Producing perfect parts

About five years ago, the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees all aspects of nuclear weapons design, production, and maintenance, expressed interest in standing up a small facility in which certain nonnuclear parts for nuclear weapons could be made quickly and in small numbers. The new facility would complement the Kansas City National Security Campus, where the majority of such weapons components are manufactured.

“We put our foot in the door and said, ‘Hey, we can be agile and stand up this brand-new capability and provide these parts for you,” says Scott Schaffer, a manufacturing engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

From there, the Mark Quality Manufacturing Center (MQMC) was born. Part of the Lab’s Prototype Fabrication division, MQMC makes parts and assembled components for weapons alterations, which are upgrades to a weapon’s systems, subsystems, or components. Since 2021, MQMC has provided 608 components for a  B61-12 gravity bomb alteration and 230 assemblies for a W88 warhead alteration. MQMC is scheduled to complete 110 assemblies for a W76 warhead alteration by the end of 2025. 

“We are equipped to perform machining, assembly, and inspection of any product that will go directly on a weapon system,” says Ike Timko, another manufacturing engineer. “All our production parts are tiptop quality. They’re exactly the same rolling off the line, and we have qualified and documented processes that ensure they are consistent. That’s what we do here at the shop—make perfect parts.”

Within MQMC are six computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines, a wire electrical discharge machining device, and assembly workspaces. “We’re cranking out parts constantly—it’s pretty exciting,” Timko says. “The thing about manufacturing that’s most exciting to me is being able to turn a chunk of metal into a complex, custom part.”

Timko gestures to a large (about 20 feet long and 8 feet high) five-axis CNC machine. “On this machine, we’re making teeny-tiny little screws out of titanium right now,” he explains, “but we have also used it to make parts that are two or three feet long, all with super-high precision.” He points out that all the machines can carry out multiple processes and adapt for a variety of projects, so MQMC is ready for whatever manufacturing task comes next.

“Our goal is to make the shop as modular as possible, as diverse as possible,” says MQMC shop supervisor Bob Qualick. “These are flexible multi-axis devices, meaning they can machine in any direction to create super complex geometries in one setup.”

After parts are manufactured, they head to the MQMC’s high-precision inspection space, where temperature, humidity, and particulates are carefully monitored and controlled. Three coordinate measuring machines (CMMs, nicknamed “the triplets”), an optical comparator, a perthometer, and a profilometer are used to conduct 3D measuring and scans of every manufactured part.

“The machines are phenomenal,” says inspection shop supervisor Steve Pattinson. “The CMMs are capable of measuring parts with an accuracy of just a few microns. For comparison, a human hair is about 70 microns.” To maintain security, Pattison and his staff calibrate and maintain the high-precision measurement machines themselves, without outside assistance. He notes that “if the temperature in the room goes above or below our acceptable standards, we have to recalibrate them.”

Once inspected and certified, the parts and assemblies receive a diamond-shaped stamp that signifies their quality, precision, safety, and readiness for installation into a weapon. “The fact that we are approved to diamond-stamp parts within the MQMC as ‘stockpile ready’ is a testament to the quality of the work,” Schaffer says. 

The MQMC also maintains rigorous quality standards when storing manufacturing process data. The staff uses specialized software to compile detailed records that accompany every part. “It’s paperless, barcoded, and meticulously organized,” says Timko (who admits that his personal garage is also meticulously organized).

Timko says every aspect of MQMC is aimed at creating a highly efficient facility that can adapt to multiple demands and projects. “It’s kind of a startup, agile approach to manufacturing,” he says. “The whole spirit of this place is to just get things done quickly in support of our mission.” ★

Learn more about MQMC in this podcast: