Questions about supplementary material or other data gathered for this case study can be addressed to Jan Youtie, Economic Development Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgi 30332-0640 USA, email: jan.youtie@edi.gatech.edu
For questions about the engagement, please contact Jeff Lebow, Technology Linkages Office, Economic Development Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, (voice) 404/894-2272, (fax) 404/894-8194, e-mail: jeff.lebow@edi.gatech.edu.
ABSTRACT | CASE STUDY | LOGIC MODEL | CHRONOLOGY | LIST OF PRACTICE MATERIALS | ENDNOTES | ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABSTRACT: RCF Seals & Couplings, Inc. (RCF), a 32-employee seals and couplings manufacturer in Vidalia, Georgia, added 10 new jobs in 1995 and booked at least $2 million in sales of seals to commercial and military aircraft manufacturers for the next two years. The seals solved an industry problem-the ability to withstand sustained temperatures of 800oF-a claim that was tested and proved for the first time for any such seal.
The testing took place because RCF's customer, Learjet, Inc., needed the test data in time for the first flight date of the new Learjet 45, a 10-passenger business jet. RCF did not have the facilities to conduct the testing, which required subjecting the seal to 800°F heat and complex motions for four weeks, and was unable to locate outside sources to perform the test in time A cold-temperature test also was required.
RCF contacted its local Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance (GMEA) regional office manager in Dublin, Georgia who referred the request to the GMEA Technology Linkages Office Manager on February 23, 1995. That individual, in turn, contacted the Direct Assistance Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on March 7, 1995. RCF qualified for 160 hours of technical assistance. A scientist at the Oak Ridge National High Temperature Materials Laboratory (HTML) was assigned to the project. Representatives of RCF, Learjet, and the GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager visited the Oak Ridge HTML on April 21, 1995, to review the preliminary test apparatus and suggest changes. In parallel, the GMEA Technology Linkages Office contacted Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WRALC) to perform the cold-temperature portion of the test that Oak Ridge could not conduct. RCF's seal successfully passed both tests in August 1995.
RCF used a federal laboratory for the first time. The GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager provided 20 hours of assistance to locate and arrange for testing at Oak Ridge and WRALC.
RCF Seals and Couplings, Inc.
RCF Seals and Couplings, Inc. (RCF), manufactures rubber-coated fabric seals and couplings for the aerospace industry. Its 32-employee facility is located in Vidalia, Georgia, a rural community approximately 3½ hours southeast of Atlanta.
Product Requires New Testing Procedure
RCF developed a rubber-coated seal for its customer, Learjet, Inc. The seals were to be used on a critical system on the new Learjet 45 (a 10-passenger business jet). The seal was designed as a state-of-the-art economical solution to an ongoing industry problem-the ability to withstand sustained temperatures of over 800ºF. Cost pressures and declining demand (see Table 1) have prompted aerospace industry manufacturers to produce more fuel-efficient aircraft capable of operating at higher temperatures. Low-cost materials that can withstand high temperatures are thus desirable.
Table 1
Declining Aerospace Industry Value of Shipments: 1994 vs. 1988* (Values in billions of dollars)
Value of Shipments 1988 1994
Current dollars 107.7 101.7
Constant (1987) dollars 106.7 92.3
*Years were chosen to exclude the Gulf War build-up.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, U.S. Industrial Outlook, 1994, pp. 20-1.
RCF faced a problem in locating testing facilities capable of subjecting the seal to 800 degrees F heat and complex mechanical motions simulating air service. A cold-temperature (-65o F) test was also required. The seal had to be tested before the Learjet 45 could meet its first flight date in 1995, so time was critical.
RCF's president explained the crucial nature of the test: "The importance of this test to my company is clear-a test of our material at the required temperatures will document the use of our high-temperature elastomeric material. More importantly, however, is that other companies are eagerly awaiting these results."
