Carbice is partnering with the Naval Research Laboratory to strengthen domestic capability and reduce reliance on foreign-sourced components.
ATLANTA—Carbice, a U.S.-based manufacturer and supplier of novel multifunctional
assembly joint technologies, was recently awarded a multi-million dollar contract by the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research to demonstrate and qualify its carbon nanotube-based assembly joint platform as a thermal interface solution for deployed missions, the company said in a release.
Executed in partnership with the Naval Research Laboratory, the contract is reported to strengthen domestic capability in advanced thermal management and reduce reliance on foreign-sourced assembly joint materials.
According to Carbice, instability in thermal and electrical system assembly joints contributes to degradation of mission-critical systems in operational environments. This drives elevated temperatures, reduced component life, and increased maintenance demands. The program will test multiple systems under vibration, humidity, and operational stress conditions that mirror actual naval deployment across shipboard, aviation, unmanned, and expeditionary domains.
Carbice’s approach emphasizes repeatable, inspectable, mechanically stable thermal assembly joints to improve the predictability, survivability, and lifecycle reliability of high-powered naval electronics, the company said.
“Thermal interface or joint instability affects equipment availability and operational confidence across deployed systems,” said Carbice General Manager of Global Strategy Rafael Spears, in a statement. “This qualification effort generates the technical evidence Navy program offices need to make informed deployment decisions.”
Over the course of the program, Carbice will develop risk-reduction data packages for Navy program offices, engineering authorities, and sustainment organizations. The qualification framework is expected to produce defensible evidence that informs future modernization and sustainment investments in other assets that face similar reliability challenges driven by assembly joint instability—across Army aviation, ground combat systems, air and missile defense, and C5ISR.