FRCSW Triumphs with People’s Choice Award at 2024 Maintenance Innovation Challenge

Salt Lake City recently hosted the Department of Defense Maintenance Symposium, where innovation took center stage. Emerging as the winner, FRCSW captivated attendees with its cutting-edge cold spray technology. This approach addresses significant maintenance challenges in military aircraft by combating corrosion and wear.

Matthew Chu, a materials engineer from FRCSW, presented this groundbreaking technology. The cold spray process utilizes a swift gas stream to propel metallic powder particles. This forms robust coatings, effectively restoring damaged aircraft components. Already, the technology has saved the military millions by avoiding expensive part replacements.

“Cold Spray is revolutionizing how we maintain and sustain fleet readiness,” Chu remarked passionately. He emphasized its practicality and cost-effectiveness, noting its impact on both immediate repairs and overall operational efficiency.

The competition was fierce, with FRCSW standing out among five notable finalists. Other contenders included:

• Enhancing Field Repair Capabilities through Mixed Reality, presented by Stephanie Bryan of Marine Depot Maintenance Command.
• Expeditionary Cold Spray by Jeff Campbell from NAVSEA 05T.
• On-Aircraft Cold Spray to Optimize Maintenance and Reduce Logistics, again presented by Matthew Chu.
• Repair Technology Exercise by Mathew VanRavenhorst of NAVSEA 05T.
• XtruJog from Vis Madhavan of Fairmount Technologies, LLC.

FRCSW’s cold spray technology is a significant advancement for the Navy. It restores previously irreparable components and alleviates reliance on constrained supply routes. To date, hundreds of parts have been efficiently repaired using this method, ensuring fleet readiness and quality consistency.

Winning the People’s Choice Award, FRCSW was granted $50,000 in in-kind support from the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. This recognition will help further showcase and develop the technology.

The award underscores FRCSW’s leadership in maintenance innovation, establishing new standards in cost reduction and fleet sustainability.