Richard Booth, left, Marshall Engineering Directorate, and Wanda Hudson, ATK Thiokol, use the scanner to analyze materials in an F-1 engine, which was used to boost the Saturn V rocket from Earth’s orbit and carry astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s.

The recent commercialization of a NASA technology might soon put a dent in the amount of unapproved car parts in circulation.

TRACeR III-V, an enhanced, handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device, can detect chemical tag IDs, known as nanocodes or “invisible bar codes,” and, thus, easily separate genuine manufacturer parts from imposters.

The value to NASA is the software’s ability to tag and identify aerospace parts. During development of the technology, two patents emerged, with multiple applications benefiting NASA and the commercial market.

The history of TRACeR III-V dates to 2001, when the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Technology Transfer Department and the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) identified KeyMaster Technologies Inc. as a potential partner to meet the Agency’s need for a specialized identification device. As part of the commercialization activities of NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP), Marshall’s Technology Transfer Department brought KeyMaster to the table following the November 2001 Materials Information Society conference.

Based in Kennewick, Wash., KeyMaster develops and markets handheld XRF instruments and unique tagging technology used to identify and authenticate materials and processes. In business for more than 20 years, KeyMaster produces portable XRF instruments for a variety of markets, including environmental, mining, quality control, museum conservation, authentication and general analytical instruments.

Marshall needed such a device, but with the added ability to detect and read data matrix symbols through paint and other coatings. At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was seeking a method of detecting and eliminating the use of unapproved parts, and the hope was that a NASA-KeyMaster partnership would benefit both federal agencies, as well as the company and the general public.

Although the XRF was not suitable for reading data matrix symbols through paint, “chemical bar codes” were written into NASA Standard 6002 as an allowable variant to standard part-marking processes. The XRF’s ability to detect chemical tag IDs added a dimension to an identification system available to both NASA and the FAA.

The NTTC introduction paved the way for a series of meetings between Marshall and KeyMaster. The company demonstrated the XRF solutions to Marshall’s Technology Transfer Department, Engineering and Science directorates, and Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) Project Office. Within a matter of seconds during the demonstration, the XRF detected the composition of several items that had been problematic for NASA in the past. In another impressive test, the XRF detected an identification tag through six layers of RSRM rubber blanket insulation, indicating at each step the number of layers through which it was reading.

“All indications were that the XRF could be greatly beneficial in the identification and qualification of space shuttle hardware at Marshall, but additional analysis was needed to determine the extent of the device’s applicability for aerospace work,” says innovator Fred Schramm of Marshall’s IPP.

In addition to recognizing chemical identification tags, the XRF can identify elements in the composition of a material. Detecting other elements with low atomic numbers is important to NASA as well.

But the standard XRF device could detect no metals lighter than titanium. However, additional tests demonstrated that, when operating in a vacuum, the XRF could easily analyze aluminum alloys.

Marshall and KeyMaster signed a Space Act Agreement to collaborate on improving and adding capabilities to the company’s XRF scanner. NASA agreed to provide the materials for a prototype as well as technical expertise to evaluate the new capability, and KeyMaster agreed to provide the product expertise and facilities needed to further develop the XRF.

Working with Schramm, KeyMaster developed and added a vacuum assist to the standard XRF. The result was TRACeR, the first handheld XRF to detect aluminum alloys. The enhanced device is also capable of detecting 10 additional elements. NASA’s Shuttle Propulsion Office immediately purchased three units to use in Return to Flight. TRACeR is available commercially through KeyMaster.

In addition to the XRF’s materials-analysis ability, NASA also was interested in the chemical tagging function, which sprays an invisible chemical tag onto fragile or otherwise unmarkable parts and products, and reads tags hidden from view by paint or other substances. The standard XRF could only determine the presence of a chemically applied tag, and its format was difficult to communicate.

To solve this issue, Schramm and KeyMaster developed software to convert the data in the chemical mixtures to ASCII and then to bar codes. Other partners are involved promoting commercial maturity. Ohio University is developing the appropriate parts-marking application for NASA, and Georgia Tech is developing a similar approach for the carpet and textiles industry.

One of the best features of TRACeR is its portability, says Schramm. Researchers can take the materials lab into the field, eliminating the need to move a piece into the lab for analysis, which often is difficult or impossible.

Value to NASA

The three TRACeR units purchased by the Shuttle Propulsion Office are being used to evaluate light-element alloys and conduct failure analysis at Marshall, analyze welding rods at the External Tank Project Office and the Space Shuttle Main Engine Project Office, and evaluate hardware at Marshall and Kennedy Space Center for contamination, corrosion and material deviations.

In addition, TRACeR likely will be used at some level in quality control during the creation of simulated “moon dust,” or regolith. Regolith is needed for research to support NASA’s preparations for traveling to the moon and Mars, and actually living on the lunar surface. TRACeR may be used on the lunar surface as well, to determine mineral composition for mining efficiency and to evaluate interior surfaces for contamination.

Wanda Hudson, left, and Richard Booth, use an enhanced vacuum X-ray fluorescent scanner built by KeyMaster Technologies to evaluate Reusable Solid Rocket Motor hardware.

Commercial Applications

The range of commercial applications for TRACeR’s tagging ability is broad. The chemical ID can be mixed with plastic packaging, sprayed on specific locations or included anywhere. It cannot be seen, smelled, removed or detected by radio frequency means.

“The tagging technology is ideal for authentication, making sure that a product is not counterfeit,” says Schramm. “If injury, death or financial loss results from the failure of a product, we now have a means of proving whether the responsible product was genuine or counterfeit. This would benefit manufacturers of genuine parts who previously could not prove that a part in question was not theirs.”

Already, the automotive industry, the aerospace community and the Department of Defense have expressed interest in TRACeR. Schramm says the device could prove invaluable to the pharmaceutical industry as well.

“The TRACeR can be used as an in-process evaluation tool to determine if mixtures are staying uniform in the factory, and it can also interrogate for counterfeiters that might be using a particular brand’s name,” he says.

Two New York museums and one in Los Angeles are using TRACeR to authenticate paintings and other artifacts by detecting certain amounts of trace elements used by original artists in their work. Also, gemologists are interested in it for assessing the presence of trace metals, which are impurities, in precious stones. This elemental “signature” helps a gemologist to determine authenticity and origin.

Another major development involves TRACeR in setting a new standard for carpet-cleaning equipment and chemistry. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) developed a program to test the effectiveness of equipment in cleaning carpet that has been purposely soiled with XRF-detectable dirt. TRACeR quantified the carpet before and after cleanings to evaluate the cleaning equipment, and a CRI Seal of Approval, which includes certification from the Space Foundation, was given to the equipment that passed these tests. It is possible that lessons learned on Earth in the carpet industry with XRF could provide useful information for the designers of lunar living accommodations.

The applications are seemingly limitless for TRACeR, both commercially and within NASA and other government agencies.

For more information, contact Fred Schramm at Marshall Space Flight Center, at fred.schramm@nasa.gov, or John Landefeld at KeyMaster Technologies Inc. at jlandefeld@keymastertech.com or (509) 783-9850, Ext. 245.

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NASA Official: Janelle Turner • Web Design: Printing & Design Office, NASA Headquarters • Credits