Technology – Doing defense differently™

Technology Leaders Join Forces to Boost Aerospace and Defense Worker Safety

Sentinel Occupational Safety, Inc. and Cornerstone Research Group, Inc. (CRG) have announced a partnership to enhance Sentinel’s SafeGuard® platform with advanced features that improve worker safety and provide valuable data for employers.

CRG will incorporate multiple federal research contract technologies into a premium offering of the SafeGuard solution. This new feature set is expected to support applications for use by firefighters, flightline workers, warfighters, and other high-risk occupations where harmful exposure is a critical safety concern.

“This collaboration is a perfect fit for our long-term growth strategy of leveraging innovative technologies to protect and enrich the lives of those at risk,” said Zachary Kiehl, CEO of Sentinel, which began in 2020 as a spin-off of human-centered engineering firm Aptima.

“We have continuously improved our range of offerings to meet customer needs,” said Kiehl. “The technologies CRG brings to the table are a terrific complement to our current capabilities and will create a new level of service offering for our growing list of early adopters.”

Exposure to hazardous gases, particulates, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can have critical effects on an individual’s health and are difficult to monitor real-time. Occupational and military environments have a need for customized solutions to monitor these environmental hazards, along with the individual’s physiological and locational data.

“We are excited to further our collaboration with Sentinel to provide enhanced safety products for those who work to protect us every day,” said Chris Hemmelgarn, President of CRG, a company at the forefront of creative problem solving for high-tech solutions. “This relationship will allow us to increase our reach for the unique capabilities being developed right here in southwest Ohio.”

The partnership is expected to extend Sentinel’s commercial reach and feature offering while providing a transition path for CRG’s research and development efforts. The market availability of this critical safety product will have long-term implications for many industries.

“It is our responsibility to develop and propel innovative technologies into both government and commercial markets, oftentimes working with valuable partners like Sentinel,” said Mark Cridge, team leader at CRG. “We are proud that the work we do can improve the health and save the lives of American troops, first responders, and other individuals who put themselves in potentially hazardous environments for the betterment of society.”

To learn more about Sentinel’s SafeGuard, visit SentinelOfSafety.com.

CRG applies for $7 million eAviation project thru the PDAC

Cornerstone Research Group, Inc. (CRG) has applied for significant funding for an eAviation project. CRG is applying to fully fund the $7 million project’s planning and studies processes through the Priority Development and Advocacy Committee (PDAC). PDAC, which is staffed by the Dayton Development Coalition, allows the community to set priorities when seeking funding from state and federal sources.

CRG, a leader in design and integration of quiet electric propulsion systems for experimental and prototype aircraft nearing transition to the field, is prepped to close gaps and further propel the expanding aviation market. CRG’s contribution is the development of unique quiet electric propulsion technology – its development supported by AFRL, IARPA, and other government and commercial entities – to address the needs of both defense and commercial electric aircraft.

With a five times lower noise footprint, the quiet electric ducted fan propulsors are applicable to a wide range of aircraft sizes for both commercial and defense usage. Products have already been demonstrated on multiple experimental and prototype U.S. Government aircraft. CRG also sells quiet propulsors commercially through its spin-off, Lectratek, LLC. Lectratek is a domestic supply chain and integration partner for eAviation powertrain components made in Ohio.

PDAC is tentatively scheduled to provide final recommendations for projects Feb. 10, 2023. At that time, government and private sector sources will respectively award funding based on PDAC recommendations.

See the Dayton Daily News article here.

Lectratek finalist in Urban Air Mobility Challenge

CRG’s eAviation spinoff, Lectratek, was one of 19 finalists in the Urban Air Mobility Challenge selected to pitch their capabilities on September 28 in Washington D.C. This will be an opportunity for Lectratek to pitch to representatives from government agencies, Vertical Lift Consortium representatives and members, and leading corporate partners for a chance to earn their piece of $50,000 in prize money.

The Urban Air Mobility acceleration and awards program is sponsored by the Vertical Lift Consortium, the nation’s leading organization rapidly transitioning innovative aviation technologies for the U.S. government. This Challenge is the first in a series of accelerator events aligned with industry, government and military needs and over $50B in Smart Mobility initiatives within the nation’s Infrastructure Law.

Lectratek will pitch and connect its technologies with leading corporate, investment and federal prospectors. Finalists will receive engagement and membership opportunities with the Vertical Lift Consortium, while competing for $50K in non-dilutive funding.

CRG launches Rapid Cure System

Cornerstone Research Group, Inc. (CRG), with support from licensing partners Kineticure, LLC and Heatcon Composite Systems, Inc., launched the Rapid Cure System (RCS)™ to accelerate the cure of bonding materials throughout production and sustainment life cycles. This makes the RCS a must-have for OEMs and MRO organizations performing in-field and depot repairs.

Successful development of the RCS was accomplished through the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.

The patented RCS is a quick, portable curing system that utilizes safe, localized heating methods and includes multiple, independent control zones. RCS products permit a single user to perform several cure processes concurrently, increasing efficiency and reducing costs. In one use case the RCS can reduce ambient cure time from 24 hours to less than 4 hours, meeting needs driven by 5^th generation aircraft.

For more information about RCS products or to place an order, visit Heatcon’s website.

