MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

Our Manufacturing Engineering Competency is What Differentiates Us From the Competition 

Our Manufacturing Processes Are Carefully Designed For Accuracy, Stability & Efficiency

Our Manufacturing Engineering Team Has Deep-Rooted Skills & Experience Across the Following Areas

Digital Design of Assembly Lines For Individual Products

• Assembly Fixtures ensure parts are correctly oriented and sequenced which reduces error.
• Digital Mock-Ups ensure proper allocation of WIP Storage Areas and efficient movement of material through the Assembly Process.
• We create Digital Work Instructions for each Assembly Operation, showing digital representations of each step.

Complex Machining Fixtures

• Fixture Designs enable Batch Processing that minimizes Load/Unload times.
• Fixture Designs include the latest in Work Holding Technology, so aggressive Tool Paths can be used.
• Fixture Designs account for Raw Material Variation and utilize Locating Systems to reduce loading errors.

Custom Packaging Solutions

• We can design custom crates and packaging solutions from the ground up.
• We can package to Government Issued Special Packaging Instructions (SPI), performing any necessary NDT on special packaging materials where needed.

Small Arms, Support Weapons, Mounts & Accessories

• We have in-depth knowledge of the Specialized Materials, Heat-Treating requirements, and Plating processes commonly used on Small Arms, Support Weapons and their Mounts and Accessories.
• Our Engineers routinely account for the extremely tight Tolerance Stack-Ups associated with these products.
• We have experience machining DSHK Gun, RPG7 including castings, machining fixtures and processes.

Renewable Energy, Power Distribution & Electronic Enclosures Specialist

• We have experience dealing with installation of Inverters and Solar Power Systems for Homes, Offices and Industries.
• We have experience dealing with Electronics Enclosures that have tight tolerances after Forming and Welding.

Hydraulic System Assembly & Pressure Testing

• We have experience assembling Low-Pressure Hydraulic Systems that utilize tight-tolerance components with Safety Critical O-Rings and Seals.
• We have designed our own Pressure Testing Systems to handle NDT of Hydraulic Assemblies and Welded Reservoirs.

ASSEMBLY

Mechanical Assembly

We have over facilities and dedicated resources to perform complex integration of mechanical components for Weapon Systems, Communication Systems, Power Generation, Distribution Systems, and Ground Support Equipment. Our assembly lines can be rapidly reconfigured based on the product, giving us the flexibility to adapt to a variety of customer requirements and to handle short and long runs. With an emphasis on quality, we use digital layouts, detailed work instructions, and employ lean practices to establish highly reliable assembly lines. Our use of Check Sheets and Inspection Points eliminates the risk of non-conformities.

Electro-mechanical Assembly

With our Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) room and qualified technicians we can integrate Circuit Boards, Switches and Wiring Harnesses into metal enclosures or complex mechanical assemblies. Through our network of qualified suppliers, we can also perform Non-Destructive Functional Testing on fully integrated electro-mechanical assemblies. To date, we’ve assembled control systems for the Navy, electrically actuated doors for the Army’s Abrams tank, and Power Module Enclosures for use on several Army vehicles.

Kitting
With our network of qualified packaging material suppliers, in-house packaging engineering competency, and skilled technicians we are capable of handling Special Packaging and Kitting requirements for complex military products. We are also familiar with RFID and IUID Requirements, providing these labeling solutions for our military customers. Most recently, we’ve delivered Booster Hardware Kits for a Navy Missile System and Coax Machine Gun Kits for an Army Weapons Platform. The kits we complete are often intended for direct delivery to Warfighters in the field.

Sheet Metal Fabrication

Our Cedar Grove Plant is Dedicated to Fabricating Sheet-Metal Products Ranging from Simple Brackets to Complex Electronic Cabinets & Enclosures. Our Equipment & Layout have been Optimized for Efficient, High-Volume Production. We Can Work with a Wide Variety of Metal Alloys Including Titanium & Armor Plate.

Laser Cutting

Our State-of-the-Art, Fiber Optic Laser Cutter is built for high precision and efficiency. The system utilizes Linear Actuators to ensure extreme accuracy and repeatability. We’ve also developed specialized cutting parameters to cut specialized materials such as Titanium and Armor Plate, at thicknesses up to 7/8”.

