Manufacturing Technology Support (MATES II) Task Order 0005: Manufacturing Integration and Technology Evaluation to Enable Technology Transition. Subtask Phase 0 Study Task: Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) and Systems Engineering For Quick Reaction Systems

AFRL desires to develop a recommended process and associated guideline document supporting more rapid maturation and risk reduction for new Manufacturing Technologies (MT). AFRL sponsored a 6 month study task to make an initial assessment of promising tools and methods, formulate a high-level technical strategy, and generate an initial outline of a guideline document. Six candidate topic areas were identified for further evaluation, and proposed activities were defined and integrated with the current MRL/MRA process. The proposed approach advocates an additional Manufacturing Thread in the MRL process: Systems Engineering for Manufacturing Technology. The recommended activities were integrated into six sub-threads, and aligned with MRL gate criteria. Alternatively, proposed activities could be implemented as a Recommended Best Practice. It is believed that these activities, when employed in an integrated manner, could effectively accelerate the maturation of new Manufacturing Technologies, and reduce the risk associated with implementation. Prepared in cooperation with Compass Technology Group, Marietta GA. The original document contains color images.