KEYNOTE SPEAKER 71st Annual Technical Conference and Expo


Dr. Rachel Abrahams to Open Institute’s 71st Technical Conference at Eglin AFB, FL.


cumbersome and overwhelming process, especially when the investment caster is usually a secondary or tertiary supplier to an end defense customer. At the same time, DoD senior leaders continue to press the casting industrial base for agility and swifter prototyping and deployment of products. Investment casting is a critical technology used in the production of high-performance components in the defense industry. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) supports the development and transition of technologies, while the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center (AFLCMC) is responsible for the development and sustainment of products based on these technologies. This presentation will discuss the author’s personal (and sometimes humorous) experiences working with the industry, AFRL, and AFLCMC in multiple roles, including developing a new alloy on a shoestring budget, and later working within the construct of the program office to transition investment casting-related technologies.


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speaker will also address efforts across the greater castings/forgings industrial base, and how collaboration and efforts between ICI, NCDMM/America Makes have fostered stronger ties between DoD laboratories, USG acquisition groups and industry.


About Dr. Rachel Abrahams Dr. Rachel Abrahams serves as a materials, manufacturing & processes subject matter expert for the United States Air Force, Armament Directorate


6 ❘ July 2024 ®


orking with the government as


an investment casting company can be a Her current duties


involve serving as a technical advisor to the Program Executive Officer for Armament. She serves on several national committees for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including serving as the Precision Guided Munitions representative to OSD-ICAM’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Efforts. Dr. Abrahams’ federal employment began as a Research Scientist/ Engineer with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate. Her duties included investigating novel mechanisms and processing of materials for use in new armament technology, including hypersonic and hard target munitions. She served as the focal point of metals research within the Damage Mechanisms Branch, quickly rising to the role of primary investigator/ manager for AFRL’s Pervasive Ordnance Technologies portfolio. She has been widely recognized for her patented high strength USAF-96 steel; a steel that matches the survivability of other premium steels at less than 50% of the cost of the incumbent material. material was


rapidly transitioned


This to


the advanced hard target munitions portfolio and is currently in production. In addition, she provided invaluable support to production and R&D efforts in her role as a metals expert, enabling the success of several quick-reaction/ priority programs within the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center. Her work in steels research and problem solving has led to recognition by the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Air Force, and Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Within the Life Cycle Management Center, she led technical


efforts on the BLU-111ECP (BLU- 140/B) team which received the AFMC- wide General Bernard P. Randolph Engineering Team Award and John J. Welch, Jr. Award for Excellence in Acquisition Leadership. For her efforts, Dr. Abrahams was recognized with an Early Career Award, which represents less than 1% of researchers in the Air Force Research Laboratory.


the creation of the DoD Steels Summit, one of the first metallurgy-related DoD meetings to bring industry, researchers and government personnel together to solve complex industrial materials problems.


In her leadership role, Dr. Abrahams


served as the technical oversight of the Next-Generation Area Attack Weapon, the Advanced 2000lb Warhead, Advanced 5000lb Warhead, and the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which serves as one of the SECDEF’s highest priority weapons system. Now that she serves on the Director’s staff, she provides guidance for the entire multi- billion-dollar weapons portfolio, ranging from general purpose items to advanced hypersonic systems.


However, she is


most proud of her efforts in growing her team of scientists and engineers to serve as the next generation of public servants.


For a complete preliminary agenda of the 2024 71st Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, see pg 8.


She spearheaded


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