ETEGENT TECHNOLOGIES, LTD. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF161-064

Description

ABSTRACT: CBM+ and Digital Thread initiatives within the Air Force seek to reduce maintenance cost and time, improve the availability of aircraft, and enable a better understanding of the state of an aircraft. This drives the ability to make better maintenance and sustainment decisions. This improvement in decision making is being realized in the effort to transition from fixed maintenance intervals based upon worst case scenarios to aircraft specific tailored sustainment. To accomplish this, however, sustaining engineers need to have as much information as possible about the state of a particular aircraft. To achieve this end, a system is needed to aggregate all the data regarding an aircraft, map this data onto a 3D model, and provide visualization and analysis tools.Etegents NLign software provides these capabilities, and has demonstrated an ability to provide realization of the CBM+ and Digital Thread initiatives.NLign is currently used by the A-10, T-38, and F-15 ASIP programs, as well as F/A-18 sustainment at NAVAIR North Island.The Advanced Robotic Laser Coating Removal System (ARLCRS) developed by Titan Robotics is one such source of data which engineers could leverage to better understand the state of an aircraft under maintenance.; BENEFIT: Development of this capability will place more information in the hands of sustaining engineering, allowing for improved decision making.Future data collected from the ARLCRS, potentially with additional sensors, could be transferred into NLign to augment these capabilities further.Commercial manufacturing and maintenance would equally benefit from engineers having as much information as possible.