Third Wave Systems Awarded Research Contract for
Missile Defense Agency
Minneapolis, MN
January 11, 2008
Third Wave Systems is partnering with
Georgia Institute of Technology on a Phase I STTR contract through the Missile Defense
Agency. The contract was awarded in the amount of $100,000. The goal of the research is to extend ductile mode machining (DMM) of silicon carbide to milling in order to broaden the range of workpiece shapes that can be machined. This approach was previously confined to turning.
There are many benefits to be obtained through this DMM research: realize a 50 percent cycle time reduction in the fabrication of freeform, silicon-carbide mirrors by reducing or eliminating grinding, lapping and polishing; eliminate surface and subsurface flaws; and achieve higher part quality, having surface roughness RMS in the range 10–50 nanometers.
Founded in 1993, Third Wave Systems provides material-based, machining modeling software and services used by Fortune 500 aerospace, automotive, and cutting tool companies to realize substantial cost reductions in product design and manufacturing. Third Wave customers benefit from the temperature, force, and stress analysis obtained through the software. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, Third Wave Systems also has offices in Detroit, Michigan and in Rotherham, UK. The company has major distributors in Europe, Japan, and Korea.