Innovation Insights webinar series continues with more

industry advancements from IACMI members, core partners

On Tuesday, June 22, IACMI Chief Commercialization Officer Dale Brosius will be returning once again to moderate our monthly webinar series "Innovation Insights" aimed at featuring recent composites technology advancements that industry may not be fully aware of.

Beginning at 12PM ET, join us for a one hour series of presentations from IACMI members and partners, where they will provide background on the technology, the products and key advantages and some application examples.

In our next episode you'll hear from:

Dr. Elias Shakour, Technology Leader - Composites Technologies, BASF
- "Diversifying the spray transfer molding (STM) technology from honeycomb load floor application to monolithic composites"
Michael Campbell, Technical Sales Rep, Technical Fibre Products Inc.
- "Enabling technologies utilizing multifunctional nonwovens"
Dr. Uday Vaidya, UT-ORNL Governor's Chair in Advanced Composites Manufacturing
- “Creative applications for composites in modern architecture"

Join us during your lunch break for these engaging presentations. There will be Q&A opportunities for the audience.

Click here to learn more and register!

IACMI's Quarterly Working Group Meetings wrap up with

engaging discussion, sharing advanced technology updates

Working Group leaders convened throughout the month of May sharing on the exciting developments happening in their technology areas.

Nearly 225 participants logged into our six Working Groups to hear from a variety of speakers, as they focused on a broad array of topics giving them opportunities to dive deep into areas of interest, as Working Groups are a key value of the IACMI Consortium.

Our Working Groups are:

Simulation/Digital Twin Working Group
High Rate Aerostructures Fabrication Working Group
Recycling/Circular Economy Working Group
Future Mobility/Vehicles Technology Working Group
Wind Energy Working Group
Infrastructure & Construction Working Group

Working Group meetings emphasize market-driven themes, advanced technology, group objectives, and ways to make an impact. Get involved in Working Groups that you already participate in, as well as in other areas of interest to you!

Presentations, meeting summaries, and meeting recordings will be uploaded on a rolling basis here, as they are approved by the speakers.

Our next Working Group meetings will be held in August 2021!

DOE awards IACMI grant for

innovative uses of South Appalachian coal resources

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has tapped IACMI to develop and deploy new technologies for manufacturing coal-derived products using coal resources near distressed South Appalachian coal communities.

The $1.5 million grant awarded to IACMI will assist in the development of technologies to extract and produce critical minerals from both coal and coal ash in the South Appalachian Basin of east Tennessee, northwest Georgia and northern Alabama. Production of critical materials essential for clean energy projects, such as electric vehicle batteries, resilient buildings and infrastructure, can create jobs in coal and power plant communities.

IACMI will leverage its consortium network, including UT, ORNL, Southern Company, State Geological Surveys of Alabama and Tennessee, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Roane State Community College, and several other stakeholders that are informally supporting the project.

Learn more about the project here.

IACMI, partners launch high-strength composite smart bridge

On May 12, federal, state and local lawmakers joined highway officials, university researchers and leaders in the composite industry as IACMI and a team of public-private bridge partners launched a high-strength composite bridge in Tennessee, the first fiber reinforced polymer vehicular deck to be installed on a road in the state. More than 80 people attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to showcase the use of composites in the durable bridge located on Elizabeth Church Road in rural Morgan County.

The bridge is being called a “smart bridge” by local road and Morgan County officials because the bridge has sensors embedded in the composite decking. Installed during construction by a group of University of Tennessee, Knoxville researchers and engineering students, the sensors generate data in real time, much like a smartphone.

Visit these links to learn more about the bridge:

www.iacmi.org/tncompositebridge
www.compositebridge.org

https://youtu.be/kzKpDdHrxjs

Helicoid Industries joins IACMI

IACMI would like to officially welcome Helicoid Industries to our 150+ member community of industry, academic institutions and government agencies leading innovation and workforce development initiatives to drive the adoption of advanced composites and strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.

