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Illustration of polymer flow exiting the flooding die
Building Data Bridges between Producers
& Users of Low-Cost Carbon Fiber
New Work Tackles Challenges of Producing Thermoplastic Tapes Directly from Textile-Based PAN Carbon Fiber One of the biggest challenges the advanced composites industry faces is that there is insufficient supply of low-cost carbon fiber to meet demand in industries that would use the reinforcement if they could both afford it and get enough of it in a usable form. This is a long-standing challenge and one that many IACMI members and members of the global advanced-composites supply chain have long worked on.
Research on alternative precursors is one promising area—particularly the use of textile-based polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor. However, these materials are quite different from conventional aerospace-PAN-based carbon fiber and work is needed to better characterize such fiber to help those who will eventually produce, finish, and package it and those who will convert and use it.
Under the guidance of IACMI Chief Technology Officer Uday Vaidya, many IACMI projects have been focusing on just that over the last few years. One set of projects—learning how to directly convert textile-PAN carbon fiber (TCF) into thermoplastic tapes—has shown promising results and is the focus of this story.
To learn more, read HERE.
IACMI launches workforce development initiative,
Elevate by IACMI
Through IACMI’s successful workforce development track record in its first five years, it has built a reputation as a leader in training experiences in the advanced composites industry. As IACMI looks toward its future in the advanced manufacturing space, its workforce development initiatives have grown in scope and diversity, leading the institute to create a workforce development program, Elevate by IACMI.
Elevate will serve as an initiative to bring together the diverse stakeholders and partners in the advanced manufacturing workforce development field. Led by Joannie Harmon, IACMI’s workforce development director, Elevate will implement programs and grow workforce development training opportunities in alignment with IACMI’s mission and vision.
“Our partners and areas of opportunity for increased training became increasingly diverse as we hosted internships and training workshops through our first five years as IACMI,” said Joannie. “We look forward to our new opportunities and areas where we can continue to provide meaningful workforce training experiences.”
There are several workforce development initiatives currently getting started through Elevate by IACMI. IACMI was awarded the $3M Office of Naval Research’s Manufacturing Education Extension Program (MEEP) grant in 2019 and has created the Advanced Composites Careers Pathway (ACCP) program through that initiative. Additionally, IACMI is participating on fellow Manufacturing USA institute, NextFlex’s, FlexFactor STEM workforce initiative. Finally, IACMI was most recently awarded a $2.6M grant from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program to create an asynchronous machine tooling training program that augments current CAM software available in the machine tooling industry.
A new Elevate by IACMI microsite launched today. It can be accessed via our website (iacmi.org and click Workforce), so stay tuned for more updates, and learn more about Elevate initiatives on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as Joannie presents at 1 pm EDT at our Fall 2020 Virtual Members Meeting.
To register and learn more about the Members Meeting visit www.iacmi.org/fall2020.
The ABS mold shown here was printed using the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility's Big Area Additive Manufacturing system. The mold was then filled with 15,000 pounds of concrete. Temperature and vibration sensors were embedded inside the concrete to enable process monitoring
IMTS Spark: Machine Tool Moonshot
It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to change the trajectory of an industry, but that is exactly what Tony Schmitz and Scott Smith are setting out to do. Both are part of an Oak Ridge National Laboratory machine tool moonshot project that is using large format polymer printing capabilities to produce molds for concrete machine tool bases.
An engineering professor at University of Tennessee and ORNL joint faculty, Tony launched a four-part IMTS Spark talk Monday (Oct. 5) with episode one – “Moonshot: Polymer mold printing for concrete base machine tool.” IMTS Spark is a digital venture by the International Manufacturing Technology Show. Scott, who leads ORNL’s Intelligent Machine Tools research, and a team at ORNL joined Tony in launching the series that featured a live Q&A session.
In the first 30-minute episode, Tony describes the polymer mold printing using the BAAM system and the subsequent concrete fill, providing videos of both operations. He showed how the use of embedded sensors demonstrate two things: 1) the concrete temperature during curing outdoors and after transition to a temperature-controlled high bay and 2) the base vibration response to an external hammer impact.
The machine tool project is supported through America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) and is a partnership between the Department of Defense Industrial Policy Office, Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, ORNL, IACMI, and UTK.
Watch episode one as well as upcoming episodes Nov. 2, Dec. 7 and Jan. 4 at www.iacmi.org/moonshot
[Editor’s Note: Watch for more about ACE, a national initiative for machine tools technology development and advancement, and an IACMI-led machine tool workforce development initiative in an upcoming newsletter.]
Emma Betters: Advancing Machining and Revitalizing Industry
Emma Betters, a machining researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is part of a moonshot initiative at the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, or MDF, to design a new process for building machine tools in the U.S., utilizing 3D printing and concrete.
Betters joined the lab in 2019 as a member of the newly formed machining and machine tool research group at ORNL. In just a little over a year, the early career researcher is already a primary contributor to what her group leader and manufacturing colleagues are calling a moonshot initiative. It’s not powered by rockets nor meant to land on the moon, but if successful, the initiative has the potential to revolutionize the machine tool industry in the U.S.
“We’re building a machine that will change how machine tools are made in the near future,” Betters explained. “It’s a dream project.”
Read the full story HERE.
Attention IACMI members! Our Fall 2020 Virtual Members Meeting kicks off tomorrow, Oct. 7. We’re excited to have you join us for this premier two-day composites event as we bring together industry thought leaders, technical specialists and academic experts driving manufacturing innovation. The meeting will highlight advancements in IACMI’s technology areas, member successes, technical project updates and new workforce development initiatives. Log in early and network and connect with key decision makers from major OEMs, small to medium sized companies, government agencies and academic institutions. During the networking breaks, the online event platform, Remo (Remo.co), will allow you move about the virtual room from table to table and chat and network with participants. Be sure to check your email for the link to Day One-Oct. 7 activities and separate emails for the link(s) to Day Two-Oct. 8 Working Group sessions that you have registered for already. Download the action-packed agenda now and map out your day. If you have not registered there is still time. Register Here
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2360 Cherahala Blvd.
Knoxville, TN 37932
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