Commerce
Business Daily Announcement
Focused Program Competition 97-02
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Technology
REQUEST
FOR PROPOSALS AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
Department
of Commerce
Technology Administration
National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)
Advanced Technology Program
Administration Building 101, Rm. A407
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001
Date: December 23,
1996
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING: The NIST Advanced Technology Program
(ATP) is soliciting proposals under its focused program competition 97-02,
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Technology (MVMT) and announces a public
meeting (Proposers' Conference) for all interested parties. This notice
provides general information for this focused program competition 97-02.
An estimated $10 million to $15 million in first-year ATP funding is available
under this focused program competition. The ATP reserves the right to
utilize for this competition more or less funding than the amount stated
above. The actual number of proposals funded will depend on the quality
of the proposals received and the amount of funding requested in the highest
ranked proposals. Outyear funding is contingent on the approval of future
Congressional appropriations and satisfactory project performance. This
is the second of three competitions planned for this ATP focused program.
One additional competition is planned. Award recipients will be required
to share non-proprietary information at workshops which will be held throughout
the duration of the program. The ATP operates under program procedures
published at Part 295, Title 15, of the Code of Federal Regulations. The
ATP Proposal Preparation Kit dated November 1996 (containing proposal
cover sheets, other required forms, background material, and instructions
for submission of proposals) and the focused program paper entitled "Motor
Vehicle Manufacturing Technology (MVMT), Supplemental Information Focused
Program Competition 97-02," may be obtained by phone (1-800-ATP-FUND),
fax (301-926-9524 or 301-590-3053), e-mail (atp@nist.gov),
or written request at the address shown below. Note that those individuals
whose names are currently on the ATP mailing list should have already
received the new November 1996 version of the ATP Proposal Preparation
Kit. The supplemental information paper for this focused program is available
on our world wide web site (http://www.atp.nist.gov) and printed copies
are available upon request from ATP. Only FULL proposals are being solicited
under this focused program competition 97-02. Abbreviated/pre-proposals
WILL NOT be accepted. Proposals submitted by facsimile or electronic mail
WILL NOT be accepted. If a proposer's proposal is judged to be of high
enough quality to be invited in for an oral review, ATP reserves the right
to submit a list of questions to the proposer that must be addressed at
the oral review. The due date for submission of full proposals is 3
p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, April 30, 1997. Should the NIST facility
be closed on the specified due date, ATP proposals will be due at 3 p.m.
Eastern time on the next business day that the NIST facility is open.
Proposals received after this deadline WILL NOT be considered. Send
proposals to: Advanced Technology Program, National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Administration Building (Bldg.101), Rm. A407, Quince Orchard
& Clopper Roads, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001. Mark envelope Focused
Program 97-02. The goal of the MVMT focused program is to promote U.S.
economic growth by focusing on manufacturing process technology as the
means to drive the competitiveness of American firms by strengthening
manufacturing capabilities along the entire automotive production chain.
The program will advance manufacturing processes by concentrating on technical
bases of specific manufacturing processes and by making processes reconfigurable
and easily coupled with other processes in a complete manufacturing system.
To be in scope, business plans of proposals must contribute to the overall
goals of reducing manufacturing and capital equipment cost of introducing
a new vehicle model by an order of magnitude, reducing the time to market
from the current U.S. industry standard of 42 to 48 months to 24 months,
and increasing the global competitiveness of U.S. firms by strengthening
their ability to team with suppliers. Technical plans of proposals must
concentrate on specific technical improvements in manufacturing processes
and process monitoring and control, developing flexible, reconfigurable
equipment to produce diverse product families, and developing agile manufacturing
systems to permit rapid, low-cost product conversion and efficient equipment
re-utilization. Proposals in the following MVMT technical thrust areas
are especially welcome. Material Processes and Equipment Thrust Area:
(A) Stamping and metal forming processes, including technologies
for imbedding sensors in tools and processes, flexible CNC bending and
forming technologies, closed-loop real-time monitoring and control systems
for in-process self-corrective action, press and slide forming processes,
and the development of material handling systems. (B) Advanced
Machining, including reconfigurable machining systems with increased precision
for producing high-volume parts, and agile transfer lines using modular
units. (C) Abrasive machining, including process developments for
superabrasives, machine tool development for increasing static and dynamic
rigidity, and control technology for greater precision in form and surface
finish. (D) Constructive technologies for rapid fabrication of
production tooling and functional parts, including metal spraying, investment
casting using rapid prototype models as patterns, vapor plating, direct
metal deposition, three dimensional printing, droplet based manufacturing,
free form fabrication, and free form powder molding. (E) Net shape
forming of advanced materials, including dimensional repeatability, reduction
in physical variation through real-time sensing and control, interface
chemistry control, and increasing processing reliability. Assembly
Processes and Equipment Thrust Area: (F) Powertrain Assembly,
including systems equipped with flexible feeders, tool magazines for end
effectors capable of driving screw and bolts, installing interference
and snap rings, and delivering adhesives. (G) General Assembly,
including material handling to and from the assembly line extending across
the supply chain, new joining technologies to reduce the number of discrete
fasteners in joining dissimilar materials, and inspection technologies
to validate assembly processes and ensure the integrity of components
both before and after assembly. Information and Knowledge Processing
Thrust Area: (H) Intelligent process monitoring and control, including
application of object- and agent-oriented software technologies to real-time
problems, genetic techniques that evolve control strategies, and applications
of complex dynamics for enhanced adaptivity. (I) Integration of
Product and Process Information, including direct use of product data
in production, and feedback of product and process information to process
designers. A public meeting (Proposers' Conference) for potential proposers
and other interested parties under this focused program competition 97-02
will be held on Thursday, February 13, 1997, at the Gaithersburg Hilton,
620 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, MD. The conference will begin at
9:30 a.m. Eastern time and end at approximately 2 p.m. and will provide
general information regarding the ATP, hints on preparing good proposals
(covering the same material presented at previous ATP Proposers' Conferences),
and will provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions on the
scope and technical and business goals of this focused program. Attendance
at this public meeting is not required. No registration fee will be charged.
To register for this public meeting or for further information, contact
ATP, by phone: 1-800-ATP-FUND; fax: 301-926-9524 or 301-590-3053; or e-mail:
atp@nist.gov. In addition to the focused
program bidders' conference in Gaithersburg, ATP is considering some additional
bidders' conferences in other locations. Should any additional conferences
be arranged, that information will be published in the CBD and on our
www site. On December 5, 1996, ATP announced in the CBD the General Competition
97-01 and six bidders' conferences to be held throughout the country
from January 6-13, 1997. Interested parties are welcome to attend any
of these for additional information on the ATP and for hints on preparing
good proposals.
Date created: December
23, 1997
Last updated:
April 12, 2005
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