Painting & Coating Industry (PCI) logo Powder coating summit logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Painting & Coating Industry (PCI) logo Powder coating summit logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • Market Trends & Reports
    • Price Alerts
    • Subscribe to eNewsletters
    • Global Top 10/ PCI 25
    • Weekly Featured Article
    • COATLE Word Game
  • PRODUCTS
    • Product News
    • Must See Products and Services
  • MATERIALS
    • Additives
    • Resins/Polymers
    • Pigments
    • Equipment
    • Distributors
  • TECHNOLOGIES
    • Adhesives
    • Architectural Coatings
    • Industrial Coatings
    • Nanotechnology
    • Powder Coatings
    • Solventborne
    • Special Purpose Coatings
    • Sustainability
    • UV Coatings
    • Waterborne
    • FINISHING
      • Finishing News
      • Finishing Technologies
      • Finishing Equipment
    • RESOURCES
      • Columns
        • Ask Joe Powder
        • Did you know?
        • Distribution Dive
        • Focus on Canada
        • Formulating With Mike
        • Innovation Insights
        • Moody's Coatings Conundrums
        • Powder Coating Perspectives
        • Target the Market
        • TiO2 Insider
      • Blogs
        • Editor's Viewpoint
        • Industry Insights
      • Coatings Supplier Handbook
      • Podcasts and Videos
        • COAT-IT! Podcast
        • Videos/PCI TV
      • PCI Store
      • Classifieds
      • eBooks
      • Sponsor Insights
      • White Papers
      • COATLE Word Game
    • EVENTS
      • Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit
      • Paint and Coatings Academy
      • Webinars
      • Calendar of Events
      • Lifetime Achievement Award
    • DIRECTORIES
      • Buyer's Guide
      • Equipment Directory
      • Materials Directory
    • EMAGAZINE
      • Current Issue
      • eMagazine Archive
      • China Issue Archive
      • Editorial Advisory Board
    • CONTACT
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Subscribe to eMagazine
      • Subscribe to eNewsletters
    FT Archives

    NASA Program Helps Small Manufacturing Companies

    March 10, 2004
    A billet container for an aluminum extrusion press is machined at R. L. Best International in Sanford, FL. (Photo courtesy of R. L. Best)
    A NASA-funded program is helping small businesses succeed by providing free engineering assistance and speeding the transfer of space technology to the private sector. The program has fostered a number of recent success stories, including helping R. L. Best International improve its production capabilities.

    Founded in 1967, R. L. Best manufactures large-tonnage hy-draulic presses that extrude large pieces of aluminum for construction-industry products, such as windows, doors and screened patio enclosures.

    The company needed to design a container assembly that would maintain a specified temperature along the length of the aluminum piece that is inserted during extrusion. However, R.L. Best was having difficulty attaining the correct temperature throughout the container.

    "We needed zoned heat that would gradually increase toward the center of the container," says Ted Best, R.L. Best's vice president. "What we didn't know was how to obtain that temperature gradient. After trying some hand calculations on our own, we took the problem to one of our vendors, but the challenge proved to be outside their technical realm as well."

    Through the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, Best heard that perhaps the NASA-funded Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, or SATOP, could help. The program's goal is to help small businesses apply the technical expertise derived from the U.S. space program. Made up of an alliance of space industries, universities, colleges and NASA centers, SATOP finds professionals within these companies who volunteer their time and expertise in solving the challenges brought forth by the inquiring businesses.

    Best completed a request for technical assistance (RTA), and the project was assigned to Jim Jones, a senior analyst with Design By Analysis Inc. (DBA), an alliance partner based in New Britain, CT.

    R. L. Best provided DBA with drawings of the container, a description of the problem and what attempts had been made to find a solution. Jones then used specialized software to build a transient thermal analysis.

    Jones analyzed the container until he was able to identify the approximate desired thermal gradient and gave the results to R. L. Best. "After confirming that they correlated with the test results, I identified a method for R. L. Best to use their own in-house software to make future approximate predictions," Jones says. "Now they have the methodology to predict the temperature gradients and to make accurate design decisions."

    "Thanks to SATOP and DBA, we have designed a new container that's currently being tested," Best says. "Their model has given us a technical advantage and allowed us to see what's happening with the heat transfer inside the container."

