The Navy Metalworking Center (NMC) and the Navy Joining Center facilitated the Friction Stir Technologies for Defense Applications Conference on May 12-13, 2009, at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s Living/Learning Center.
The Office of Naval Research Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program sponsored the conference, the fourth in a series, which provided the Department of Defense (DoD), industry and academia with the latest advancements in the development and implementation of friction stir welding technologies for defense applications.
The event featured 16 presenters, including keynote speakers Dr. Jorge dos Santos from the Institute for Materials Research, GKSS Research Centre in Germany; Robert Carter, Lead Engineer, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Weld Process Development Facility; and Dr. Ernest Chin, Chief, Survivability Materials Branch, Army Research Laboratory. The group also toured the Friction Stir Welding area at Concurrent Technologies Corporation, which operates NMC, a Navy ManTech Center of Excellence.
The conference was well received by attendees, as evidenced by favorable evaluations and comments, including positive remarks about networking at the event and learning technical information: "I learned more about FSW in 1.5 days than all previous research," and "Excellent forum for learning about FSW and new advancements/applications."