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Technical sessions will be offered throughout the week on topics of relevance to the DoD and national security. Topics will address multi-disciplinary approaches to advancing existing and emerging technology areas to serve the imperative national security interests of the United States. The event will encourage engagement from technical experts from multiple disciplines to participate and address comprehensive solutions to some of DoD’s more complex and pressing challenges. The audience of the conference is made up of government, industry, and academia, ranging from CEO-and Flag Officer/SES-level to working-level manufacturing-oriented engineers, scientists, business practice/policy makers and technology implementers, system designers, and representatives of the warfighters.
PLEASE NOTE: All Accepted Authors/Abstracts for DMC 2024 will be expected to give their presentation in-person at the DMC 2024 Conference in Austin, Texas.
Submission Deadline: July 26
Abstract Notification: Sept 16
Registration Deadline: Oct 25
Presentations Due: Nov 15
Advanced Manufacturing Enterprise
The Advanced Manufacturing Enterprise (AME) subpanel is requesting abstracts for presentations to be given at DMC 2024. The abstract should not exceed 300 words and should explicitly identify the specific thrust area, best practice, or lesson learned that will be presented. Abstracts may also include a representative figure. Presentations should be no longer than 30 minutes including 5 minutes for speaker introduction and questions. Presentations on the following topics will be given preference:
More information about DMC 2024 preferred topics is provided below.
Topic 1: Model-Based Engineering for Defense Systems
Description: The mass decentralization of manufacturing systems and ever-increasing complexity of supply chains have sharpened the lens on the proper handling of data. Data remains the true currency of modern enterprises. Yet, the Defense Industrial Base and Department of Defense still face challenges in data curation, data exchange, and efficient modeling. The AME Subpanel invites presentations to spark discussions on innovative solutions in model-based engineering for DoD platforms. Potential topics of interests include but are not limited to:
Topic 2: Digital Information Visualization for Manufacturing
Description: Advanced visualization technologies, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and visual analytics, have become a cornerstone of the digitally connected manufacturing revolutions, i.e., Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing. Organizations across the DoD and Defense Industrial Base have already reaped immense benefit by leveraging visualization technologies. However, challenges still remain, including (i) the inherit disconnect between engineering software and visualization interfaces, (ii) infrastructure requirements for model-tracking and other AR-support features, and (iii) virtual scene content authoring and management, to name a few. The AME Subpanel invites presentations to spark discussions on innovation solutions in digital information visualization for manufacturing and sustainment applications.
Potential topics of interest include but are not limited to:
Topic 3: Robotics and Automation for Manufacturing
Description: Industrial robots have already revolutionized production environments. In recent years, robotic platforms have significantly evolved, becoming more agile, safe, and collaborative. In manufacturing contexts, emerging robotic technologies are now shifting away from monumental and stationary installations towards small and more flexible systems. Through robotics, the goal of bringing the process to the part is more attainable than ever. However, challenges still exist for (i) enabling multi-robot coordination in single build volumes, (ii) modeling continuous manufacturing process, such as painting processes, to facilitate complex automated path planning, and (iii) incorporating human involvement in optimizing production plans. The AME Subpanel invites presentations to spark discussions on innovation solutions in robotics and automation for manufacturing and sustainment applications. Potential topics of interests include but are not limited to:
Topic 4: Digital Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing
Description: Industry 4.0 leverages the advancements in information technology (IT) for operational technology (OT). The introduction of such digital technologies, e.g., machine learning, advanced sensors, and process control, has transformed the manufacturing environment. Yet, there still remains technical gaps in introduction of digital models and workflows for (i) enhanced in-situ monitoring, (ii) expedited part and process qualification, and (iii) improved data traceability for sustainment. The AME Subpanel invites presentations to spark discussions on innovation solutions in digital technologies for advanced manufacturing.
