MSFC Engineer Cited For Technology Development

Fred Schramm, an engineer in the Technology Transfer Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., was presented the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Southeast Region Award of Excellence Oct. 28, 1997.

The award is presented in recognition of his efforts in developing and facilitating the commercialization of a new compressed symbology for the identification of products.

"The compressed symbology data matrix concept originated in 1982 as part of a NASA-driven effort to develop a better means of interpreting signals sent from spacecraft great distances from the Earth," Schramm said. "During the return to flight effort following the Challenger accident in 1986, a need was recognized for a means of identifying individual parts of the Space Shuttle, particularly within the engines."

Schramm was working in the Space Shuttle Main Engine project office at Marshall in 1987 and helped devise a method of applying the data-matrix compressed symbology marking system directly onto Shuttle parts. "At the time, bar codes were all that was available. They were of fixed size and could only be printed on paper. The compressed symbology markings could be applied in a variety of sizes directly onto Shuttle part."

The compressed symbology marking system was evaluated by NASA for the Space Shuttle and other programs in 1991. While not adopted by the space agency, the system has found a number of commercial applications. Dozens of everyday items including electronic parts, livestock, mouthwash bottles, medications and automotive parts carry the data-matrix product codes. The commercial potential of the system has led to the establishment of a new commercial endeavor.

Symbology Research Center, a partnership between CiMatrix Corp. of Massachusetts and NASA, began operations Aug. 5 in Huntsville to commercially market the new method of identifying products with invisible and virtually indestructible markings. The laser-etched markings are seen as the next generation of product "bar codes." Traditional bar codes are applied to product packaging and are not tamper resistant. Digital data matrix codes are applied directly to the product. The markings can range from as small as four microns to as large as two square feet.

Donald Roxby, the director of Symbology Research Center, worked on developing the marking techniques along with Schramm. He reports interest in the new marking system from a broad range of commercial interests, and expects to handle up to 500 product-marking problems each year.

Schramm , his wife June, and their daughter, Amanda, reside in Winchester, Tenn. Schramm is a native of Franklin County in which Winchester is located. He holds a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, and a master's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.