RCF does not conduct its own testing. Learjet also lacked the specialized resources to test this application of RCF's seals. RCF was unable to find any commercial sources that could perform the high-temperature test at a sustainable price and within Learjet's required time frame.
Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance Helps Find Testing Facilities
RCF contacted the local regional office of the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance (GMEA) in Dublin, Georgia for help. The GMEA regional office manager, who had worked with RCF on several previous projects, called the GMEA Technology Linkages Office in Atlanta on February 23, 1995 to assist in identifying testing facilities.
After discussing the problem with RCF, the GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager contacted the Direct Assistance Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager had recently toured several Oak Ridge laboratories, including the High Temperature Materials Laboratory (HTML). The Technology Linkages Office manager inquired about the use of the laboratory for testing, and formulated a request for technical assistance on behalf of RCF.
The Oak Ridge Direct Assistance Program arranged for a scientist from HTML to be assigned to the project. The Technology Linkages Office manager, accompanied by representatives of RCF and Learjet, visited the HTML on April 21, 1995, to review the preliminary test apparatus and make suggestions. RCF qualified for 80 hours of free technical assistance and, because Learjet was present at the site visit, an additional 80 hours of assistance. The GMEA Technology Linkages Office provided 20 hours of assistance, also at no charge to RCF.
Actual testing began the following week. In all, five separate tests were performed as part of an iterative process of redesigning and testing, during which RCF made changes in the seal and couplings mechanism. Earlier versions of RCF's seal failed two of the high-temperature tests.
Oak Ridge could perform the high-temperature portion of the test, but not the cold-temperature portion. In parallel with the Oak Ridge activities, the GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager contacted the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WRALC), the closest federal lab facility to RCF. WRALC had the facilities to perform the cold-temperature test, but because the timetable was accelerated and WRALC had other work in process, the Technology Linkages Office arranged to have Oak Ridge ship their test fixturing to WRALC for use in the WRALC environmental chamber. This action gave Learjet more confidence in the test and, although WRALC ultimately had to design and fabricate its own test fixture, having the Oak Ridge design concept helped make it possible for WRALC to perform the test.
Seal Passes Tests and RCF Learns about the Federal Laboratory System
RCF's seal successfully passed high- and cold-temperature tests in August. The tests proved for the first time that this type of seal can withstand sustained temperatures of as high as 800ºF and as low as -65ºF and complex mechanical motions simulating two years of service.
Another benefit was that RCF learned about the federal laboratory system. In September 1995, RCF submitted a proposal to the HTML User Center Program, which enables companies to work directly with the laboratory on non-proprietary research at no cost. Through this program, RCF is testing a seal design that uses less exact connections that are more economical to manufacture. RCF is also exploring the possibility of licensing the testing apparatus from Oak Ridge, which would give the firm in-house testing capability. Table 2 summarizes these changes in RCF's capabilities.
Learjet engineers, previously unaware of industry assistance programs, were impressed with the assistance provided by GMEA and Oak Ridge. As a follow-up, the GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager gave Learjet contacts at similar programs near its headquarters-the Mid-America MTC and the DOE-Allied Signal Kansas City, Missouri facility.
Test Results Help RCF Generate New Sales
RCF has received orders from Learjet and other commercial and military aircraft manufacturers since the test. Sikorsky Helicopters and Pratt & Whitney of Canada have placed or plan to place orders. RCF has already booked an additional $2 million in orders over the next two years, andis planning to introduce applications for the seal in other industries, beginning with petrochemicals. The company believes that it could potentially generate $50 million in sales over the life of the seal.
Export Sales, New Jobs for Vidalia
Although only about 2 percent of RCF's sales currently go to firms outside the United States, RCF has given sales presentations at the invitation of foreign aerospace contractors. The company believes that export sales could equal domestic sales over the life of the seal.
RCF's 32-employee workforce reflects the addition of 10 new jobs in 1995. New employees were added in the areas of office support, production, inspection, document and production control, machining, and engineering. Some of these positions represented a new "middle management" layer for the company. Table 3 summarizes sales and job impacts.