Helicoid Industries is a California based startup founded in 2019 by a seasoned team of experts working to commercialize the Helicoid™ biomimetic fiber-reinforced composite technology. Helicoid Industries both licenses the technology to composite producers, as well as produces preform solutions. The Helicoid™ technology emulates the structure found in the Mantis Shrimp, which is one of the toughest structures in the world providing incredible impact resistance and weight savings. Compared against certain conventional Quasi-Isotropic (0°/+45°/-45°/90°) composites, Helicoid™ achieves higher impact strength of over 97%, energy dissipation of over 92%, and will delay catastrophic failure by over 74%. Helicoid™ can be applied to directional laminates to tailor in-plane strength with enhanced impact performance. Helicoid™ works with all fiber-reinforced composite materials, including glass, carbon, aramid, natural fibers, thermoset and thermoplastic matrix. Helicoid™ is compatible with all existing manufacturing processes (e.g. compression molding, tape layering, mandrel, pre-pregs, additive manufacturing).

Dr. Lorenzo Mencattelli

“IACMI offers Helicoid Industries direct exposure to a rich network of expertise and international leaders in the composites industry, creating strong synergies for business opportunities," said Dr. Lorenzo Mencattelli, Helicoid Industries' Director of Research Development. "IACMI’s industry-level manufacturing facilities and leadership is also pivotal to support Helicoid in various applications and to the creation of a robust supply chain for the industrial scale-up of Helicoid™ technology."

Are you interested in becoming an IACMI member? Click here to learn more.

Braskem, Vartega launch new carbon fiber recycling program

for 3D printing filament

Braskem, an American polyolefins and biopolymers producer, announced its expanded partnership with Vartega, a leading recycler of advanced materials including carbon fiber reinforced plastics, for a new 3D printing filament recycling program.

Braskem expanded its 3D printing product portfolio to include new, innovative carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene filament for 3D printing. This product is said to be made from 100% recycled carbon fiber supplied by Vartega and optimized for use with Braskem's polypropylene.

Through the new program, every box of Braskem's carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene filament sold will include information about how to recycle the used carbon fiber filament. Braskem and Vartega note 24,000 tons of carbon fiber waste is sent to landfills every year.

Read more here.

Emily Holt joins IACMI as communications intern

Emily Holt, a junior studying public relations and business administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, joined IACMI in May as a communications intern. Emily hit the ground running her first week at IACMI by supporting a ribbon cutting event showcasing a first-of-its kind composite bridge in Tennessee.

As a member of IACMI’s Summer 2021 Internship Program, Emily is assisting overall communications, media relations, special events and member outreach activities. Emily will play a key role in creating content for IACMI’s newsletter, website, and social media channels. She will also support IACMI Working Groups and workforce development activities, including America’s Cutting Edge CNC machining training bootcamps in Knoxville this summer.

A native of Signal Mountain, Tenn., Emily is an avid Vols sports fan and will serve as president of UT’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) student chapter this fall.

Live webinar series to discuss fiber dispersion

in aqueous systems

IACMI has partnered with Composites One to bring you a live webinar series hosted on Composites One's LinkedIn page. This experience will bring the latest in product and process technology to manufacturers and students alike.

Our latest company we're featuring, Endeavor Composites, has developed an innovative mixer technology to disperse long carbon fiber to produce defect free non-woven mats and preforms with excellent quality control.

Happening Thursday, June 24 at 1PM CDT, join Composites One Lead Technical Support Manager James Jones, IACMI Workforce and Community Development Manager Tyler Blevins, and Endeavor Composites President Hicham Ghossein, Ph.D. as they discuss:

How excess carbon fiber can be turned into usable preforms instead of being sent to the landfill
How long fibers aid in better performance and formability
The system alignment of circular economy goals, sustainability, and reduction in material waste

Users can visit the Composites One LinkedIn page at the time of the webinar and join us for the presentation, followed by a live Q&A with the presenters.

Click here for Composites One LinkedIn page.