WORCESTER, Mass. (November 2, 2022) – The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award of $400,000 to Multiscale Systems to integrate its proprietary contact-free optical metrology QA/QC polariscope into large-scale manufacturing systems.

The MS-Polariscope™ utilizes methods based on the principles of photoelasticity and birefringence to quantify thermomechanical stresses in mechanical metamaterials, such as MetaCORE^®, manufactured at scale. It reveals inconsistencies in quality that would not normally be detected with conventional inspection methods.

This series of images from the polariscope were taking during a tab pull test. Stresses can be seen as colored lines within the tab; the great number of lines, the larger the stress. © Multiscale Systems.

Video showing a PET-G tab pull test viewed through the polariscope. © Multiscale Systems.

Combined with the use of smart manufacturing technologies, this innovation will allow Multiscale Systems to enable a fully automatic, total-part quality system that can be modularly deployed throughout its geographically distributed manufacturing supply chain.

“What I love about this project is watching it grow from a side project for one of our earlier NASA contracts into a tool to promote domestic manufacturing quality and efficiency,” said Jesse Silverberg, CEO & Research Director at Multiscale Systems.

Licensed to Armory Technologies, MetaCORE^® is being used to create lightweight, high-strength sandwich panels for semi-trailers. These panels outperform comparable foam and honeycomb materials and are projected to reduce the trailer’s weight by 5-15%, leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased freight efficiency.

Various images taken of mechanical metamaterials in the polariscope. Thermomechanical stresses are indicated as different colored areas. The polariscope can reveal stress anomalies that can be indicative of quality issues © Multiscale Systems.

NIST has awarded more than $7 million in funding to 23 U.S. small businesses, including Multiscale Systems.

The timing of this project coincides with Multiscale Systems recently being ISO 9001 and AS9100 certified. These major milestones demonstrate the team’s deep commitment to producing quality products for their customers.

Previous SBIRs awarded to Multiscale System include those from NIST, the Department of Energy, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.

Multiscale Systems produces industrial innovations through technical engineering services and a robust in-house R&D program. The company specializes in metamaterial composites and focuses on advanced manufacturing. We apply creative ideation and intense technical validation to solve real-world advanced material problems.

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Karen Tisdell
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info@multiscalesystems.com