NASA/Langley Research Center (LaRC) Aeronautics Research Directorate is hereby advertising a Virtual Industry Day to solicit information and interest for adding potential new members into the Advanced Composites Consortium (ACC), which is being utilized to support the Hi-Rate Composites Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) Project. This advance notice is published to provide information about the upcoming Virtual Industry Day for discussions about the ACC and the consortium’s desired capabilities for admission of new members into the ACC. Virtual Industry Day Information: There will be a Virtual Industry Day to discuss the ACC, and HiCAM Project on Thursday, September 3, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Come to the Virtual Industry Day with any questions regarding the ACC, HiCAM Project or Articles of Collaboration (AoC). The virtual event can be accessed via the link provided below: Join Microsoft Teams Meeting (Link provided in PDF copy of Notice that is attached herewith) OR Join via Call-In Number: +1 256-715-9946 Conference ID: 912 246 334# Overview of ACC and HiCAM: The ACC is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) primarily focused on advancing the use of composite materials and structures into aerospace applications (e.g., airframe and engine applications). The ACC is comprised of government, industry (large and small businesses), non-profit, and academia partners that all contribute 50%/50% cost share with NASA towards collaborative work activities. Intellectual Property developed by Cooperative Research Teams (CRT) is shared and protected in accordance with the AoC. The AoC is posted herewith. HiCAM will demonstrate manufacturing approaches and associated technologies for large composite airframe structures that enable a 4-6x production rate increase without cost or weight penalty to meet the demand of next generation, single aisle commercial transport aircraft. The project will develop mature, affordable, high-rate composite (thermoset and thermoplastic) manufacturing and assembly technologies, with reduced equipment and tooling costs, enabling a faster, more cost-effective production cycle for lightweight airframe structures. The project will also develop model-based engineering tools needed to rapidly mature and optimize both component design and the manufacturing processes. ACC Membership: The Executive Steering Committee (ESC) controls the size and composition of the ACC and may open ACC membership to additional Consortium Members in accordance with the AoC. An ACC objective is to retain a reasonable number of Tier I and Tier II members. Presently, the ACC has 13 members. It is envisioned that up to approximately 10 additional members may be added at this time. NASA, on behalf of the ACC ESC, is requesting information from organizations interested in becoming a member of the ACC. Organizations may be invited by the ESC to participate as a member in the ACC based on the technical capabilities they possess to design, manufacture, and certify composites structures, ability to cost share, and prior partnership experience. Participation in the ACC is limited to United States (U.S.) industry, including not-for-profit institutions, and U.S. Universities. Foreign Institutions will not be considered for membership in the ACC. Information Requested: No solicitation currently exists, therefore do not request a copy of the solicitation package. Interested parties are requested to submit a one (1) page summary that includes an organizational overview, anticipated contribution to the ACC to address HiCAM objectives, and willingness to accept the terms and conditions of the AoC as written. Additionally, a capabilities statement detailing the organization’s qualifications is requested. The capabilities statement shall be limited to three (3) pages, organized and addressed by the following five topic areas, and written in bullet format: Technical expertise in design and manufacture of composites for aerospace applications. Funding willingness and ability to engage in cost sharing (50/50) on collaborative research projects undertaken by the ACC. Certification experience in successfully certifying aeronautics vehicles or components that include composites with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or Department of Defense (DoD) certification offices. Focus technology experience including, but not limited to, one or more of the following: Material development and qualification leading to the creation of standard material databases; Progressive damage modeling; Design coupled to manufacturing (including incorporating metrics of throughput, quality, and cost); Bonding and bond qualification; Manufacturing tooling and molds; Accelerated certification approaches and processes (to include issues with metal and composites mixed within a system); Material durability and aging; and Education of workforce. Partnership experience that demonstrates successful experience in Public Private Partnerships (PPP) or similar relevant collaborative partnerships. Respondents should be aware that all information submitted will be shared with current ACC members. Do not include any company proprietary or export-controlled data. This synopsis is for market research and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of any results of information collected. The information provided will assist NASA and the ACC ESC members in their market assessment, which may result in invitation(s) to join the ACC. The capabilities statement may also lead to an invitation to present virtually the organization’s capabilities to the ESC and NASA for additional consideration. All responses shall be submitted to
[email protected] with “ACC/HiCAM Capabilities Statement” in the subject line by 5:00PM Eastern Time on September 18, 2020. For technical questions, please contact Rick Young at email
[email protected].