Submitted by:
Rhonda Muir
Computing Analyst
Manufacturing Applications
Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.
PO Box 2009 MS 81 60
Oak Ridge, TN 37830 USA
v: (615) 574-1027
f: (615) 574-3887
e: muirrl@ornl.gov
Categories:
Manufacturing technology
Keywords:
Innovative or improved ways of doing things; More equitable access to technology or electronic information; Technology transfer; Local commitment to network-based activities
The Story:
The Y-12 Plant is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and is operated by Martin Marietta Energy Systems as a subcontractor for the Department of Energy. Historically, the majority of the work performed at this facility has been in support of national defense. In response to the world political climate, the emphasis on the work at Y-12 has shifted away from national defense programs.
The Y-12 Plant however, remains a world-class leader in several manufacturing areas, and in order to allow industry to take advantage of the capabilities at Y-12, the Work for Others program was initiated. The Work for Others effort has spawned several teams of specialists who participate in industry projects. One such team is the group formed at Y-12 to participate in the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) project.
The SSC members at Y-12 are working as part of a larger group consisting of members from several sites across the United States, including the SSC Laboratory (SSCL) in Dallas, Texas and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Plasma Fusion Center (MIT/PFC). Project members at separate locations must communicate frequently and efficiently in order to effectively perform their project tasks. In addition, members at the Y-12 site do not have access to a modem to dial out to outside mail services. Under these conditions, Internet mail provides the best communications mechanism for the SSC members to send and receive electronic mail messages. The Internet is accessible from each site, and mail messages are received by some members seconds after they are sent. As one Y-12 SSC team member said, “On certain days, this virtual workgroup (Y-12, MIT/PFC, and SSCL) operates as efficiently as if all were located in the same building.”
The members of the SSC team also need to share information such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings and spreadsheet data. This information is typically contained in a binary file format. Internet mail currently supports only ASCII file transmission. Due to the rich set of tools developed to support Internet mail, the binary data files can be encoded before transmission and decoded after receipt. Although the Internet mail system provides the tools necessary to send and receive binary data, the SSC team decided to use the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to transfer binary-format files, since no conversions are required to use the FTP. A VAX/VMS workstation at the Y-12 site was configured with an anonymous FTP directory. Members of the SSC team from Y-12, SSCL, and MIT/PFC use the anonymous FTP directory to transfer files among sites.
The Internet has played a significant role in the successful collaboration between SSC project team members. Without an effective communications mechanism for both messages and the transfer of files, the members of the SSC project could not share information so rapidly and so easily.
For additional information contact:
Neville Howell
Technology Services
Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.
PO Box 2009 MS 8207
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
v: (615) 574-3777
f: (615) 574-3887
e: howelllnjr@ornl.gov