KNOXVILLE, Tenn. and DAYTON, Ohio — February 7, 2020 — The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) – The Composites Institute hosted its Winter 2020 Members Meeting in Dayton, Ohio, in collaboration with its partners JobsOhio and the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI).
The meeting kicked off with tours of the expanding Dayton Composites Center, where UDRI is growing the space to meet the composites industry’s dual technology needs. The tours included materials and process demonstrations from UDRI, as well as from Ohio-based defense and aerospace-related companies including Globe Machine, SEPMAtech, Presidium, Owens Corning, Teijin, Composites Research Group, SpinTech, NAWA, and NanoSperse.
The meeting then continued with more than 225 attendees gathered at the University of Dayton Marriott for presentations focused on innovations in materials and processes making impacts in the composites industry, and how these innovations are fueled by collaborations among the public private partnership. The meeting kicked off with welcome remarks from Alex Fitzsimmons, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency (DAS-EE) at the U.S. Department of Energy. Fitzsimmons spoke about how the White House prioritizes supporting the U.S.’s manufacturing security and how IACMI has been at the center of manufacturing innovations since it is supporting the industries of the future. Fitzsimmons said, “Energy innovation in manufacturing is more important than ever before, and the IACMI consortium’s advanced manufacturing and workforce development initiatives support the Trump Administration’s goal to position the U.S.’s position as a global leader in manufacturing.”
The Members Meeting continued with presentations about advanced composites innovations in Ohio and the impact of advanced manufacturing in the state from Glenn Richardson with JobsOhio; Ohio Lt. Governor Jon A. Husted; Joe Zeis, the Senior Advisor for Aerospace & Defense for Governor DeWine; John Leland, the Vice President for Research and Executive Director of UDRI; and John Wilczynski, Executive Director of America Makes.
Keynotes, Julia Attwood with Bloomberg NEF, discussed the role for composites in energy, transport, and manufacturing with projections for the trends in the future of composites; and Michael Guckes with Gardner Intelligence, discussed the composites industry economic picture, analyzing former trends that have impacted the current composites industry.
IACMI technical project leads discussed the innovations and outcomes of their technical research projects. Soydan Ozcan with Oak Ridge National Laboratory led the discussion about recycling and creating materials and processes that incorporate and advance a circular economy perspective with presentations from Jordan Harris with Vartega, Chuck Ludwig with CHZ Technologies, and Mohamed Bouguettaya with BASF. Lt. Governor Husted met with several Ohio industry members at the event and praised their progress. “Innovation is driving the change to make our world a better and more sustainable place, and is the key to Ohio’s success,” noted Ohio Lt. Gov Jon Husted.
Brian Rice, one of IACMI’s technology area directors, and distinguished research engineer at UDRI, led a panel to provide insight on rapid, low-cost manufacturing for aerospace structures. Panel participants included Amanda Simpson with Airbus Americas, Andrea Helbach with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Robert Koon with Lockheed Martin, and Jessica Sisk with the U.S. Army Combat Capability Development Command, Aviation & Missile Center. “IACMI has created a unique opportunity for UDRI to leverage and expand its composites research expertise in aerospace to support commercial application in wind, compressed gas storage, and automotive markets. In doing so, UDRI expanded its technology and supply chain knowledge to bring innovation back to the aerospace sector. A panel later this morning led by Air Force, Army, Lockheed, and Airbus Americas highlighted future challenges and opportunities regarding synergies across application markets,” stated John Leland.
Ohio is the birthplace of aviation and a national resource for aerospace research, development and innovation, so it was most appropriate the event’s reception was held at the United States Air Force Museum, the world’s largest military aviation museum. Attendees were in awe of the opportunity to walk through decades of history and innovation in the hangars that housed research and development galleries, historical replicas and the Presidential Gallery, that features 10 historical aircraft representing more than 70 years of dedicated presidential service.
“Ohio continues to be a great partner for IACMI, being a central location for many Midwest IACMI members and a state that prioritizes support for innovations in advanced manufacturing. We are thankful for the partnership that has allowed the IACMI community to develop research projects that address the comprehensive adoption of advanced composites – creating new materials and manufacturing processes that incorporate composites in novel applications, and supporting the integration of a circular economy that puts environmental sustainability at the center of the consortium’s initiatives,” said John Hopkins, IACMI CEO.
IACMI has unveiled its new membership structure that extends beyond the current model and looks forward to the continued initiatives that will propel the institute into future innovation spaces. Tom Dobbins, President of American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA), highlighted the importance of future support for the institute during his remarks to the audience. The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) CEO, Gregg Balko, and Jeff Edwards, Executive Director for Utah’s Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) were also in attendance and provided strong support for the institute, its mission, and its members.
IACMI’s next Members Meeting is scheduled for July 14-16, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan.
Posted February 7, 2020
Source: The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) – The Composites Institute
