Research & Development
Third Wave Systems is built on the idea of Bold Innovation in everything we do. Much of the FEA, materials, and High-Performance Computing technology behind TWS’ products can be traced back to either internally-funded R&D (IRAD), or a government-funded R&D program.
The boldest technologies are oftentimes the riskiest or most expensive to develop. Our strategy has been to partner with various labs to help mitigate this technical risk. Through these partnerships, TWS receives the resources and works with world-renowned experts to improve the capabilities and performance of our core technologies. Our research breakthroughs are quickly deployed to our customer base via our products. In turn, the government receives innovative solutions to reduce costs, improve quality, and expand and strengthen the critical supply base.
TWS has worked on R&D projects for the following agencies:
- U.S. Air Force
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Navy (NAVAIR & NAVSEA)
- Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
In recognition of TWS’ track-record of commercializing government-funded research, the U.S. Small Business Administration awarded TWS the prestigious Tibbetts Award in 2016.
2016 Tibbetts Award – In recognition of TWS’s technological contributions to the SBIR program
In addition to government projects, TWS also works closely with academia to not only advance the fundamental knowledge of machining physics, but to train students so they are prepared to fill the needs of the advanced manufacturing workforce. This is accomplished by providing academic licenses for coursework and graduate-level research and collaborating on research studies.
Click here to learn more about current projects, rich R&D history and how you can innovate with Third Wave Systems.