Solidica Unveils New Technologies to Aid in Military Maintenance

Aluminum feature regeneration to address pressing combat needs

HOUSTON, Oct. 26 -- Solidica, Inc., has chosen the SAE 2004 Defense Maintenance Symposium to unveil several new technologies designed to address the ever-growing repair and maintenance needs of the United States Armed Forces. Based upon Solidica's patented Ultrasonic Consolidation process, this family of technologies promises to change many of the longstanding repair paradigms within this space and have a direct impact on military operational readiness. At the heart of these approaches is the new Solidica Form-ation(TM) machine, modified to repair worn, out-of-tolerance and damaged military components by directly "re-growing" their original dimensions and complex features with the speed and accuracy of CNC machining.

Solidica's technology represents a "cold" method, and thus the original components do not suffer from the destructive residual stresses that are found in many conventional molten metal repair techniques. Many of these longstanding approaches simply cannot address current repair challenges, particularly those related to the new breed of high-end materials found in the nation's deployed aviation and ground fleet. In contrast, Solidica has shown that they can allow a restored profile to employ the same aluminum or titanium alloy and heat treatment as the original part, a critical operational requirement. Ken Johnson, Solidica Vice President of Strategic Development states that "we are accelerating our development of these new technologies in response to strong demands throughout the defense sector." In drawing a connection to current military activities abroad Johnson adds, "we plan to provide these technologies as quickly as possible to assist those charged with maintaining our deployed military platforms which are operating in harsh environmental conditions." Allowing for the rapid repair and re-deployment of critical components, Solidica views their unique capabilities as directly addressing the military's current and future sustainability objectives.

About Solidica

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, Solidica is a rapidly emerging technology company that provides advanced materials and fabrication equipment solutions. Our turnkey Form-ation(TM) platform combines the ability to quickly "grow" dense metal objects or features with the option of embedding fibers, electronics, armor and sensors. The company leverages its unique Ultrasonic Consolidation technology to provide customers with innovative solutions in industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical, rapid prototyping/tooling, electronics, and military. Visit our website at http://www.solidica.com/ for more information or contact Ken Johnson at (734) 709-4163.