Photo By Shayna Gosney | Several months after its move to a new, larger space, the Keyport Innovation Center...... read more read more
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Several months after its move to a new, larger space, the Keyport Innovation Center onboard Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport continues to expand its capabilities and offer new ways for innovators to connect and collaborate.
In February, the KIC moved from a cramped 700-square-foot space spread across multiple rooms to an open, 1,500-square-foot space in another building. Due to the increased capacity and open floor plan of its new space, the KIC can now accommodate more equipment and people, thus allowing greater opportunities for collaboration, innovation and sharing of ideas, said KIC Director Jacob Snow.
Here is a list of what’s new and coming soon to the KIC, according to Snow.
Modeling and Simulation Software Stations
The KIC now has stations equipped with Ansys, MathWorks, Altium, Solid Edge and SolidWorks. Additional modeling and simulation software programs are also being explored.
Printed Circuit Board Reverse Engineering Tool
The KIC has ScanCAD, a software tool used to reverse-engineer printed circuit boards. The KIC’s ScanCAD suite allows for comprehensive PCB reverse engineering and analysis based on computerized tomography scans of existing physical PCBs.
ScanCAD is a valuable tool in situations where there is a need to replace or reproduce old circuit boards and the boards’ original design data are unavailable or no longer supported.
Electronics Workspace
The KIC has a well-equipped electronics workspace for those interested in working on small electronics projects. It includes workbenches with power generators, signal generators, digital multimeters and soldering stations, as well as small electronics components, spare parts and learning kits.
Laser Engraver
There’s also a laser engraver equipped with rotary tools, enabling users to engrave designs, patterns or text on various materials regardless of their shapes or surface types. This is an especially valuable tool for customization projects. Beyond just engraving, the laser engraver is also capable of cutting certain materials, greatly expanding its functionality for manufacturing parts and components.
Infrastructure for Virtual Computing Environments
The KIC has standalone machines that can be used to develop customized virtual computing environments. While pre-configured virtual computers are not available, users can access the internet, the Navy/Marine Corps Intranet, and the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation network to download whatever resources they need.
Additionally, the KIC offers expert assistance and training to help users set up their specific virtual environments effectively.
Other Capabilities
While not new, the KIC's 3D printing capabilities, portable large-format displays, and advanced hardware for high-processing activities like big data and artificial intelligence are among its major draws.
With 3D printers of varying types and sizes and a wide selection of printing materials—including nylon, polylactic acid, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polyethylene terephthalate glycol—the KIC can support a range of 3D model prototyping needs. “Pretty much anything that you would want to print in, we can print in,” said Snow.
The 3D printers offer a range of build volumes, the largest measuring an impressive 330 by 330 by 600 millimeters.
Snow stressed, however, that they aren’t equipped for large-scale production.
The KIC is currently working to acquire additional software licenses and hardware platforms, and is planning to host presentations and technical talks to encourage employee interaction and knowledge-sharing, said NUWC Division, Keyport Director of Innovation and KIC advocate Eric Seeley.
Snow urges employees to come by the KIC and check it out.
"We're open and available for people to come and work on a project or come explore a technology," said Snow. “Whether it’s a toy project or a work-related project, we want people to come in and try to learn these capabilities for themselves to be able to use later on in their work.”
The KIC’s hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 0800 to 1500. Snow asks that visitors contact him in advance to arrange access.
To receive updates on the latest happenings at the KIC, contact Snow or join the KIC Flank Speed Teams channel. Snow can be reached at jacob.c.snow2.civ@us.navy.mil. The link to join the Teams channel is: https://dod.teams.microsoft.us/l/team/19%3adod%3a1c7de52b78c04b2f9f0596c6a62b0193%40thread.skype/conversations?groupId=b0c9efed-f09e-4027-a731-61682c0ebf8d&tenantId=e3333e00-c877-4b87-b6ad-45e942de1750.
-KPT-
About Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport
NUWC Keyport provides advanced technical capabilities for test and evaluation, in-service engineering, maintenance and industrial base support, fleet material readiness, and obsolescence management for undersea warfare to expand America’s undersea dominance.
| Date Taken: | 09.06.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.06.2023 14:09 |
| Story ID: | 452823 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 554 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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