Arsenal Manufacturing Tour
We will meet at the Rock Island Arsenal on Monday. A box lunch will be served at the Arsenal Club, Building 60. After lunch we will be taking a tour of the manufacturing facility. Please be sure to wear appropriate shoes (ladies, no open toes or heels). Attendance is by reservation only, if you would like to attend please let Chris know by Friday at noon, via email davrotary@netexpress.net.
Directions Driving (from Iowa)
To the Moline Entrance: take Interstate 74 to the River Drive exit and turn left. Go two blocks and just before the overpass turn right and follow the ramp up to Moline Bridge to the Arsenal.
Directions Driving (from Illinois using I-74) To access the Rock Island Arsenal Garrison from Illinois using I-74 take I-74 West to the 7th Avenue exit. Turn left onto 7th Avenue and follow to 14th Street. Turn right and go straight down the street and up the ramp to the Moline Bridge to the Arsenal.
The speed limit on Arsenal Island is 25 mph. Watch for signs. The Illinois seat belt law is enforced on Arsenal Island.
We are the Army's only vertically integrated metal manufacturing facility and the only remaining U.S. Army foundry. A one-stop shop, the center has the technical expertise and equipment to provide full-service design and prototyping as well as manufacturing and testing/simulation, allowing rapid response to warfighter requirements from all the joint services.
The center has multifunctional
capabilities
that include engineering and laboratory facilities, the varied production elements of machining, tool/gage manufacturing, castings, investment casting, forging, gear/spring manufacturing, shot blast, welding, extensive laser cutting, stereolithography (3D modeling), surface finishing, and assembly/packaging capabilities. There is also a state-of-the-art hydraulic recoil simulation complex.
Core items produced at the center are howitzer cradles, recoils, and mounts; with RIA-JMTC manufacturing being the only domestic producer of hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanisms for artillery systems. The center is the sole producer of the M119A2 105 mm Howitzer, Shop Equipment Contact Maintenance System, the Body Explosive Ordnance Disposal System, Forward Repair System, and small arms field service gages. RIA-JMTC is the sole producer of approximately 75% of the items it manufactures.
Recent developments include armor kits for several tactical vehicles; reset for Chemical/Biological Protected System, Trailers, M119 105mm Towed Howitzer and M17A3 Lightweight Decontamination System; production of M6, M7 and MK93 Pedestal Gun Mounts/Stands, Petroleum Quality Analysis System, and the Gun Electronic Laying Optic Night Sight (GELONS). The center also hosted the roll out ceremony of the Dragon Fire Mortar System. These systems all support the Global War on Terrorism, modularity requirements, and Future Combat Systems.
The center also utilizes one of the largest warehouse facilities under one roof at over 770,000 square feet. The center's quality and process improvement initiatives include using Lean/ Six Sigma to improve its overall efficiency and effectiveness and ISO 9001:2000 compliant.