National Institute of Standards and Technology, Bldg. 101, Room A430, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

A -- REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING SOL Q- DUE 043097 POC Customer Representative 1-800-287-3863 WEB: National Institute of Standards and Technology, http://www.atp.nist.gov. Department of Commerce Technology Administration National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Advanced Technology Program Administration Building 101, Rm. A407 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001 Date: December 23, 1996 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING: The NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is soliciting proposals under its focused program competition 97-02, Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Technology (MVMT) and announces a public meeting (Proposers' Conference) for all interested parties. This notice provides general information for this focused program competition 97-02. An estimated $10 million to $15 million in first-year ATP funding is available under this focused program competition. The ATP reserves the right to utilize for this competition more or less funding than the amount stated above. The actual number of proposals funded will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the amount of funding requested in the highest ranked proposals. Outyear funding is contingent on the approval of future Congressional appropriations and satisfactory project performance. This is the second of three competitions planned for this ATP focused program. One additional competition is planned. Award recipients will be required to share non- proprietary information at workshops which will be held throughout the duration of the program. The ATP operates under program procedures published at Part 295, Title 15, of the Code of Federal Regulations. The ATP Proposal Preparation Kit dated November 1996 (containing proposal cover sheets, other required forms, background material, and instructions for submission of proposals) and the focused program paper entitled "Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Technology (MVMT), Supplemental Information Focused Program Competition 97-02," may be obtained by phone (1-800-ATP- FUND), fax (301-926-9524 or 301-590-3053), e-mail (atp@nist.gov), or written request at the address shown below. Note that those individuals whose names are currently on the ATP mailing list should have already received the new November 1996 version of the ATP Proposal Preparation Kit. The supplemental information paper for this focused program is available on our world wide web site (http://www.atp.nist.gov) and printed copies are available upon request from ATP. Only FULL proposals are being solicited under this focused program competition 97-02. Abbreviated/pre- proposals WILL NOT be accepted. Proposals submitted by facsimile or electronic mail WILL NOT be accepted. If a proposer's proposal is judged to be of high enough quality to be invited in for an oral review, ATP reserves the right to submit a list of questions to the proposer that must be addressed at the oral review. The due date for submission of full proposals is 3 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, April 30, 1997. Should the NIST facility be closed on the specified due date, ATP proposals will be due at 3 p.m. Eastern time on the next business day that the NIST facility is open. Proposals received after this deadline WILL NOT be considered. Send proposals to: Advanced Technology Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Administration Building (Bldg.101), Rm. A407, Quince Orchard & Clopper Roads, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001. Mark envelope Focused Program 97-02. The goal of the MVMT focused program is to promote U.S. economic growth by focusing on manufacturing process technology as the means to drive the competitiveness of American firms by strengthening manufacturing capabilities along the entire automotive production chain. The program will advance manufacturing processes by concentrating on technical bases of specific manufacturing processes and by making processes reconfigurable and easily coupled with other processes in a complete manufacturing system. To be in scope, business plans of proposals must contribute to the overall goals of reducing manufacturing and capital equipment cost of introducing a new vehicle model by an order of magnitude, reducing the time to market from the current U.S. industry standard of 42 to 48 months to 24 months, and increasing the global competitiveness of U.S. firms by strengthening their ability to team with suppliers. Technical plans of proposals must concentrate on specific technical improvements in manufacturing processes and process monitoring and control, developing flexible, reconfigurable equipment to produce diverse product families, and developing agile manufacturing systems to permit rapid, low-cost product conversion and efficient equipment re-utilization. Proposals in the following MVMT technical thrust areas are especially welcome. Material Processes and Equipment Thrust Area: (A) Stamping and metal forming processes, including technologies for imbedding sensors in tools and processes, flexible CNC bending and forming technologies, closed-loop real-time monitoring and control systems for in-process self-corrective action, press and slide forming processes, and the development of material handling systems. (B) Advanced Machining, including reconfigurablemachining systems with increased precision for producing high- volume parts, and agile transfer lines using modular units. (C) Abrasive machining, including process developments for superabrasives, machine tool development for increasing static and dynamic rigidity, and control technology for greater precision in form and surface finish. (D) Constructive technologies for rapid fabrication of production tooling and functional parts, including metal spraying, investment casting using rapid prototype models as patterns, vapor plating, direct metal deposition, three dimensional printing, droplet based manufacturing, free form fabrication, and free form powder molding. (E) Net shape forming of advanced materials, including dimensional repeatability, reduction in physical variation through real-time sensing and control, interface chemistry control, and increasing processing reliability. Assembly Processes and Equipment Thrust Area: (F) Powertrain Assembly, including systems equipped with flexible feeders, tool magazines for end effectors capable of driving screw and bolts, installing interference and snap rings, and delivering adhesives. (G) General Assembly, including material handling to and from the assembly line extending across the supply chain, new joining technologies to reduce the number of discrete fasteners in joining dissimilar materials, and inspection technologies to validate assembly processes and ensure the integrity of components both before and after assembly. Information and Knowledge Processing Thrust Area: (H) Intelligent process monitoring and control, including application of object- and agent-oriented software technologies to real-time problems, genetic techniques that evolve control strategies, and applications of complex dynamics for enhanced adaptivity. (I) Integration of Product and Process Information, including direct use of product data in production, and feedback of product and process information to process designers. A public meeting (Proposers' Conference) for potential proposers and other interested parties under this focused program competition 97-02 will be held on Thursday, February 13, 1997, at the Gaithersburg Hilton, 620 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, MD. The conference will begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time and end at approximately 2 p.m. and will provide general information regarding the ATP, hints on preparing good proposals (covering the same material presented at previous ATP Proposers' Conferences), and will provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions on the scope and technical and business goals of this focused program. Attendance at this public meeting is not required. No registration fee will be charged. To register for this public meeting or for further information, contact ATP, by phone: 1-800-ATP-FUND; fax: 301-926- 9524 or 301-590-3053; or e-mail: atp@nist.gov. In addition to the focused program bidders' conference in Gaithersburg, ATP is considering some additional bidders' conferences in other locations. Should any additional conferences be arranged, that information will be published in the CBD and on our www site. On December 5, 1996, ATP announced in the CBD the General Competition 97-01 and six bidders' conferences to be held throughout the country from January 6-13, 1997. Interested parties are welcome to attend any of these for additional information on the ATP and for hints on preparing good proposals. (0358)

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