Innovative Marking Technology for Hand Grenades

The MK3A2 offensive hand grenade has been out of commission since 1975, leaving warfighters with stun (flash) and fragmentation grenades, which do not have the level of lethality for incapacitating enemy combatants. Efforts have been in the forefront to develop an optimized replacement. The objective of the Topic A181-077 SBIR program is to develop a novel and innovative technology that produces durable, legible markings on the XM111 offensive hand grenade without the need to treat overspray and smudging. The developed solution must also consider the ease of use and affordability of implementation into load-assembly-pack (LAP) facilities. The primary goals of Phase I involve developing a robust ink, determining the ink's compatibility with available printing systems, conducting durability testing (including spackle knife, acetone, and other ASTM methods), and identifying key parameters and verification methods for the initial system requirement specification (SRS). Phase II will primarily focus on scaling the process and demonstrating that the resulting system can produce 50,000 units per month, which will assist in a successful transition of the technology to commercialization.