The Navy seeks an alternate manufacturing process capable of producing bomb bodies that are less expensive and exhibit higher performance than the current methods. Satisfying this need will increase the supplier base and broaden the manufacturing technology options. Steelhead Composites LLC (SC) is a world leader in the development and manufacture of lightweight and high-performance fluid power, composite pressure vessels and gas storage products . We offer dozens of manufactured products using quality standards, ISO 9001, AS 9100 and ISO 14001 100s of products fielded worldwide and a strong team that consistently and regularly innovates and translates technologies into enabling products. A particular AND relevant SC competency is our ability and capabilities in formed metal processes based on our in-house spin former, whereby dozens of traditional and non-traditional uses have been demonstrated (tooling and controls; see, for example, x-y spinning and the addition of another axis, i.e., oscillation/r-y; demo ) for large-scale, manufacturing of metal/composite products (principally, aluminum, steel and stainless-steel, and titanium and overwrapped variants of the same). We propose the use and further customization of existing infrastructure to meet current (and next generation) Navy bomb needs at annual volume as high as 10s of 1000s.
Benefit: Satisfying the Navy need will have a meaningful impact of the current supplier base and manufacturing options. It will lead to improved bomb cases that are less expensive and exhibit higher performance than the current state of the art. The technology will also be applicable for use in the fabrication of any metallic axe-symmetric items such as variable-diameter tubing and support poles, principally serving industries including automotive, power, utility and construction, among others.
Keywords: bomb cases, bomb cases, bomb bodies, Spin Forming, flow forming, MK 82, metal forming