Potential topics of interests include but are not limited to:
Biotechnology has been identified as a critical technology area by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering: Biotechnology is an emerging engineering discipline that uses living systems to produce a wide range of technologies and capabilities. From fighting global pandemics and avoiding surprises to reducing logistics and sustainment costs and increasing energy efficiency, biotechnology can help change the way the Department conducts missions, performs in contested logistics environments, and adapts to major global changes. Biotechnology applications continue to leverage biology’s disruptive capabilities for unique defense requirements. We aim to accelerate those technological advancements by building biotechnology capabilities to support a wide range of DoD needs. Developing the U.S. biotechnology industrial base is necessary to demonstrate and hasten the transition of biotechnological solutions to defense applications in areas such as agile infrastructure, sustainment, distributed/point of need manufacturing, supply chain resilience/diversification, and warfighter readiness/performance. We are soliciting submissions that articulate the use of biology with direct impact in two major categories, bioindustrial and biomedical. Presentations should cover materials, processes, tools, or technologies for defense and/or sustainment applications.
Focus areas for each category are as follows:
Bioindustrial
Biomedical
Presentations MUST be framed for the DMC audience and have a significant focus on educating that audience in biological concepts/benefits and how they compare to traditional manufacturing processes and synthetic chemistry. Presentations that include brief, high-impact demonstration(s) of biological concepts are encouraged. Abstracts that share the relevant details of biotechnology advancements, demonstrations, transitions, and transition risk reduction to products that increase the manufacturing readiness levels of enabling technologies addressing warfighter needs throughout the product life cycle will be given priority. Presentations should emphasize the benefits of biomanufacturing and biotechnology, especially environmental impact, capability/performance improvement, and return on investment, as they apply to the U.S. defense industrial base.
Composite structures provide the DoD with an unparalleled strength to weight ratio while improving the mission capability performance and sustainability of systems across the DoD Services and Agencies. Advanced designs providing unprecedented capabilities continue to push at the leading edge of manufacturing and assembly capabilities. This coupled with the cost pressures to do more without more and create a highly responsive industrial base that can pivot as fast as the needs and the requirements must be empowered by next generation processing, fabrication, assembly, and repair technologies. Defense mission scenarios are beyond the requirement of most commercial applications requiring the next level of innovation. Even autonomous collaborative aircraft and E-VTOLs which may be more amenable to commercial processes still need to tightly balance weight, strength, fuel capacity, cost, loiter, and speed.
The Composite Structures Fabrication and Assembly track at the 2024 Defense Manufacturing Conference invites you to submit an abstract for presentation to share the art of the possible in composites manufacturing, assembly, and sustainment. Presentations should be prepared which will share the technical details of advancements, demonstrations, transition, and transition risk reduction to systems requirements by increasing the manufacturing readiness levels of enabling technologies addressing warfighter needs.
This track will provide a forum to discuss processes, methods, best practices, lessons learned, case studies, and success stories related to the advancements in manufacturing, assembly, and sustainment of composite-based structures. Most desirable are abstracts for which the intent is to share sufficient technical information to provide a springboard to process improvements for the attendees. Sales pitches are not invited.
Possible composite structures manufacturing topics include but are not limited to:
High Power Microwave Manufacturing Processes
The Department of Defense continues to invest in advance High Power Microwave capabilities. Advances in HPM weapons system performance relies on state-of-the-art base technologies not required for other military or commercial applications. The US Industrial Base and government Manufacturing Technology activities are working closely to ensure the timely and cost-effective provision of military grade materials, technologies, and components for system integration and delivery as first units equipped (FUE). We are soliciting presentations from industry and government relevant to the current state of the HPM industrial base, key technologies and components, anticipated and current challenges, and lessons learned for presentation at the Defense Manufacturing Conference. This track will provide a forum to discuss processes, methods, best practices, lessons learned, case studies, and success stories related to Assembly and Manufacturing of HPM systems and sub-system assemblies. Presentations are welcomed from any individual or group pursuing assembly and manufacturing of HPM hardware in a military application. Possible High Power Microwave manufacturing topics include but are not limited to:
Manufacturing Innovation for High Energy Laser Systems
The Department of Defense has an aggressive schedule for developing and fielding High Energy Lasers (HEL) with combat capabilities. The US Industrial Base and government Manufacturing Technology activities are working closely to ensure the timely and cost-effective provision of military grade materials, technologies, and components for system integration and delivery as first units equipped (FUE). We are soliciting presentations from industry and government relevant to the current state of the HEL industrial base, key technologies and components, anticipated and current challenges, and lessons learned for presentation at the Defense Manufacturing Conference. This track will provide a forum to discuss processes, methods, best practices, lessons learned, case studies, and success stories related to Assembly and Manufacturing of HEL components, systems, and sub-systems. Presentations are welcomed from any individual or group pursuing assembly and manufacturing of High Energy Lasers for military applications. Possible High Energy Laser manufacturing topics include but are not limited to:
The Electronics Processing and Fabrication Subpanel is requesting abstracts for the Defense Manufacturing Conference (DMC) 2024 on key electronics issues and solutions directly related to current defense-related manufacturing activities. In addition, ongoing Manufacturing Technology programs funded by DoD or its departments are encouraged to submit abstracts that show the accomplishments and the impacts of their programs and efforts. The combined effect of military budget constraints, rapid changes in electronics technology, and the need to deliver superior and affordable weapons to our Warfighters continues to challenge the defense manufacturing community. Compounding the technology challenge is the requirement to sustain many of our existing weapon systems well beyond their original lifetimes. Papers, posters and presentations are sought that address the challenges and offer innovative manufacturing technology solutions that will keep the DoD second-to-none on any battlefield.
