An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Measurement and Standards Laboratories Fiscal Year 2001 (2001) / Chapter Skim
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3. Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory
3. Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory
Pages 61-82
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From page 61... ...
Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory 61
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From page 62... ...
1 Department of Commerce, Technology Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Summaries of the Programs of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory 2001, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Md., 2001, and Department of Commerce, Technology Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, The Strategic Plan of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory 2001, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Md., February 2001.
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From page 63... ...
The panel supports this approach and is pleased to observe progress being made in several areas, including the consolidation of programs, the solicitation of technical staff input in program planning and selection processes, and the definition of criteria for project selection. These ongoing efforts to keep the laboratory's project portfolio focused and up to date are essential to maximize impact and utilize resources efficiently.
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From page 64... ...
The laboratory needs to define its overall priorities in order to systematically build a coherent program portfolio, and clarifying how the general research projects feed into and align with the laboratory's core measurements and standards mission will help MEL sharpen its focus and determine which and how many long-range projects are needed to lay the groundwork for future measurements and standards. The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory is organized into five divisions (see Figure 3.1)
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From page 65... ...
, ~ ~ 1 — _ _ That it might be possible to share responsibility for providing standards and measurement products and services with other NMIs is in part due to the MEL's effective use of information technology to interact with other laboratories. SIMnet, MEASUREnet, and WORLDnet enhance national and international collaborations on mass and length standards among different laboratories, and the panel commends the MEL's accomplishments in this area.
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From page 66... ...
An essential component of the laboratory's work is standards-related activities, from the development of measurement techniques used to define standards and the production of physical standard artifacts, to the involvement in international intercomparisons and the participation on standards committees. This year, the panel specifically requested that the laboratory provide more information about its involvement in international standards activities, and MEL supplied good documentation describing
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From page 67... ...
Laboratory Resources Funding sources for the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory are shown in Table 3.1. As of ~ anuary 2001, staffing for the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory included 21 1 full-time permanent positions, of which 142 were for technical professionals.
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From page 68... ...
Also, the trade-offs between constructing the laboratory's own instruments and purchasing or borrowing commercial products need to be weighed. DIVISIONAL REVIEWS Precision Engineering Division Technical Merit According to division documentation, the mission of the Precision Engineering Division is to provide the foundation of dimensional measurement that meets the needs of the U.S.
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From page 69... ...
The program on nanoscale metrology extends dimensional metrology to the submicron scale, providing standards, measurement capability, and measurement uncertainty guidelines for the semiconductor and nanotechnology industries. ~ the program goal Is to enable the microelectronics Industry to sustain and improve production by adopting NIST-traceable length standards and infrastructural metrology methodologies for nanometer- to meter-scale lengths.
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From page 70... ...
Similarly, aging SEM equipment is delaying recertification of the SEM magnification SRM. While many projects in the surface metrology program are producing significant results, project objectives do not appear to be directed toward the stated overall program objective of saving industry $80 million over the next 5 years.
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From page 71... ...
In fiscal year 2000, the division provided $827,000 in measurement and calibration services in a variety of areas. These included the performance verification of laser trackers utilized in aircraft manufacturing; calibration of over 5000 gage blocks, ring gages, and other artifacts used in numerous discrete part manufacturing industries; silicon single atom step height artifacts for the semiconductor industry; standard bullets and casings for law enforcement; and numerous interferometric length calibrations of customer materials.
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Division Resources Funding sources for the Precision Engineering Division are shown in Table 3.2. As of January 2001, staffing for the Precision Engineering Division included 36 full-time permanent positions, of which 32 were for technical professionals.
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Manufacturing Metrology Division Technical Merit According to division documentation, the mission of the Manufacturing Metrology Division is to fulfill the measurements and standards needs of the United States in mechanical metrology and advanced manufacturing technology by conducting research and development in realizing, maintaining, and disseminating SI mechanical units; developing methods, models, sensors, and data to improve machines, processes, and metrology; providing services in mechanical, machine, and process metrology and sensor integration; and leading the development of national and international standards. The division is organized into four groups: Mass and Force, Machine Tool Metrology, Manufacturing Process Metrology, and Sensor Development and Application.
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From page 74... ...
Overall, the programs on advanced optics metrology, mechanical metrology, and metrology and smart sensor systems for manufacturing equipment are focused and of high technical quality. In the predictive process engineering program, the panel was impressed with projects on process metrology and materials data for machining simulation, assessment of machining models, and grinding and polishing technologies.
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From page 75... ...
There were also 4 nonpermanent or supplemental personnel, such as postdoctoral research associates and temporary or part-time workers. Last year the panel was concerned that funding was insufficient to cover participation in the international standards activities related to the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA)
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From page 76... ...
Given the division's inability to fund permanent staff, the panel urges the division to formulate an aggressive formal plan to hire additional postdoctoral researchers in order to enhance its capabilities. During a meeting with division staff, concerns about budget, time allocation, the matrix management system, scarce resources, and the political environment at NIST were discussed.
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From page 77... ...
The division has an excellent track record of delivering intelligent control systems in mobile vehicles for military applications. It continues its support of the Army Research Laboratory's Demo III Unmanned Ground Vehicle program, which attests to the Army' s confidence in the division' s capabilities.
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From page 78... ...
Those customers have provided funding for new projects such as the Army Research Labs Demo III unmanned ground vehicles, the Autonav research project for the German and U.S. defense departments, and the DARPA Tactical Mobile Robot and Mobile Autonomous Robot software programs.
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Division Resources Funding sources for the Intelligent Systems Division are shown in Table 3.4. As of January 2001, staffing for the Intelligent Systems Division included 36 full-time permanent positions, of which 32 were for technical professionals.
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The panel would like to better understand how such a resource is being utilized by MEL. Manufacturing Systems Integration Division Technical Merit According to division documentation, the mission of the Manufacturing Systems Integration Division is to promote economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply measurements and standards that advance the use of information-based manufacturing technology.
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From page 81... ...
The mission statement may need more focus. In particular the panel questions how the division will measure its progress toward the stated goal of "promoting economic growth." While the division has presented reports on the cost to industry of lack of software interoperability, its program outputs don't seem to be tied directly to the results of these reports.
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From page 82... ...
The panel is concerned that some damage may have already been done, and future damage is certain if the trend continues. MAJOR OBSERVATIONS The panel presents the following major observations: · The technical merit of a majority of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory's projects is very good.
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