Summary of the government/industry workshop on new materials and processing technologies for industrial applications

Abstract

This report presents a summary of the 1-day workshop conducted at Ann Arbor, Michigan, on April 16, 1992, between the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) and the US Department of Energy Advanced Industrial Materials Program (DOE AIM). The workshop objectives were to: (1) encourage collaboration between DOE, the DOE national laboratories, and NCMS material manufacturers and (2) assist the DOE AIM program in targeting research and development (R&D) more effectively. During the workshop, participants from industry and DOE laboratories were divided into three working groups. Representatives from the DOE national laboratories currently conducting major research programs for AIM were asked to be working group leaders. The groups developed recommendations for NCMS and AIM managers using a six-step process. As a result of the workshop, the groups identified problems of key concern to NCMS member companies and promising materials and processes to meet industry needs. Overall, the workshop found that the research agenda of DOE AIM should include working with suppliers to develop manufacturing technology. The agenda should not be solely driven by energy considerations, but rather it should be driven by industry needs. The role of DOE should be to ensure that energy-efficient technology is available to meet these needs.