The purpose of phase II is to mature the phase i prototype into an automated high-throughputsystem for contact-free quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) of thermoformed products

This $800,000 Cooperative Agreement from the Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology under the Science, Technology, Business and/or Education Outreach federal grant program (CFDA 11.620) will support Multiscale Systems, Inc. in developing an automated, high-throughput quality assurance/quality control system for contact-free inspection of thermoformed products. Key activities include requirements discovery, system design, fabrication, testing and demonstration. The system aims to reduce semi-trailer weight by 5-15% through use of the recipient's mechanical metamaterial-enhanced sandwich panels, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and increasing freight efficiency for the aerospace, defense and manufacturing industries. The award period is from September 1, 2022 through March 31, 2024 and all work will be conducted in Worcester, Massachusetts. No subawards are planned under this Cooperative Agreement.

Activities

Task 1: kick-off, requirements discovery; task 2: design and develop to specification; task 3: system fabrication; task 4: testing and demonstration; task 5: analyze performance and cost, and task 6: perform close-out and delivery.

Expected outcomes

Multiscale systems projects that its mechanical metamaterial-enhanced sandwich panels can reduce 5-15% of the semi-trailer?s weight, leading to substantial reduction in greenhouse gases and increases in ?freight efficiency.?intended beneficiaries: aerospace and defense industries and companies that manufacture x-RAY and laser point-scanning devices, handheld caliper, magnetometers, 3DSCANNERS, and visible light cameras.

Subrecipient activities

The recipient does not intend to subaward funds.