Table 2
Changes in RCF Product Development Testing Capabilities After Assistance from the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Warner Robins Air Logistics Center
Before No systematic proof of high-temperature and mechanical motion
Assistance tolerance
No in-house testing capabilities
Never used the federal laboratories
After Independent testing data shows the seal materials can withstand
Assistance temperatures
ranging from -65oF to +800oF and motions simulating two years of
service
RCF and customer learned how to use the federal laboratories
Potential to license testing equipment which would provide
in-house testing capability
Table 3
Changes in RCF Sales and Employment After Assistance from the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance, Oak Ridge National laboratory, and Warner Robins Air Logistics Center
Sales Jobs
Before $1.2 million in 1994 22 employees
Assistance Roughly 95 percent of sales to Top managers performed
customers in the commercial, supervisory functions
domestic aerospace industry
After Additional $2 million booked over 10 new jobs, all functions
Assistance two years Added new "middle
Potential sales in petrochemical management" layer
industry
Additional export sales
No Alternative Explanations
Although RCF had the product and customer in hand, the lack of test data for FAA certification was a barrier to closing the sale. The small company did not have the resources to conduct or pay for testing. Learjet did not know of a suitable testing source, and RCF's networking efforts did not produce an appropriate testing laboratory.
In all of RCF's efforts to find a testing facility, the federal laboratories did not surface as a resource. "Nobody had ever heard of using the federal labs," said RCF's president. The GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager concurred, saying "anyone off the street would have a tough time knowing the right people to contact." WRALC, for example, had never provided this type of technical assistance to small Georgia manufacturers prior to this project.
In a letter to Martin Marietta Energy Systems, now Lockhead Martin Energy Systems, Inc., which referenced the GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager and Oak Ridge personnel, RCF's president stated, "None of this would have been possible without the considerable help of the gentlemen named above."
April 1994 RCF sites facility in region, meets GMEA
regional office manager. GMEA provides plant
layout assistance.
June 1994 RCF requested information on locating a vendor
to retrofit its compression molds. GMEA
regional manager contacted six companies which
likely had technical capabilities, but only two
had scheduling capacity.
July 1994 The regional manager used the Georgia Tech
Metalworking Job Shop Directory to identify all
vendors within a two-hour radius of Vidalia.
Information was mailed to RCF.
September 1994 RCF requested information on monatomic
hydrogen, which GMEA's Information and Data
Services group supplied.
November 1994 RCF requested information about sources for
fatigue failure stress analysis of seal
component. GMEA regional manager contacts
another regional office manager who provides
four suggestions for testing sources, both
university and private-sector sources.
December 1994 GMEA regional office manager continued to
search for fatigue failure stress analysis of
seal component, spending several hours
contacting GMEA regional offices and Georgia
Tech departments. He located a researcher in
Georgia Tech Research Institute's Aerospace
Laboratory. The researcher analyzed the design
and suggested design modifications in a
technical report, "Assessment of RCF Coupling
Failures," December 16, 1994. The project
involved 30 total hours of effort.
Early January 1995 RCF called GMEA regional manager, requesting
assistance for recruiting Georgia Tech alumni
and students for employment. Information was
relayed back to RCF.
End of January 1995 RCF called GMEA regional manager. Its major
customer, Learjet, Inc., required RCF to test
seals used in cabin pressurization, a new
application for RCF's product. This test,
which called for low- and high-temperature
exposure, had to be passed before Learjet's new
passenger aircraft could start its FAA
certification trials. GMEA manager requested
written requirements of test lab.
February 23, 1995 GMEA regional manager contacted the GMEA
Technology Linkages Office (TLO) manager. TLO
manager started working with Warner Robins Air
Logistics Center (WRALC).
Early March 1995 GMEA regional manager and TLO manager met to
discuss urgency of test and how to expedite
actions involving WRALC.
