Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®) News

New agreement opens military coatings facility for commercial research

San Antonio, Texas -- February 9, 2000 -- Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®) and the U.S. Air Force have signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that makes the specialized facilities and expertise of the Air Force Coatings Technology Integration Office (CTIO) available to commercial users.

The CTIO, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in Ohio, is part of the Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL) Materials and Manufacturing Directorate System Support Division. SwRI scientists and technicians operate the equipment and conduct Air Force projects at the CTIO.

The CTIO was created to improve aircraft paint and coating performance and applications knowledge for the Air Force. Now, SwRI's technical experts and the CTIO facility are available to manufacturers, users, and maintenance companies in any industry for research and development involving paints and coating materials, application and removal technologies, and environmental (weathering) testing. Some examples of industries that use paints and coatings are automotive, transportation, aerospace, architecture, bridge and highway, construction, and pipeline.

"The CRADA will facilitate technology transfer in coatings research," said Mary Marshall, director of SwRI's Microcapsules, Coatings, and Polymers Department, within the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division. "It will provide commercial users with the opportunity to develop material processing techniques and perform experiments without having to duplicate this state-of-the-art facility."

The CTIO started in 1995 as a government-owned, contractor-assisted entity. SwRI was awarded $2.1 million in 1999 to continue assessment and integration projects using the CTIO facility.

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