Defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. awarded welding systems provider Sciaky Inc. a contract to provide electron beam direct manufacturing technology initially for Lockheed's F-35 aircraft program, Sciaky said Dec. 5.
Sciaky, a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, earned the contract under the federal Mentor-Protege program, which encourages large defense contractors to develop technical and business capabilities of small disadvantaged companies.
Phillips is classified as a service-disabled veteran-owned small business. The company's founder and Chairman William Phillips is a Korean War veteran who sustained disabling injuries during battle, says company spokesman Jay Hollingsworth.
Electron beam direct manufacturing begins with a 3-D model from a CAD program. A fully-articulated, moving electron beam gun deposits metal -- layer by layer --until the part is ready for finish machining.
Under the agreement, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics will help Sciaky expand the manufacturing capacity and management infrastructure to deliver titanium raw material pre-forms in quantities that will support future Department of Defense and prime contractor needs.
"While the early focus is going to be F-35, we ultimately plan to implement Electron Beam Direct Manufacturing technology across the breadth of our aircraft product lines to improve affordability and lead-time for titanium structures," said Brian Rosenberger, affordability lead for improvements and derivatives at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
Morehouse College, a historically black college, will support the agreement through its Entrepreneurial Center in Atlanta with training, mentoring and consultancy to Sciaky in enterprise/manufacturing resource planning.
See also:
The Business Case for Supply Chain Diversity