March 7, 1995 Because WRALC could only perform the
cold-temperature portion of the test, TLO
submitted request to Oak Ridge National
Laboratory to perform high-temperature
testing.
Mid March 1995 TLO manager contacted Oak Ridge Direct
Assistance Program about utilizing its High
Temperature Materials Laboratory (HTML).
Several conference calls occurred.
Early April 1995 RCF qualified for technical assistance. The
Oak Ridge HTML scientist set up the testing
apparatus.
Mid April 1995 GMEA TLO manager set up visit with the Oak
Ridge HTML scientist and representatives from
RCF and Learjet to review the preliminary test
results.
April 21, 1995 TLO manager and representatives from RCF and
Learjet visited Oak Ridge HTML reviewed the
progress and made suggestions to modify the
test apparatus. TLO gave RCF's customer
contacts at another MEP center (the Mid-America
Manufacturing Technology Center) and federal
laboratory (Department of Energy-Allied Signal
facility) near Learjet's headquarters.
End of April 1995 Oak Ridge HTML fabricated special test fixtures
that could be used in the WRALC
cold-temperature test environmental chamber.
HTML began testing series.
May 1995 RCF continued to make design changes.
June 12, 1995 Oak Ridge submitted preliminary summary of Test
3 and Test 4 data to RCF showing failure of
early versions of the seal.
June 30, 1995 RCF shipped seal and testing fixture to WRALC
for further testing.
August 1995 Preliminary report material from Oak Ridge
submitted on August 7 showed seals passed
high-temperature Test 5 (consisting of more
than 4,000 10-minute thermal cycles operating
24 hours a day over a four-week period,
simulating two years of service). Final report
from WRALC submitted on August 14 showed seals
passed cold-temperature test (consisting of
50,000 motion cycles of 100 cycles a minute
operating a few hours a day over a five-day
period).
September 1995 RCF joined Oak Ridge HTML User Center Program.
Assistance featured in "Spotlight on
Technology," NASA Southeast Regional Technology
Transfer Center & Southeast Regional Federal
Laboratory Consortium, September/October 1995,
Vol. 4, No. 5, p. 5.
October 7, 1995 Learjet 45 launched its business jet's first
flight.
October 17, 1996 RCF requested testing to qualify its seals in
petroleum industry applications. The TLO
manager sent a request to the Georgia Tech
Research Institute. The reply the following
day recommended Georgia Tech and external
researchers provide this testing assistance and
identified the need for specific test
parameters which RCF is finalizing.
LOGIC MODEL
1. Seals, Breakthroughs in Seal Technology, RCF Seals & Couplings, Inc. (Product brochure).
2. Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., Review of RCF/Learjet Project, Internal Correspondence, June 12, 1995.
3. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Metals and Ceramics Division, High Temperature Materials Laboratory, August 7, 1995. (Fax of test results)
4. Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Engineering Development Team, "RCF Seal Cold Temperature Qualification Test: Report No. 95-0161 MI" August 14, 1995.
5. "Learjet 45 First Flight," Wichita, Kansas, October 7, 1995, http://www.learjet.com/flight.html.
6. Letter from RCF to Martin Marietta Energy Systems, contractor to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, May 13, 1995.
7. "Spotlight on Technology," NASA Southeast Regional Technology Transfer Center & Southeast Regional Federal Laboratory Consortium, September/October 1995, Volume 4, No. 5, p. 5.
8. RCF Production Log, November 20, 1995.
1. The aircraft's bleed air system, which powers anti-icing, environmental control, and other systems by diverting high-pressure air from the engine's exhaust system.
2. Interview with the president of RCF Seals and Couplings, Inc., November 20, 1995, who indicated that, although other products could perform the same function, they were at least four times as expensive.
3. Letter from RCF to Martin Marietta Energy Systems, contractor to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, May 13, 1995.
