
winners. In order to expedite fleet introduction, limited sole source procurements
from each winning concept will be conducted, with initial hardware being used to fix some
especially notorious installations. Concurrently, a competitive procurement will be
staged among the three to obtain the best price for a very large procurement to support
the needs of the entire fleet. This project is considered to be completed
successfully.
Bilge Paint Qualification. This is a Secretary of the Navy
high interest item. The USS DETROIT has been assigned as the test ship. A
supply of both Alocit and Euronavy has been procured. Corrosion Engineering
Services, Inc. is the performing contractor. NAVSEA and MTTC have combined
resources to apply both of these paint systems on DETROIT for evaluation and
comparison. Actual ship preparation and paint application is ongoing. The
performance of these paints will be evaluated under fleet conditions for an extended
period of time.
Topside Connector Corrosion Protection.
The "Gel-in-the-Middle"clamshell connector cover tests have led to the
conclusion that this product will not meet Navy needs. However, the Rayvolve (type
N, roll-on) cover, which was also included in this project, has shown excellent results to
date. While laboratory tests are ongoing, several were installed on the Phalanx CIWS
mount on USS MCCLUSKY (FFG-41) Shipboard technicians have used the re-entry capability and
have expressed great satisfaction with the concept.
K-Flex Eco Insulation.
Operational tests are ongoing on USS RUSHMORE during its deployment. At the same
time, MTTC has initiated a study of some insulation that was removed during the evaluation
in June 1999. This material had been used at the upper temperature limit of its
specification and had exhibited some "charring". We would like to
determine whether this has any effect on the insulating qualities of K-Flex Eco. A
follow-up assessment occurred on RUSHMORE in January 2000. Additional samples were sent to
the lab for testing.
DDG-51 Class Louvers. The
test louvers on USS COOK continue to exhibit excellent performance per SURFLANT.
Based on the results to date, the Navy has funded the coating of all louvers on ships
under construction and three complete ship-sets for operational units. This project
is complete and based on strong positive Project Office and Fleet feedback, it is
considered to be a complete success.
Remote Valve Actuators.
This project is in the process of being modified and expanded. The original effort
to test two Tri-Tec actuators has been scaled back to one unit and it is expected to be
delivered to M. Rosenblatt, Inc. this month for installation. The work is being
expanded to include an additional actuator manufactured by Limitorque.
Ecotherm High Temperature Insulation.
MTTC has received a final statement of work from NAVSEA and is working with BBN,
Inc. to issue a work order. This fibrous material will probably tested on USS RUSHMORE, as
well. If successful, this effort will undoubtedly lead to changes in current shipbuilding
program specifications.
Distilling Plant Anti-Scale. NAVSEA is prepairing a statement of
work to describe the required testing.
Anti-Sweat Paint. NAVSEA is prepairing a statement of work to describe the required testing.
Stratica Deck Tile. NAVSEA is preparing a statement of work to
describe the required testing.
Please
Give Us A Call
For additional news or information about opportunities involving technology
transfer, send an
e-mail to:
Dick Gilbert OR Dave Goddard
Phone: (502)
367-2186; Fax (502) 367-4261
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