We invite you to share this newsletter with a colleague and sign up here.
Virtual FALL 2020 MEMBERS MEETING October 7-8 Mark your calendars for October 7-8, 2020 and plan to join IACMI for a virtual and engaging Fall 2020 Members Meeting. Registration is now open. Sure, we would rather meet with you – our friends and partners in the composites industry – in person at a nice venue in a nice city but we know this is not possible in the current environment. Our focus right now is ensuring everyone’s health, safety and wellbeing.
October 8 (Day 2)
“Block your calendars now for October 7th and 8th, as if you were traveling to an IACMI members meeting, so your colleagues don’t tie up your schedule,” emphasizes Dale Brosius, IACMI Consortium Executive Director. “Better yet, invite those same colleagues to attend!”
Advanced manufacturing learning through collaborative creating during the COVID-19 pandemic
Earlier this year, on the last Saturday of spring break, Alex Stiles (shown here) reached out through a GroupMe chat to ask University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tickle College of Engineering (TCOE) student group presidents if any of them had personal 3D printers and would be interested in supporting Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s (TEMA) call to create headband portions of face shields for health care workers supporting COVID-19 patients.
He immediately got a response of more than a dozen UT students, which led to the creation of over 200 face shield headbands in three days. Stiles is a PhD candidate in energy science and engineering through the UT-ORNL Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, where he is a graduate fellow who has participated on many technical research projects and has led many workforce development initiatives through IACMI – The Composites Institute.
An audience with...CompositeWorld Editor-in-Chief Jeff Sloan Jeff Sloan’s on a mission. The CW editor-in-chief wants folks across the composites industry to speak up and tell others the significant impact that composite materials have on our daily lives. Now in its second year, National Composites Week is the last week of August (Aug. 24-28). This year’s theme is quite appropriate, “Composites Are Essential.” Our industry has done some extraordinary things to combat COVID 19. Now it is time to share these amazing stories using hashtags: #NationalCompositesWeek and #CompositesAreEssential hashtags. Jeff explains how all of us —and our companies —can spread the word. Q1: What is National Composites Week? Jeff –It’s a way to promote the composite industry and show the world the significant impact that composites play in our daily lives. It’s important to promote what we do inside and outside of our industry. National Composites Week was conceived last year by a group of composites industry professionals looking for a way to help the composites industry collectively —from raw material suppliers all the way to the end user —celebrate what it does. CompositesWorld worked with A&P Technology and Hexcel to bring the idea to life. It started as only a single day to celebrate composites but, ultimately, grew into a full week.
Q2: How is National Composites Week celebrated? Jeff –In many ways. But, we encourage people to pick one “event” per day of National Composites Week and share it however they would like. This year, it could be a virtual tour of your facility, a photo of your staff, a photo of employees at work, a video of some of the parts and structures made at your facility, or any other image or video that highlights what you do personally in composites or what your company does. It’s perfect for sharing on social media —LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
Q3: How can I learn more about National Composites Week? Jeff –For starters, visit www.nationalcompositesweek.com and download NCW PR assets. We’ve got a comprehensive kit, or National Composites Week Host Guide. CompositesWorld will aggregate logos of companies that participate in National Composites Week and display those on the site. If you want to see how companies celebrated last year, check out #nationalcompositesweek on your favorite social channel. Be sure to include #CompositesWorldand we’ll be sure to reshare it.
IACMI – The Composites Institute was established in 2015 to overcome the technical and economic hurdles that limit market penetration of composites across multiple markets. Since our founding, IACMI has assembled the world’s largest collection of technical assets and talent related to composites technology, from national labs to premier research universities to education of the next generation of engineers and technicians. IACMI brings together members throughout the supply chain, from the smallest companies to the largest, to address industry needs. If your obstacles to growth relate to materials selection, optimization and testing, cycle time reduction, product design and simulation, inspection or recycling options, IACMI can help you address those problems. This webinar will introduce the breadth of IACMI capabilities available to the composites community, with examples of successful industrial collaboration projects.
In The News
The retired inventor of N95 masks is back at work, mostly for free, to fight COVID-19
July 7 - When coronavirus began rapidly spreading across the globe in March, Dr. Peter Tsai was brought out of retirement to find ways to scale up production and reuse his patented N95 mask from 1995. Residing in Knoxville, Tennessee, Dr. Tsai began collaborating with Oak Ridge National Lab to find the most efficient way to scale up production of his mask design.
Purdue develops lignin extraction method for sustainable composite board resin binder
Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind., U.S.) reports that its researchers have developed a lower-cost, sustainable and greener method for producing composite boards, a method that Purdue says is already seeing growing support from major industry players like high-pressure laminates distributor Wilsonart(Temple, Texas, U.S.), and CalPlant (Willows, Calif., U.S.), an agrifiber-focused company that produces rice straw-based medium-density fiberboard.
Source: General Motors Co. Composites-intensive masterwork: 2020 Corvette
Earlier this year, the first installment of the eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette rolled off GM’s Bowling Green, Ky., U.S. assembly line. Described as the “fastest, most powerful entry Corvette” in the model’s 67-year history, it’s also the most composites-intensive Corvette, and the first to feature a mid-engine configuration. Not only is the 2020 Corvette Stingray beautiful and fast, but it’s tricked out with a host of luxury features. However, don’t let good looks and fast track times fool you: there’s plenty of composites innovation on this car. Check out CompositeWorld’s two-part coverage of composites in the Corvette.
IACMI - The Composites Institute 2360 Cherahala Blvd. Knoxville, TN 37932
Email preferences | Unsubscribe |