Suggested topics of selected interest include but are not limited to:
Selection criteria will include relevance to manufacturing and meeting Warfighter needs. Other topics of interest will also be considered to include any electronics-related topics from the Manufacturing USA Institutes. Selected papers may be used to introduce and support interactive panel discussions or be recommended for poster presentations.
Energetics and Munitions is a critical manufacturing sector within US Department of Defense (DoD) that supports long-term goals in defense mission areas. Recent events have enforced the need to enhance manufacturing for present and future weapon systems, subsystems, and components to ensure performance at an affordable cost. Requirements of the warfighter and discussions on issues and solutions impacting affordable manufacturing of superior systems and platforms are evolving. Additionally, technology advancements are growing at faster pace through close collaboration with other DoD services, industry and academia and it is critical to ensure the energetics and munitions manufacturing base is ready to incorporate these new advancements at a rapid pace. Mastering manufacturing in defense will improve our assets’ resilience, overcome manufacturing limitations, accelerate timelines, and maintain the United States’ status as a leader in the defense domain.
This meeting will provide a forum to discuss materials, processes, methods, results, lessons learned, and success stories related to Energetics and Munitions in Defense. Presentations are welcomed from any individual or group pursuing energetics and munitions for use in defense.
Possible Energetics and Munitions in Defense topics include but are not limited to:
The Innovative Manufacturing topic seeks abstracts that highlight novel manufacturing efforts which either:
Abstracts will be evaluated based on the originality and potential impact of the work on defense manufacturing. Abstracts that are the same or closely resemble those submitted to another technical track will not be considered.
As space becomes more congested and contested, the paradigm of large, exquisite spacecraft has shifted towards architectures such as, satellite constellations, smaller, more agile spacecraft, and in-space development of unlaunchable systems or spacecraft sustainment through refueling. All of these new architectures require the space industrial base to shift in order to ensure we come out ahead in the Great Power Competition. Manufacturing for and in space plays a key role by enabling adoption of novel technology through implementation of manufacturing solutions to bring down cost, lead times, and enable technology transfer to our warfighters. This track will provide a forum to discuss processes, methods, best practices, lessons learned, case studies, and success stories related to manufacturing for and in Space. Presentations are welcomed from any individual or group pursuing (1) terrestrial manufacturing for use in space and (2) manufacturing in space of spacecraft structures, payloads, power, propulsion etc from vLEO to cis-lunar (not on the Moon’s surface).
Possible “Manufacturing For and In Space” topics include but are not limited to:
Presentations within the Metals track will highlight projects that reduce cost and cycle time, improve manufacturing capability, and increase performance or producibility of metals, with special emphasis to projects funded through the DoD ManTech, RIF and IBASS programs.
Topics of interest to the Metals Processing and Fabrication Subpanel include:
If you have an effective training course that meets a demand in Manufacturing for DoD needs and relates to the technical topics being offered at this year’s conference, submit your descriptive abstract for an opportunity to present your training. Training sessions are great for attendees new to DMC or just needing a refresher.