    The entire RTA process took less than two months to complete, at no cost to R. L. Best. "We are very pleased with how quickly everyone was able to respond and get the job done," Best says.

    Other SATOP success stories have involved a wide range of manufacturing products, from medical devices to shading structures to a futuristic personal aircraft design. For more information about SATOP, go to www.SpaceTechSolutions.com.

    Share This Story

    Looking for a reprint of this article?
    From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

    Recommended Content

    JOIN TODAY
    to unlock your recommendations.

    Already have an account? Sign In

    • PCI-0724-Global10-Feature-1440.png

      2024 Global Top 10: Top Paint and Coatings Companies

      Who ranks on top? PCI’s annual ranking of the top 10...
      Global Top 10 and PCI 25
      By: Courtney Bassett
    • PCI-0724-PCI25-Feature-1440.png

      2024 PCI 25: Top Paint and Coatings Companies

      PCI's annual ranking of the top 25 North American paint...
      Paint and Coating Market Reports
      By: Courtney Bassett
    • pci1022-Kinaltek-Lead-1170.jpg

      A Novel Pigment Production Technology

      Following an extensive R&D program that demonstrated...
      Paint and Coating Pigments
      By: Jawad Haidar and Nitin Soni
    You must login or register in order to post a comment.

    Report Abusive Comment

    Manage My Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Online Registration
    • Subscription Customer Service

    More Videos

    Sponsored Content

    Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the PCI audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of PCI or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

    close
    • Modern arapartment complex painted in bright colors.
      Sponsored byEPS - Engineered Polymer Solutions

      Architectural Polymers Leading the Way in Coatings Innovation

    • paint sprayer in a workshop
      Sponsored byallnex

      Enabling Performance and Compliance: allnex Introduces a New Line of VOC Exempt Solvent-Borne Resins

    Popular Stories

    No. 3 AkzoNobel

    AkzoNobel to Close Two Manufacturing Sites

    BASF SE Logo

    BASF Reportedly Eyes Exit from Coatings

    Modern living room interior with green plants, sofa and green wall

    Reimagining Architectural Paints with Plant-Based Acrylic Binders



    PCI Buyers Guide

    Submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) to suppliers of your choice with details on what you need with a click of a button

    Start your RFP

    Browse our Buyers Guide for manufacturers and distributors of all types of coatings products and much more!

    Find Suppliers

    Events

    September 3, 2025

    Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit

    The Coatings Trends & Technologies (CTT) Summit is an annual conference for both liquid and powder coatings formulators and manufacturers to discuss innovations in coatings technology. This event combines high-quality technical presentations, a resource-rich exhibit hall, and dedicated networking opportunities to connect scientific minds, foster innovation, and cultivate game-changing new ideas!

    January 1, 2030

    Webinar Sponsorship Information

    For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

    View All Submit An Event

    Poll

    Longest-running laboratory experiment

    What is the longest-running laboratory experiment?
    View Results Poll Archive

    Products

    CTT Summit Short Courses (Live 9/3/25)

    Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit is expanding its offerings with four short courses. These short courses will offer an extensive day of interactive learning.

    See More Products
    pci  webinar april 2025

    PCI CASE EBOOK

    Related Articles

    • Small Space, Big Opportunities

      See More
    • Powder Spray Booth Offers Flexibility in a Small Footprint - Posted 5/20/08

      See More
    • Modular Probe Measures Thin Coatings on Small Parts - Posted 3/26/08

      See More
    ×

    Keep the info flowing with our eNewsletters!

    Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

    JOIN TODAY!
    • RESOURCES
      • Advertise
      • Contact Us
      • Directories
      • Store
      • Want More
    • SIGN UP TODAY
      • Create Account
      • eMagazine
      • eNewsletters
      • Customer Service
      • Manage Preferences
    • SERVICES
      • Marketing Services
      • Reprints
      • Market Research
      • List Rental
      • Survey & Sample
    • STAY CONNECTED
      • LinkedIn
      • Facebook
      • Youtube
      • X (Twitter)
    • PRIVACY
      • PRIVACY POLICY
      • TERMS & CONDITIONS
      • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
      • PRIVACY REQUEST
      • ACCESSIBILITY

    Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing