USM, Inc. is a complete engineering, design and manufacturing facility. We have been custom designing and fabricating custom scale models, operation and maintenance training aids/devices, test models, custom machining, mockups, and prototypes for 60 years.
USM can provide a full range of services including fabrication of custom products from supplied drawings to turn key projects that include design, engineering, and fabrication. We have extensive experience in developmental items comprised of ferrous/non-ferrous metals, plastic, and wood materials. Our clients represent a cross section of government and industry. USM maintains a staff with multiple talents and a variety of specialized skills who are able to respond quickly and efficiently to new requirements. With the use of state of the art computer aided design and production, USM is confident that we can deliver the highest quality product at the most competitive price. Forty-seven years of experience has made USM one of the largest and most diversified producers of custom products of this type in the United States.
Quality Assurance
- ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Facility
USM’s corporate offices and main facility is located at 12303 Fuqua, Houston, TX and consists of 40,000 square feet, housing administrative and engineering offices and a fully equipped production facility capable of supporting precision machining and custom fabrication. Our high bay is equipped with a 7 ½ ton overhead crane.
Our modern engineering and manufacturing facility incorporates over 40.000 sq. ft. of engineering and production space. Our low bays contain a fully equipped 8,000 sq. ft. machine shop, utilizing CNC machining, and an 8,000 sq. ft. model shop with state of the art equipment including a CO2 laser cutting machine. The high bay is used for fabrication, assembly and integration of larger models, mockups and trainers, and includes a 448 sq. ft. x 16 ft. high side down draft paint booth.
USM’s facility enables full size mockups to be constructed in it’s 30 ft. high assembly bay, using a seven and a half ton overhead crane. Our engineering department contains over 20 Auto Cad workstations.
Capabilities
- Machining, including CNC milling and lathe
- Welding & metal fabrication: Aluminum, Stainless steel, & carbon steel
- 3D printing (plastic, composite, and metal materials)
- CNC routing
- Electrical fabrication and assembly
- Plastic/metal fabrication
- Co2 Laser cutting
- Composite fabrication; Carbon fiber and fiberglass
- Vacuum forming
- Casting and molding, metals, plastic, and fiberglass
- Finishing; painting, anodizing, and plating
- Custom paint application & color matching
- Engineering and design
- Drafting, 3D modeling, CAD
- Computer programming and courseware development
- Computer 3-D modeling
- Computer based training
- Technical writing, manuals, and documentation
Our Shops
MACHINE SHOP
Fully Equipped Machine Shop
- CNC Mills
- Manual Lathes
- Support Equipment
MODEL/MOCKUP SHOP
Fully Equipped Model Shop
- Maxum, ABS plastic, FDM Rapid prototyping machine
- CO2 laser cutting machine (34” x 22” cutting bed)
WELDING SHOP
- 5 welding machines
- Miller air plasma cutting system
- Oxygen/acetylene cutting torch set
- 2 – 14″ Black and Decker heavy duty chop saw/li>
- Milwaukee electromagnetic drill press
- 2 – Grinder/sanders Milwaukee heavy duty
- Various welding/fabricating process jigs and fixtures
- Pneumatically actuated, pivoting head DoAll cut off saw
Staff
Within the past sixty years, USM has maintained a group of talented, creative, and multi-disciplined individuals who can work together as a team and produce custom equipment and products efficiently and cost effectively. USM currently employs 85 people with the capability to staff up quickly with qualified contract labor in order to meet the demands of any project. USM has also developed viable subcontractors to perform various processes and provide reliable, quality service.
Clients
- Northrop Grumman
- The Boeing Company
- NASA/JSC
- NASA/KSC
- Lockheed Martin
- Baker Hughes
- Weatherford
- Halliburton
- Schlumberger
- M-I Swaco
- NOV
- Oil States
- Noble Drilling
- Hydril
- McDermott
- TechnipFMC
- Emerson
- Raytheon
- Oceaneering
- GE
- Naval Air Warfare Center – TSD
- General Dynamics
- Stewart & Stevensen
- Pratt & Whitney
- BP
- ExxonMobil
- Chevron
- Shell
- Westinghouse
- Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory
- L3Harris
- Aegis Aerospace
- KBR
- Brown & Root
- Sundyne
- ABS
- NDT Global
- Transocean
Projects
The following are a few of the many models, training devices and mockups produce by USM for past and current clients
- Multiple shuttle orbiter and space station models at various scales.