The JDMTP-sponsored Manufacturing Readiness Level Working Group is soliciting abstracts for its sessions during this year’s Defense Manufacturing Conference. The Working Group plans to fill out the session slots with a mix of invited presenters and selected abstracts. You are invited to submit abstracts covering a variety of Manufacturing Readiness Level topics.
Possible Manufacturing Readiness Level topics include but are not limited to:
Only submit abstracts in which the intent is to share sufficient technical information to provide a complete story on the value or challenges of MRLs. We are not seeking company marketing pitches, but rather real world MRL application experiences. Your presentation must articulate the use of the MRL Assessment process to advance manufacturing maturity and readiness for consideration.
The Power Sources Technical Working Group is requesting abstracts for the Defense Manufacturing Conference (DMC) 2024 on key energy generation and storage issues and solutions directly related to current defense-related manufacturing activities. In addition, ongoing Manufacturing Technology programs funded by DoD or its departments are encouraged to submit abstracts that show the accomplishments and the impacts of their programs and efforts. The combined effect of military budget constraints, rapid changes in power and energy technology, and the need to deliver superior and affordable weapons to our Warfighters continues to challenge the defense manufacturing community. Compounding the technology challenge is the requirement to sustain many of our existing weapon systems well beyond their original lifetimes. Papers, posters and presentations are sought that address the challenges and offer innovative manufacturing technology solutions that will keep the DoD second-to-none on any battlefield. Suggested topics of selected interest include but are not limited to:
Selection criteria will include relevance to manufacturing and meeting Warfighter needs. Other topics of interest will also be considered to include any energy generation and storage related topics not previously listed. Selected papers may be used to introduce and support interactive panel discussions or be recommended for poster presentations.
The benefits of robotic automation in manufacturing are numerous, yet many segments of the DoD’s commercial and industrial base have not benefited. Many of the DoD’s more complex and expensive systems rely on low-volume, high-mix manufacturing, for which robotics technology is just beginning to acquire sufficient agility to be practical. DoD sustainment can represent an even more extreme case, where the variation between work pieces leads to the saying that ‘every part is a snowflake’. The DoD also has large assets like ships and aircraft, where robotic scalability challenges lead to massive, monumental systems that are expensive and lack agility. Then there are particular products, such as energetics and garments, that pose special challenges to robotic automation, even though they represent high-volume production environments where robots are usually well established. This track will provide a forum to discuss processes, methods, best practices, lessons learned, case studies, research, and success stories for novel robotic automation technologies and applications. Presentations are welcomed from any individual or group pursuing such technologies in the context of manufacturing and/or sustainment for the Department of Defense.
Possible topics include but are not limited to:
Soft matter, from biomaterials to engineering polymers to novel elastomers, offers robust, tailorable solutions to commercial and defense problem sets. From microscopic manipulation of formulation to macroscopic control during manufacturing, polymeric materials can be tailored to suit a wide variety of industrial needs. Consequently, academic and commercial entities invest heavily in advanced manufacturing of these materials. Much effort has been put toward harnessing unique properties of these materials and finding ways to improve manufacturing technology to accelerate product development cycles. These efforts have facilitated rapid maturity of advanced manufacturing processes for many commercial applications. Though there have been many successfully-fielded defense-related soft matter products, the defense space is still markedly slower in adopting advanced manufacturing techniques for production of new polymeric products. Fostering a greater understanding and appreciation of advanced manufacturing in soft materials is critical to defense modernization.
This session will provide a forum to discuss advances in polymer/soft materials manufacturing, demonstrate use cases for soft materials to facilitate metal and ceramic materials solutions or when other solutions are not viable, and introduce successfully transitioned DoD, commercial, and academic soft materials and advanced manufacturing programs. Industrial, academic, and government representatives are welcomed to present their efforts in this track.
Possible Soft Materials in Advanced Manufacturing topics included but are not limited to:
All submissions must comply with the following guidelines...
When writing your abstract make sure you address key elements:
In general, the abstract committee evaluates the abstracts on the following basis:
If your abstract is selected for presentation at DMC 2024, you will be requested to submit presentation materials to ARCTOS in digital format no later than November 15, 2024.
Upon acceptance of your abstract, specific instructions for technical preparation will be provided. PLEASE NOTE: Only one author can be identified as the presenter and make the presentation.