Karman Space & Defense Acquires CRG’s MG Resins

Karman Space & Defense, backed by Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital, has partnered with CRG to acquire the MG Resin family of technologies formerly marketed through Mach 5 Materials. The acquisition of MG Resins represents a significant expansion of Karman’s core competencies in integrated composite systems for space and defense applications and assures their leadership in the carbon/carbon market.

CRG developed the patented MG family of resins to address the growing need for ultra-high-temp materials with higher char yields, improved processability, and reduced cycle times. CRG designed an innovative solution that enables the production of best-in-class, high-strength carbon-carbon parts at temperatures above 1200 °C.

Karman Space & Defense is one of the largest independently owned suppliers of mission-critical flight hardware and complex sub-assemblies to the space, missile, and hypersonic markets. They provide design and engineering, precision machining, large part forming, high-temperature and structural composite material processing, and sub-assembly services, while actively adding new capabilities in collaboration with customers.

Pat Hood, CEO of CRG, commented, “We are excited to partner with Karman and believe their set of differentiated capabilities, capacity and talented team makes them the right strategic partner to deliver the MG Resin value proposition to customers across the space, missile, defense and hypersonic supply chains. We believe joining forces with Karman will accelerate the commercialization of carbon-carbon technologies, and we look forward to creating value for customers.”

Read the press release here.

CRG lands $206K to fund new transformer tech

CRG has landed $206K in federal funding to develop a new solid-state transformer that aims to improve the resiliency of the nation’s power grid.

CRG is one of 259 grant recipients to receive a portion of the $53M total funding awarded by the Department of Energy (DOE) last week through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

With this funding, CRG will develop a solid-state transformer with an embedded digital twin for predictive maintenance, a technique that can pinpoint repair or replacement of electronic components nearing the end of their useful life. Predictive maintenance reduces the total life cycle costs of the installed system, ultimately reducing the cost passed on to consumers. Additionally, this technology will improve the resiliency of the grid by reducing power outages, which cost the U.S. economy $150B annually.

Once demonstrated, this technology will be capable of expanding to use in a wide range of products, including power conversion systems in electric vehicles and aircraft.

“Supporting small businesses will ensure we are tapping into all of America’s talent to develop clean energy technologies that will help us tackle the climate crisis,” said Steve Binkley, Acting Director of the DOE’s Office of Science.

Read the full Launch Dayton press release here.
Read the DOE announcement here.

CRG participates in DO STEM Virtual Career Week

CRG was excited to be a part of the Dayton Ohio STEM Ecosystem (DO STEM) Virtual Career Week, May 10-14, 2021, hosted by our community’s newest STEM champions at the Dayton Ohio STEM Ecosystem. The newly formed DO STEM is a collaboration of regional partners committed to leveraging resources and opportunities to engage students in STEM activities throughout the Dayton region.

This career exploration event allowed over 2,000 students from across the region to explore virtual exhibits and attend live Career Talks with professional partners from a variety of STEM industries. These valuable career connections showed students just how many incredible future opportunities are available right in their backyard!

CRG hosted several talks over the course of three days on aircraft design careers, careers in battery engineering, and careers involving composites.

SBIR success story – unique writing tool for communicating in the dark

CRG teamed with Battle Sight Technologies to develop and mass produce a special crayon for warfighters, first responders and disaster-relief workers.

Dubbed CrayTac, this device allows troops to write messages or draw complex figures on walls, sidewalks and other surfaces. The markings are invisible except to someone wearing night-vision goggles. Troops can use CrayTac to mark vehicles and other equipment so they can be identified in low- or no-light situations. It also can be used in place of a glow stick to mark a room as cleared.

To achieve Battle Sight’s longer-term goals, it needed more manufacturing capacity, prompting them to team with CRG. The collaboration ultimately resulted in Battle Sight gaining enough production capacity to shift from building CrayTacs by hand to making them in large batches. CRG’s improvements to manufacturing included formulation changes as well as novel process development.

In 2019, the Air Force SBIR program awarded a Phase II contract for this project. The funding has allowed Battle Sight and CRG to progress from making CrayTacs by hand to developing the ability to produce hundreds in an hour.

Read the SBIR Success Story here.

The DBJ publishes article about Lectratek

The Dayton Business Journal published an article titled, “CRG Venture Studio launches new electric aviation company” about the formation of Lectratek LLC. An excerpt below:

“Cornerstone Research Group Inc. (CRG), a privately held aerospace and defense firm based in Miami Township, announced Monday its new company — Lectratek LLC. The new business, launched by CRG’s Venture Studio unit, is an electric aviation technology company. It is focused on powering “eAviation” tech for an industry the company says is poised for dramatic growth in the coming years.”

Read the full Dayton Business Journal article here.

DDN publishes article about the launch of Lectratek

The Dayton Daily News published an article on the formation of Lectratek by CRG’s Venture Studio, titled “Miami Twp. defense contractor announces new aviation spinoff.” An excerpt is below:

“Creating new businesses and divisions is all in a day’s work for Cornerstone. Lectratek will take advantage of CRG-developed technologies, including engineering services and aircraft parts related to electric propulsion, advanced composites and safe energy storage, the company said in a release,” says an excerpt from the article.

Read the full Dayton Daily News article here.