3.4 Prototyping, Pre-Production, Model-Making, and Fabrication Support

InDyne

Services Experience
ETTC Contract: InDyne performs engineering and fabrication including design, development, construction, maintenance, and repair for a multitude of electronic, electrical, mechanical, and structural systems. On our ETTC contract, our fabrication and prototyping activities include the design and construction of electronic chassis to support laser testing on weapon systems, fuel distribution systems, weapon support stands, infrastructure designs, and construction of communication towers, various housing facilities for radar and microwave systems, gun modifications, and water vessels. We utilize a structured cradle-to-grave project management processes which includes cost estimates, developing schedules, managing resources, cost control, status tracking and reporting, safety factor management, reliability and maintainability analysis, human systems engineering, and risk assessment.

All Points Logistics

Services Experience:
APL represents the Materials and Process Group for MSFC’s program office. Our work in this area includes mechanical design, composite prototype construction, and ECLSS spare design. In addition, the ESTS team’s unique and diverse facility operations and configurations support multiple engineers and technicians for carbon composite technology, rapid prototyping, TPS foam application, heat treating ovens, autoclave, and first stage solid rocket booster technologies.

Lockheed Martin

Services Experience:
DDTC Contract: On the Deployable Digital Training Campus (DDTC), LM built the first prototype on the initial contract. The prototype went through factory testing Government testing and evaluation and was cleared for production. During the 4-year production, several key changes were made to improve the operational capability of the DDTC such as upgraded servers, more durable laptops, and more robust antennas. For each upgrade, LM built, modified, and tested prototypes and models using standardized specifications and procedures.

MEI Technologies

ESES Contract: MEIT supports the Mechanical design services starting with a set of initial requirements negotiated with the customer - design progresses through several stages of initial design and analyses - Assembly and subassembly level analysis is performed on both at different stages of the design - Detailed parts and assembly drawings are used to fabricate parts that are used in the final assembly -Test plans and procedures are developed for environmental testing of the assembly - All environmental testing is supported. In performing the design and analysis several tools are utilized: Design - CAD tools, Pro/E Creo, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, AutoDesk Inventor; Thermal Analysis Software: Solaria Thermal Analysis Software {TAS}; Structural Analysis Software: FEMAP NASTRAN NX. Projects supported are ICESat MEB, ST-8 Thermal Loop Experiment Power Card, GPM Solar Panels MEIT provided engineering services for the implementation of Section I (re-design, analysis, and documentation of the GPM spacecraft solar array) and Section III (EGSE Design modification and Fabrication/Assembly).

Bioastronautics Contract: MEIT performs Test & Verification. We develop designs to a Critical Design Level, produce prototypes for design concepts, provide draft documents in support of design concepts, prepare Fab Release Drawings, Stress Memos, Pre-delivery acceptance requirements, Pre installation acceptance reviews and documentation, Safety Data Packages, FMEA, GCAR, NCR, Operational concepts and Interface Definition documents. MEIT employees conduct final concept designs

DHEP Contract: On DHEP most of our customer experiments are first time flown experiments, prototypes or proof of concept missions. Additionally, since we are developing something that most work in space first time, we develop test articles to surface issues and correct problems prior to integrating the flight article for flight. This sometimes requires developing or modifying simulators, developing environmental models for environmental testing, and not only supporting fabrication but actually conducting fabrication.