US Air Force Invests in Western New York Technology

Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs) are an important component of today’s military since they are capable of penetrating even the thickest of armor. Needless to say, the material performance requirements are extremely demanding and can be prohibitively expensive. Nanostructured materials offer the potential to provide the right performance characteristics but widespread use of these materials has been hindered by high production costs. NanoDynamics™ has changed that with High Velocity Deformation (HVD), a new and simple approach to produce nanocrystalline tantalum that the company believes is greatly superior and cost effective when compared to competing technologies. As such, these materials can be processed with standard consolidation equipment and processes and thereby avoid the expensive equipment and procedures often required for handling nano-sized particles. The Phase II contract will focus on optimizing and scale-up of production, exploring consolidation approaches, as well as producing tantalum plate for testing by the USAF.

The US Department of Defense SBIR Program (Small Business Innovation Research) provides up to $850,000 in early-stage R&D funding directly to small technology companies. Under an earlier Phase I SBIR, NanoDynamics™ demonstrated the feasibility of using HVD to produce of micron-sized particles composed entirely of nanocrystalline tantalum, using commercially available machining equipment. NanoDynamics™ has an exclusive license to the HVD technology through a strategic partnership with Purdue University.

Visit www.nanodynamics.com.