National Institute of Standards and Technology, Bldg. 101, Room A430, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

A -- PUBLIC MEETING ON MATERIALS PROCESSING FOR HEAVY MANUFACTURING SOL Q- DUE 091096 POC Lori Phillips (301) 975-4513, Fax (301) 948-2067, Clare Allocca (301)975-4359, Fax (301)548-1087, Customer Representative 1-800-287-3863 Advanced Technology Program: Public Meeting on Materials Processing for Heavy Manufacturing, September 24-25, 1996, Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center Gaithersburg, MD. About the Advanced Technology Program: The NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) provides competitive, cost-shared awards for industry to develop high-risk, enabling technologies with broad-based economic benefit. The ATP seeks to help industry fill the gap between basic research and product development, and to invest in technology that wouldn't be developed in a competitive time-frame without government cost-sharing. Along with general competitions which are open to proposals from all technical areas, the ATP is also funding a series of ''focused programs'' with specific business and technical goals. Background: The ATP has supported a focused initiative in Materials Processing for Heavy Manufacturing since 1995. The purpose of this multi-year, cost-shared ATP focused program is to promote U.S. economic growth by developing innovative materials processing technologies for use in the manufacturing sector. The primary technical goals are to help U.S. manufacturers develop the new technologies that will ultimately lead to longer-lasting, more reliable, and more efficient products; and to reduce manufacturing costs significantly -- these aims are expected to precipitate improvements in the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, stimulating broad-based benefits to the U.S. economy. Among strategies to meet these technical goals are the elimination of processing steps, the prevention of waste and pollution, the reduction of manufacturing cycle time, and the development of surface treatments and coatings to increase resistance to wear, corrosion, fatigue, or temperature-mediated degradation. To meet the above technical objectives simultaneously, the first competition of this focused initiative accepted proposals in the following broad technical areas: intelligent processing, surface engineering, net shape processing, welding and joining, and waste elimination. The technical scope of the program is limited to metals and ceramics, their composites, and coatings, and excludes polymer-matrix composites, concrete, or organic materials. The three commercial markets within the scope of this focused program are: engines, power trains and chassis for surface transportation; heavy equipment for construction, agriculture, mining and oil/gas field operations; and engines, turbines, rotors and related equipment for stationary power generation. Members of the materials manufacturing ''food chain'' -- materials suppliers, materials processors, processing equipment manufacturers, component manufacturers, and original equipment manufacturers -- estimate that up to $25 billion in additional market share would follow early in the next century were they able to systematically overcome current problems and limitations in materials processing and manufacturing. These are the industries that compete for $1 trillion worth of global infrastructure work, which supports an annual $100 billion worldwide market in heavy off-road equipment that is expected to double early in the next century; a $45 billion annual worldwide market in equipment for large power plants that is growing at an annual clip of 2 percent; and a $60 billion annual domestic market in vehicular engines, power trains, and vehicle chassis, which has an annual growth rate of 2 percent. Public Meeting Objectives: This meeting will bring together all current ATP project participants in the Materials Processing for Heavy Manufacturing Focused Program, as well as complementary projects from the General Competition and the Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Technology (MVMT) Focused Program. The goals of the meeting are: to inform the entire community about activities at this early stage of the program; to promote cross-fertilization of concepts and efforts in order to achieve a ''critical mass'' of research activity in all three commercial areas of interest; to promote strategic partnering through the materials chain and across the application targets of this program; to accelerate commercialization of promising technologies emerging from this research; and to lay the groundwork for a second solicitation of this program. Agenda: This two-day meeting will be divided among the three market areas of interest in the focused program. The agenda will include company presentations of progress on their research, including perspectives on the future of the particular technical area. Additionally, NIST-related research will be presented. Presentations will be followed by a discussion session during which comments on the appropriate directions for these technologies are encouraged. Attendees are urged to come prepared to address synthesized ideas about general trends in the industry, including a worldwide competitive assessment -- specifically, what is missing or could be better emphasized by this ATP focused initiative? Location: The Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, 9751 Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg, Md. Gaithersburg is located approximately 20 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Registration: The registration fee is $235 per person and includes coffee breaks, lunches, a banquet, conference materials, and proceedings. For your name to appear on the preliminary participants' list, registration must be received no later than Tuesday, September 10, 1996. Requests for refund or cancellation must also be received, in writing, by September 10. Accommodations: A block of rooms has been reserved at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, (301) 590-0044. The special rate is $90, single or double. Please add 12% tax to this rate. Transportation: BWI Super Shuttle, (301) 369-0009, offers commercial van service from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to the Gaithersburg area. Call for reservations. Crystal Airport Shuttle, 1-800-872-2797, is available from Dulles International and Washington National Airports to Gaithersburg. The cost is $19 - $30 one-way. The Washington Metro has subway service to Gaithersburg. The Metro System can be boarded at Washington National Airport. Take the Yellow Line train marked ''Mount Vernon Square'' to Gallery Place and transfer to the Red Line train marked ''Shady Grove'' to the Shady Grove station in Gaithersburg. Service is every 6 to 15 minutes depending on the time of day. Travel time from National to Shady Grove is approximately 50 minutes. Taxis are available from the Shady Grove Metro station to area hotels. Registration Contact: Lori Phillips, NIST, Bldg.101, Rm. B116, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, Telephone: (301) 975-4513, Fax: (301) 948-2067, e-mail: lori.phillips@nist.gov Technical Contact: Clare Allocca, NIST, Bldg. 101, Rm. A626, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, Telephone: (301) 975-4359, Fax: (301) 548-1087, e-mail: clare.allocca@nist.gov ATP General Information: For general information or to add your name to the ATP mailing list, contact the ATP Office: Telephone: (800) ATP-FUND or (800) 287-3863, Fax: (301) 926-9524, e-mail: atp@micf.nist.gov. (0205)

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