Additive Manufacturing RFP

Additive Manufacturing Assessment
Read the following and then return to Blackboard to complete the assignment.
You are working for a company that does applied engineering related to manufacturing. Your boss has seen a recent request for proposal (RFP), and wants you to respond with a Phase 1 submission since you are an expert in manufacturing and materials. The RFP states:
Objective: Optimize a part and develop an optimization process/program. This project will investigate materials and manufacturing methods to reduce the cost yet maintain the relevant performance requirements for an existing part. The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) armor support ring will serve as a proof of concept.
Description: The armor support ring for the AMPV is machined from a billet of titanium.
Material losses alone make this a highly inefficient: titanium for defense OEM use is about $20/pound. At a diameter of 45 inches, there is far more material lost to the machine shop floor than there is in the final part. Further, machining titanium is not cheap due to how comparatively expensive the tools are, the shorter tool life, and the fact that titanium work hardens; this amounts to about 4x the cost to machine steel. There have been significant advances in manufacturing processes and materials development, as well as innovative applications which combine the two. As an example of the type of changes that could be made consider the report: “Metals Materials Engineering in Tank-Automotive Equipment” which considered weight focused replacements for the M60.
This project will investigate the most efficient combination of material substitution and/or innovative uses of modern manufacturing processes.
Investigate the feasibility and cost effectiveness of various manufacturing processes and materials options to the current design with the DLA target of 10 to 1 cost reduction as an objective.
References:
1. The AMPV armor support ring is under the gunner platform shown in the top middle of the picture here; https://www.defensenews.com/land/2016/12/15/bae-systems-presents-first-ampv-prototype-to-us-army/
2. “Metals Engineering in Tank-Automotive Equipment” https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/674643.pdfDefense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
3. Predictive Integrated Structural Materials Science (PRISMS) https://www.mgi.gov/content/predictive-integrated-structural-materials-science-prisms-center
4. Federation of American Scientists. “M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank.” DOD 101. 14 Apr 2000. http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m1.htm
5. Stryker Armored Combat Vehicle Family https://www.army-technology.com/projects/stryker/
6. The Army Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Strategy www.g8.army.mil/pdf/The_Army_TWV_Strategy.pdf
She is quite excited about the idea of replacing the current process of machining wrought blanks with an additive process. While the idea seems promising, your boss wants to know more about different processes and their ability to produce high quality components.
896170
5 hours ago
Overview
For this project, you will be considered an employee for a company that does applied engineering related to manufacturing. You are considered an expert in manufacturing and materials. You will be responsible for creating Phase I that includes a technical volume. Refer to the Course Schedule for the due date. Follow the directions below carefully.
Format
Use 1” margins with Times New Roman, 11- or 12-point font.
Use single or double line spacing. (It will be graded by word-count not by pages.)
Directions
Download the file.
Respond to the RFP. Consider the following:
The Phase I effort should attempt to determine the technical feasibility of the proposed concept. The methods planned to achieve each objective or task should be discussed explicitly and in detail.
The Technical Volume should cover the following items in the order given below and include:
Create an abstract/executive summary
Write 5-6 paragraphs that answer the statement of work above (please use between 1500-2500 words).
At least one reference. Journal articles, textbooks, government publications, and professional society standards are preferred
You do NOT need to calculate the cost or cost savings ratio of the manufacturing processes. If you understand and express that your method will save cost, labor, materials, etc., that is sufficient for this project.
You may change the material of the ring, as long as you can justify the change. If you change the material, please mention that testing of the new material may need to be performed.
The dimensions of the ring are as follows: 42″ OD, 40″ ID, 2″ H. Any other dimensions referenced in the file above refer to the billet used to machine the ring.

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