New Fast-Track Committee Seeks Feedback on Expediting Manufacturing

Quality, cost, and time to market are three pillars of competitiveness in the world of manufacturing. One innovative way to improve time to market is through the use of computer models and simulation. Using powerful computers and sophisticated software, manufacturers and scientists can map out and test complex systems without having to build expensive, physical prototypes. For instance, computer models of the fluid dynamics of blood flow through the human heart have helped researchers optimize the design of artificial heart valves.

Models allow designers, manufacturers, and policymakers make better decisions faster. However, manufacturers and product and process designers today do not take full advantage of available modeling and simulation tools. There are many reasons behind the limited adoption of these tools, including the relatively high expense of some software and hardware packages; lack of access to technical experts; and a lack of standards, certification, and assurances of reliability for many software tools.

The National Science and Technology Council recently stood up a Fast-Track Action Committee on Computational Modeling and Simulation to identify gaps and challenges in the realm of modeling and simulation and to make recommendations about how to address them. A draft of the committee’s report is available here. NSTC is now seeking comments on this draft report from a wide range of stakeholders including big and small manufacturers, software vendors, researchers, software developers, engineers, and educators. Among the topics NSTC would like stakeholders to consider are:

• Key barriers to adoption of modeling tools
• Competitive advantages offered by such tools
• Limitations of existing tools
• Use and value of cloud computing platforms
• Use and value of of stochastic models
• Software scalability
• Education and training

By inviting widespread public input on this set of questions, NSTC aims to benefit from the distributed expertise of the American people and improve the Nation’s competitiveness in manufacturing while helping to fulfill President Obama’s pledge to have the most open and transparent Administration in history.

To join in the conversation, head over to OpenNSTC, and respond to our questions, post comments, and give feedback on other’s ideas. We look forward to your constructive participation!