Forming

We have Press Brakes at varying tonnages to form components up to 5/8” thick. We’ve also developed specialized processes for Cold Forming Titanium and Hot Forming steels such as 4130, 4140, and Rolled Homogeneous Armor Plate.

Supplementary Processing

Our Welding, Assembly, Painting, Plating, and Silk-Screening capabilities allow us to control all aspects of manufacturing sheet-metal products which results in Superior Quality, On-Time Delivery, and Competitive Pricing.

PRECISION MACHINING

5-Axis Milling

• Our partners have 2 Mazak Machining Centers capable of full, 5-Axis Machining with our newest machine being acquired in 2020.
• With Multi-Axis capability, we can eliminate setups which increases productivity and reduces costs for our customers.
• The rigidity of these machines also makes them ideal for handling tight tolerance aerospace components made from tougher materials, such as Titanium and precipitate hardened types of stainless steel.

Traditional Milling

• We also have access to 8 Milling Machines with the ability to handle parts up to 36” x 60” in size.
• Through the use of custom fixtures, we are able to tackle complex sheet-metal products that require tight tolerance features to be machined after welding. Similarly, our custom quick change fixturing allows us to keep spindles running by reducing load/unload times.
• We also have access to a Horizontal Machining Center with a full 4th Axis and a Pallet Changer. This capability allows us to be very efficient when dealing with complex geometries and tough materials, in high volumes.

Turning & Screw Machining

• Through our partners, we’ve increased our turning capacity to meet growing demands. With 4 Turning Centers and 1 Screw-Machine, we’re capable of handling high-volume production for components up to 10” in diameter.
• Our partners’ Mazak and Okuma Turning Centers are equipped with Y-Axis, Sub-Spindles, Live Tooling, and Parts Catchers which eliminate the need for multiple setups while enabling automated processing.
• Our partners’ Tsugami Screw-Machine can handle parts up to 1.25” in diameter and is designed to maintain extreme accuracy over very large production quantities.

WELDING

Robotic Welding

• USS-LMT has 2 Robotic welding cells. Our first cell features 1 robot and 2 positioning tables. Our second system, purchased in 2019, features 2 robots and 2 positioning tables.
• During the manufacturing planning stage, our mechanical engineers and welding technicians collaborate to design robust welding fixtures that account for the following:
  • Material alloy and heat treatment
  • Material thickness
  • Access for welding torches
  • Thermal distortion during the weld process
  • Post weld distortion due to residual stresses
  • Fixture induced distortion due to clamping forces
  • Post welding grinding/sanding
  • Post welding heat treatment or stress relieving

Manual Welding

• USS-LMT has 5 Manual Welding Stations for MIG and TIG welding of aluminum and steel alloys.
• We also have the necessary capability in-house to preheat parts and perform Fluorescent Dye Inspections.
• With over 50+ years of combined experience, our welders are capable of tackling the most complex welding projects.

 Welding Armor Plate

• USS-LMT is qualified to weld armor plate per MIL-STD-3040 for both critical and ballistic grade joints.
• Our qualifications extend to our robotic systems which have successfully produced and delivered over 1,000 Armored Antenna Mounts to the US Army.
• Our team has intimate familiarity with critical aspects of welding armor plate including Joint Preparation, control of the Heat-Affected Zone, applications that require Multi-Pass Welding, and control of Thermal Distortions which can affect dimensional accuracy.

FINISHING

Chem-film Lines

• Our plating lines conform to MIL-DTL-5541 requirements
• We routinely perform corrosion resistance testing to verify process conformance
• Our tanks are capable of handling 28′ x 28″ x 60″
• Our processes are Lockheed Marten and Raytheon approved

Chemical Agent Resistant Coatings (CARC)

• We are approved to CARC paint to a variety of specifications including MIL-DTL-53072
• Our CARC processes are carefully monitored for dry-film thickness, adhesion and corrosion resistance via salt-spray testing
• Our team has extensive, hands-on experience applying CARC to a variety of materials and substrates
• With 5 wet paint booths, 2 curing ovens and overhead conveyors we have sufficient capacity to handle high volume production

Plating

• Over the years, we’ve developed a robust network of local suppliers to handle a variety of special processes. Listed below are some of the special processes that we can handle thru our local supply chain
  • Anodizing
  • Zinc Phosphate
  • Manganese phosphate
  • Chrome Plating
  • Nickel Plating