Ultrasonic Tape Lamination Technology Wins NASA Award for Foster-Miller

Foster-Miller, Inc., announced
today that it has received a 2004 Turning Goals into Reality award from NASA
that recognizes its innovative, proprietary ultrasonic tape lamination
(UTL(TM)) technology. The award honors Foster-Miller’s work with Northrop
Grumman, Alliant Tech Systems (ATK), NASA Langley Research Center and NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center to fabricate a composite cryotank using the
UTL(TM) process.

High fabrication costs prevent composites from entering some aerospace
applications despite excellent properties. The UTL(TM) ultrasonic compaction
technology means that components can be made that have properties equal to
autoclaved parts without having to use an autoclave. Autoclave use can be
prohibitively expensive, especially for large parts. UTL(TM) compaction may
also be the only economically feasible process capable of producing a
composite fuel tank for NASA’s next-generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV).

“I wish to thank NASA for recognizing and honoring this technological
breakthrough,” said William Ribich, president of Foster-Miller. “I would also
like to thank all of our technology partners on this project for supporting
and using our UTL(TM) process.”

More than 350 people attended NASA’s sixth annual Turning Goals into
Reality awards program, which recognizes “the most significant accomplishments
in FY 2003 contributing towards NASA’s goals and objectives in aerospace
technology.” The cryotank project was one of 13 honored with awards this
year.

Foster-Miller, Inc., is an engineering, development and manufacturing
company located in suburban Boston, MA, with additional offices in Albany, NY
and Washington, DC. The firm was founded almost 50 years ago by three
graduates of MIT who believed there was a need for a company that could solve
clients’ difficult technical problems through first-class analysis and design.
The company maintains a staff of more than 350 mechanical, electrical,
thermal, chemical, nuclear, aerospace, software and materials engineers as
well as metallurgists, physicists, mathematicians, chemists, biologists and
support staff working in the areas of transportation, robotics, advanced
materials, custom machinery, power systems, biotechnology and aerospace.
Visit http://www.foster-miller.com for further details.