- Many Space Shuttle Payload Mockups for NASA/Johnson Space Center (1-G and Neutral Buoyancy).
- 1G and Neutral Buoyancy Crew Training Articles for NASA/JSC.
- Full Scale Shuttle Crew Cabin Trainer CCTII for NASA/JSC.
- Spacehab/Vertical Access Trainer (SVAT) and Spacehab Module Trainer for McDonnell Douglas. Delivered to Cape Canaveral Spacehab Payload Processing Facility.
- Eureca Satellite Deployment Trainer for NASA/JSC.
- Space flight hardware for NASA/Johnson Space Center.
- Numerous full scale Space Station Modules for Neutral Buoyancy Training at NASA/JSC.
- Twelve large scale models and mockups of U.S. Space Hardware for the U.S. Pavilion at EXPO.
- On-going Task Order contract with Raytheon Technical Services Company – Houston operations, for the fabrication of various training hardware and electrical panels/components for the space station program.
- F-22 Air Vehicle Replica Maintenance Trainers
- F-22 Landing Gear Maintenance Trainer (LGT)
- F-22 AFT Fuselage Maintenance Trainer (AFT)
- F-22 Armament Trainer (AT)
- F-22 Fuel Systems Maintenance Trainer (FST)
- F-22 On-Structures Trainer (OST)
- F-22 Cockpit Full Mission Trainer (FMT)
- F-22 Cockpit Egress Procedures Trainer (EPT)
- F-22 Ejection seat mockups.
- C-17 APU Door Actuator & Door Trainer (AAI-ESI)
- C-130 Flight Simulator Crew Cabin/Cockpit (Raytheon Systems Company)
- C-130 H2 and H3 Satellite Navigator Consoles for Crew Training (Raytheon Systems Company)
- F-18 full scale cockpit/ejection seat/canopy system maintenance trainer for Naval Air Warfare Center TSD.
- F-14 full scale cockpit/ejection seat/canopy system maintenance trainers for Naval Air Warfare Center TSD.
- F-18 full scale ejection seat maintenance trainers for Naval Air Warfare Center TSD.
- Five SJU5& SJU6 high fidelity ejection seat mockups for (Naval Naval Air Warfare Center TSD) maintenance training.
- Thousands of custom scale models of industrial plants, industrial equipment & machinery, offshore drilling platforms, ships, architectural, and engineering design prototypes used for engineering evaluation, sales, display, and litigation.
- Five maintenance trainers for the Naval Air Warfare Center to train maintenance personnel in maintenance procedures for the LM2500 Gas Turbine Engine. These include three borescope trainers for internal inspection of the engine and a full size LM2500 engine separation trainer.
- Submarine Damage Control Trainer (design and installation, four locations, for Naval Air Warfare Center).
- Thirty computer driven Aircraft panel training devices for training in fuel quantity, electrical distribution, and engine ignition (Naval Air Warfare Center TSD).
- Cargo Load Model (C-17 cargo compartment used to train Air Force loadmasters for McDonnell Douglas.)
- Sixteen Maintenance Trainers of the Catapult Arrest System for the Navy AB Schools in Lakehurst, NJ, Norfolk, VA and San Diego, CA.
- Full scale mockups of vehicles for the Adversary Threat Training Group.
- Two maintenance trainers for the Naval Air Warfare Center to train maintenance personnel in maintenance and operation procedures for the Kingsbury Thrust Bearing and the Stern Tube Seal.
- Aviation Maintenance trainers for Naval Air Warfare Center.
Commendations
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- From Northrop Grumman for the Gateway and HALO space station training mockups
- From Boeing for outstanding performance on F-22 maintanance and Pilot cockpit training
- From KBR and NASA for the Orion platform and crew station trainer
- From the Naval Air Warfare Center-TSD for outstanding performance on F-14 & F-18 Maintenance Trainers.
- From the Adversary Threat Training Group on a job well done.
- From Boeing and the U. S. Air Force for outstanding performance on the C-17 Cargo Load Model Trainer.
- From Raytheon Systems Company for the fabrication and support of NASA’s ISS Space Station Training Facility
- From NASA for the fabrication of the SPDM NBL Training Mockup
