Advancing Manufacturing Readiness Reviews and Fiber Extrusion Processes: A Two-Sided Approach to Product Maturity in Optics and Sensing

Abstract

This thesis engages with two important facets of the manufacturing discipline. The first half reflects on the ongoing efforts of the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory towards growing capabilities in production with an emphasis on standardization for responsible organizational scaling. Specific work is presented towards advancing the Manufacturing Readiness Review (MRR) process, informed by staff interviews, in the form of recommended approaches and template materials for technology leads to employ during future manufacturing review cycles. The second half covers more hands-on, active product and process development work for MIT’s Fiber Extrusion Device (FrED). Findings relate towards both improving the production process of the device as well as capabilities and observations of the extruded fiber. Inventory management recommendations are detailed for different production scenarios, and successful extrusion of acrylic, novel to the current studied capabilities of the FrED, is demonstrated. Observations on the resulting fiber’s optical properties are characterized along with a repeatable approach for doing so. While distinct, together these topics provide holistic insights into moving from concept to production.