The shape of things to come

By Ms. Jennifer M Caprioli (IMCOM)February 23, 2009

The shape of things to come
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. - Back shell nut wrenches are used to tighten back shell nuts on large cable assemblies here. The wrenches are cut from sheets of steel by a water jet cutting machine, used by employees in the Machining Branch to cut various types of material, such as steel, aluminum, plastic, copper, brass, glass and rubber. The machine is capable of making hundreds of wrenches per day, depending on its size.

The 36 employees in the branch, which is part of the Systems Integration and Support Directorate, work on Computer Numerical Control and manual machines. CNC machines include mills, which are used to shape metal; lathes, which spin material to allow for symmetrical cutting and sanding and the water jet. Manual machines include lathes, saws, drill presses, surface grinders and rubber molding.

Branch personnel may purchase a smaller water jet cutting machine because there is a large demand for the parts that are cut out using the machine, noted John Roskowski, branch work leader.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is the largest full-service Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance maintenance and logistics support facility in the Department of Defense. Employees repair, overhaul and fabricate electronics systems and components, from tactical field radios to the ground terminals for the defense satellite communications network.

Tobyhanna's missions support all branches of the Armed Forces. The depot is the Army Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Communications-Electronics, Avionics, and Missile Guidance and Control Systems and the Air Force Technology Repair Center for ground communications and electronics.

About 5,700 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command. Headquartered at Fort Monmouth, N.J., the command's mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control, computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.

Related Links:

Tobyhanna Army Depot Web site