Military Testing Facilities and Equipment - Army Natick Soldier RD and E Center (NSRDEC): Human Systems, Clothing, Engineering, Polymer, Mechanical Testing and Analysis, Applied Science, Food

The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in Natick, MA is a Federal research and development (R&D) laboratory charged with maximizing the Warfighter's survivability, sustainability, mobility, combat effectiveness ,and field quality of life. Successful pursuit of these objectives requires extensive testing and evaluation capabilities, many of which can be made available to the private sector under a Testing Services Agreement or TSA. This booklet is provided to industry, academia and government agencies to show the testing facilities and capabilities that can be made available for use on a fee-for-service basis.

INTRODUCTION * Available Resources * Point Of Contact . * HUMAN SYSTEMS * Doriot Climatic Chambers * Three-Dimensional Anthropometric Laboratory * Cognitive Performance Laboratory * Virtual Reality (N-Cave) * Mobile Cognitive Assessment Platform (MoCAP) * The Center for Military Biomechanics Research * Clothing and Individual Equipment Fightability Course * Soldier Systems Integration Laboratory (SSIL) * Modeling and Analysis (M&A) Center * CLOTHING & INDIVIDUAL EQUIPMENT * Ouellette Thermal Test Facility * Propane Fuel Cell * Flammability Testing Laboratory * Materials Analysis Laboratory * Combustion Monitoring and Analysis Laboratory * ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:1999 Certified Textiles and Fabric Testing and Evaluation Facility, ISO 9001:2008 Textile Performance Testing Facility * Abrasion Resistance Testers * Air Permeability Tester * Color Spectrophotometers * Dynamic Absorption Tester * Electrostatic Decay Meter * Fade-Ometers (Carbon Arc and Xenon Lamp) * Flexural Rigidity Tester * Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscope * Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrophotometer/Pyrolyzer (GC/MS/PY) * Hydrostatic Pressure Test (High and Low) * Textile Tearing Resistance Testers * Laundering Facility * Scorch Tester * Spray Tester * Vertical Flame Test Chamber * Weather-Ometer - Xenon-Lamp * Opacity Testing Equipment * Raincourt Facility * Camouflage Evaluation Facility * Helium-Powered Ballistic Test Apparatus * Hydraulic Helmet Press * Loadbearing Laboratory * Man-In-Simulant Test (MIST) Chamber * Microclimate Conditioning Laboratory * Permeation Test Laboratory * Special Purpose Shock Tube for Blast Assessment * Ballistic Eyewear Test Apparatus * Footwear Performance Laboratory * Dynamic Stiffness Tester * Dynamic Shoe Flexibility Tester * Heated Sand Bath * Computerized Impact Testing System * Pedar Dynamic Pressure System * Whole Shoe Flexer (Dry) * Whole Shoe Flexer (Wet) * Slip Resistance Tester and Ice Tray Apparatus * Biomechanical Abrasion Tester * DESIGN, ENGINEERING, AND FABRICATION * Design, Engineering, and Fabrication Center * Prototype Fabrication Shop * Sheet Metal Shop * Waterjet Cutting Center * Welding Shop * Wood and Plastic Shop * Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Rapid Prototyping Laboratory * Sinter Station 2500 Plus Rapid Prototyping System * Testing Services * Engineering Services * Specialized Equipment (Engineer, Prototype and Development) * Rapid K Heat Flow Meter Thermal Conductivity Instrument * Sweating Guarded Hot Plate * Design, Pattern, and Prototype Facility * Adobe Illustrator CS3 (Apparel Design) * Automated Cutter * Flat Head Fusing Press * Pattern Design and Grading (CAD) * Pattern Design Software * Prototype Design Laboratory * Welding and Seam Tape Machine * Tentage and Advanced Flexible Barrier Prototype Facility * POLYMER PROCESSING * High Performance Fiber Facility (HPFF) * MECHANICAL TESTING AND ANALYSIS * Instron 4201 Tensile Testing Machine with Environmental Chamber * Instron 5889 Load Frame * Instron Tensile or Breaking Strength Testers * Combined Biaxial Tension and Shear Test Fixture * Electroforce 3330 Test System * APPLIED SCIENCE * Biotechnology Laboratory * Chemical and Material Analysis Laboratory * Microscopy Laboratory * Electron Microscopy * Atomic Force * Leica Cryo-Ultramicrotome * Smartcut Diamond Wafering Saw