Watervliet Arsenal First Military Installation of Groundbreaking Manufacturing Technology
Troy, New York - October 20, 2003 - STEP Tools, Inc. the forerunner in developing ISO STEP integration software for the global marketplace, announced today it was awarded a contract from the U.S. Army's Watervliet Arsenal for the implementation of STEP-NC technology within their manufacturing operations. The Watervliet Arsenal (Watervliet, NY) is the oldest American manufacturing arsenal, and will be the first military implementation site for this groundbreaking technology. STEP Tools is internationally renown for their work and expertise in ISO STEP product data standards and engineering data infrastructures. In 2003, STEP Tools introduced their first-to-the-market software products to support STEP-NC Implementation Programs and flagship users of this vital, emerging technology for manufacturing.
The announcement follows a formal agreement reached between STEP Tools, the Arsenal, and the Arsenal Business & Technology Partnership, a private not-for-profit development corporation created to bring new employers and new technology research and development efforts to the Arsenal site.
Over a two-year implementation period, STEP Tools will work closely with the Arsenal's highly experienced engineers and machinists to harvest the extensive development effort put into STEP and STEP-NC over the past fifteen years. Watervliet Arsenal's modern manufacturing facility is equipped with machining centers, mills, profilers, and lathes to machine most any part configuration. Over the past three years, STEP Tools has lead the STEP-NC effort in North America. The development of STEP-NC technology was supported by an Advanced Technology Program (ATP) Award issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration.
"We are very pleased that our STEP-NC technology is attracting premier manufacturers like the Watervliet Arsenal," said Dr. Martin Hardwick, president and CEO of STEP Tools. "STEP-NC is genuinely a technological revolution in the field of manufacturing automation. Early adopters of this innovative, new approach to manufacturing are destined to become industry leaders, and garner the tremendous benefits of a design-to-manufacturing system driven by full-fidelity 3D product design data." Dr. Hardwick is the STEP Manufacturing leader in the international STEP community of over 200 independent product data specialists.