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The Jeffersonian Newspaper June 2001
Firm teams with Army, manufacturer on research 'Technology transfer' can cut costs, speeds development of product Commerce meets combat unit
By Virginia Terhune
Not long ago, a Hunt Valley manufacturer contacted Direct Dimensions Inc. about using Direct Dimension's measuring techniques to create a computerized model for part of an artificial knee.
The Catonsville-based company in turn contacted the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County about using the measurements to physically make the part.
Working together, the APG's Edgewood division and Direct Dimensions produced a prototype that helped a Hunt Valley company, Osteoimplant Technology Inc., to later manufacture its new knee replacement.
"The whole point (of working with the APG) is that it makes the (development) process as cheap and rapid as possible," said Direct Dimensions owner Michael Raphael.
Founded six years ago, the company uses "reverse engineering" to model parts that someone else will manufacture.
The company, for example, made a joystick for a plane that had run out of that particular part.
The company also measures products to make sure they meet proper specifications. One project involved measuring an air vent built into the dashboard of a Chrysler car.
Direct Dimensions' link to APG, which designs and tests products for military use, is an example of the mutually beneficial relationships that can evolve as private companies partner with federal agencies to share technology.
Called the "technology transfer" movement, it is intended to promote access by private businesses to the government's design and testing facilities.
To that end, the Aberdeen Proving Ground is hosting a two-day Technology Showcase June 12 and 13 to explain the process to businesses in the region.
Raphael, who already does 10% to 15% of his work with the APG, says it's a win-win situation.
"You don't have to pay overhead, the rates are reasonable, and you don't have to pay when you're not using the facility," he said.
Costs also tend to be lower because businesses can sometimes provide services in lieu of paying a fee.
Best of all, access to the facilities enables him to offer more services to his clients.
"It's as if we're connected," said Raphael. "The Army is providing me with a virtual company.
If there's a downside, it would be that Army projects take priority over commercial ones, but Raphael says that doesn't happen often.
Such partnerships also help the Army.
Fees help taxpayers underwrite the cost of personnel and equipment, and the Army has access to commercial ideas that could benefit its military mission.
Commercial projects also tend to stimulate the APG engineers, who enjoy doing something different.
"It pushes their envelope in a big way," said Raphael.
custom contracts
Agreements, called Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, are individually negotiated with the APG, said Raphael.
Sometimes the Army charges a fee for access to its labs and facilities, while other times it accepts services in lieu of a fee.
"(Without that flexibility), things would never get done," said Raphael, who appreciates the relative lack of red tape.
Direct Dimensions currently employs five people and generates revenues of about $1 million a year.
Preparing for future growth and cutting down on commuting time on the Beltway, Raphael is moving in mid-July to a building off Painters Mill Road in Owings Mills.
startup company
Raphael linked up with the APG in 1998 after starting his company two years earlier at the Technology Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
A graduate of Milford Mill High and Virginia Tech, Raphael spent five years at Lockheed Martin in Middle River before leaving to start Direct Dimensions with a partner who has since left the business.
While at Lockheed, part of his job was converting for industrial use the FaroArm, a measuring device originally designed for physical therapists to check a patient's range of motion.
An international company based in Florida, Faro now sells the device to manufacturers.
Raphael, however, says he's one of the few service companies to own one in the Baltimore-Washington region, which is why the APG was interested in talking to him.
"We use it all day long to help manufacturers solve dimensional problems," said Raphael.
APG in turn had the ability to use Direct Dimensions' computerized measurements to make a physical model using "rapid prototyping" techniques.
In the case of the knee prosthetic part, OTI used the Direct Dimensions data to program a laser to repeatedly scan the surface of vat of liquid resin.
As each thin layer was completed, the hardened material sank lower into the vat, eventually creating a three-dimensional object which could later be used to make a mold.
Most of Direct Dimensions' work is with private companies, including some in the Baltimore area.
The company tested a tool used used in the welding together of commercial ovens for Vulcan Hart in North Point.
Raphael has also done work for Lockheed's vertical launching division in Middle River. One project was to measure the loss of material in a heat shield after a missile blasts out of a canister on board the deck of a ship.
Direct Dimensions has also measured a large trash container for Rubber Maid and a one-of-a-kind car made in the 1950s by Cunningham Motor Co. in Connecticut.
Right now it is measuring one of the Wright Brothers' original propellers for the 100-year anniversary of their first powered flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C.
NASA is also tracking the Wright Brothers work in the early 1900s.
"That's when they perfected the propeller and NASA wants to know how they did this," said Raphael.
For more information about Direct Dimensions, call 410-455-5599 or visit it's web site at www.dirdim.com.
For more information about the Technology Showcase at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, call 410-273-5062.ng the Wright Brothers work in the early 1900s.
"That's when they perfected the propeller and NASA wants to know how they did this," said Raphael.
For more information about Direct Dimensions, call 410-455-5599 or visit it's web site at www.dirdim.com.
For more information about the Technology Showcase at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, call 410-273-5062.