4. The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance (GMEA) is a NIST/MEP-sponsored partnership of four organizations that provide an integrated model for delivering management and technical assistance to small and medium-sized manufacturers in Georgia. The partnership, led by the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) Economic Development Institute (EDI), includes the University of Georgia Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), the state Department of Technical and Adult Education's (DTAE) Quick Start program, and Georgia Power Company's Technology Applications Center (TAC).
5. GMEA worked with RCF on several projects in 1994 prior to this request: plant layout assistance, metalworking vendor information, and stress analysis of coupling fatigue failure. For more information about the stress analysis, see "Assessment of RCF Coupling Failures," Preston R. Bates, Georgia Tech Research Institute, December 16, 1994.
6. The Technology Linkages Office coordinates access to resources for problems requiring specialized or expert assistance, particularly from university faculty and the federal laboratories.
7. Technical assistance request, March 7, 1995. Initially, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WRALC) was contacted, but could not perform the high-temperature test.
8. The assistance was funded under the Oak Ridge Technical Assistance Program and the National Machine Tool Partnership (now discontinued).
9. Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., review of RCF/Learjet Project, internal correspondence, June 12, 1995.
10. Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, "RCF Seal Cold Temperature Qualification Test," August 14, 1995. The WRALC engineers used the Oak Ridge design concept even though they could not use the actual fixture. The test was provided to GMEA as an experiment in providing this type of assistance.
11. Ibid. See Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Metals and Ceramics Division, High Temperature Materials Laboratory, August 7, 1995 (fax of test results). The fifth Oak Ridge HTML high-temperature test, which RCF's seal passed, consisted of more than 4,000 thermal cycles lasting 10 minutes each and operating 24 hours a day over a four-week period. The WRALC cold-temperature test consisted of 50,000 motion cycles (100 cycles a minute) operating a few hours a day over a five-day period.
12. Interview, GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager, June 23, 1995.
13. Letter from RCF to Martin Marietta Energy Systems, contractor to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, May 13, 1995.
14. See Supplementary Materials, Production Log, November 20, 1995, which illustrates how RCF tracks customer bookings. The company currently has orders to supply approximately $90,000 in seals for five Learjet airplanes per year. The remaining 55 percent of sales represents bookings with Sikorsky, Pratt & Whitney, and other customers.
15. RCF asked the GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager for assistance in identifying petrochemicals industry resources. See internal memorandum, GMEA Technology Linkages Office, request for test of elastomer composite compatibility with various organic materials typically used in a petroleum plant, October 18, 1995.
16. Interview with President of RCF Seals and Couplings, Inc., November 20, 1995.
17. Interview with manager of GMEA Technology Linkages Office, October 26, 1995.
18. Letter from RCF to Martin Marietta Energy Systems, which manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory, May 13, 1995.
This case study is part of a national evaluation effort sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). Robert K. Yin, COSMOS Corporation, is the project manager. The project is directed by John Redman, manager of NIST's National Evaluation Program.
The following individuals contributed time and information in interviews with the author: Jeff Lebow, manager, Technology Linkages Office, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance; Dianne Zimnavoda, president and CEO, RCF Seals and Couplings, Inc.; Danny White, direct assistance program manager, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Matt Ferber, group leader, High Temperature Materials Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Jerry Rowell, test engineer, Engineering Development Team, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. Susan Vogel from the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance took part in the interviews at RCF and with the GMEA Technology Linkages Office manager. Deidra Dain, COSMOS Corporation; Philip Shapira, associate professor of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology; Lincoln Bates, Economic Development Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Charles Estes, director, Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance reviewed early drafts.
For more information about GMEA's evaluation plan, please contact Philip Shapira at 404/894-7735 (email:philip.shapira@pubpolicy.gatech.edu) or Jan Youtie at 404/894-6111 (email:jan.youtie@edi.gatech.edu).
The Georgia Tech Project on Industrial Modernization - www.prism.gatech.edu/~ps25/mod.htm
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