Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation - IACMI

Join us TODAY, March 2nd for our next Innovation Insights — and help us celebrate our 🎉 50th episode!

We’re featuring an incredible lineup of industry leaders:
🔹 Leyla Mirmomen, PhD, MBA. with Optimous
🔹 Jeff Hall with Carbon Fiber Recycling
🔹 Dario Pigliafreddo & Shayne Brody with Cannon S.p.A

Join us for Episode 50 as we celebrate:
🥇 The wins – 3,491 registrants
🥈 The lessons – 150+ expert speakers
🥉 The community – 5,300+ YouTube views and growing

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey. We can’t wait to celebrate with you — see you at 12! 🚀

Register now: https://lnkd.in/gmV4SrM5

🚀 Bright Ideas!
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Building Technology were 2025 CAMX ACE finalists in Market Growth for their groundbreaking GFRP exterior façade panels.

These lightweight glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) sandwich panels integrate structure, insulation, and durability into one high-performance system—designed for both new construction and retrofits.

✅ 60–80% lighter than traditional cladding
✅ High thermal resistance with minimal thermal bridging
✅ Faster installation for aging buildings
✅ Built to meet modern structural & weather standards

By redefining the building envelope, this innovation accelerates energy-efficient retrofits and supports decarbonization goals—all in one smart composite solution.

Read more: https://lnkd.in/dQpvREnV

Researchers at IACMI member companies, University of Maine and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a breakthrough method to dry cellulose nanofibers — a sustainable material that could replace plastics in many products.

Read more:

Mini tornadoes spin out dried cellulose nanofibers | ORNL Published: January 28, 2026 Updated: January 28, 2026 Researchers at the University of Maine and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are collaborating on a new way to dry non-aggregated cellulose nanofiber — a material that could replace plastics in a wide ...

IACMI Member, Advanced Carbons Council is hosting a free webinar on February 24th at 10 am!

The webinar is designed specifically for non-technical managers and decision-makers who need to understand the real business case for graphene.

If you’re responsible for product strategy, R&D direction, or investment decisions — this session will help you connect the science to ROI.
Move beyond the hype and make informed graphene decisions with confidence.

Register Now: https://lnkd.in/gVEYpngC

ICYMI: The recording of Innovation Insights is available!

We heard from:

Rob Klawonn with Rock Fiber
Mike Siwajek with CSP
Justin Brooks with IACMI/ METAL for America and America's Cutting Edge - ACE

www.youtube.com

Industry, education, and workforce leaders from across the country will convene in Texas this fall to confront the skilled labor crisis, rebuild critical talent pipelines, and secure the future of American manufacturing and defense. Join us!

The Make It In America Summit is led by IACMI and powered by Texas A&M University Engineering Workforce Development with support from the U.S. Department of War's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program.

Click here to save the date and get notified when registration opens. https://lnkd.in/erMzBjTZ

🚀 Bright Idea!

Electroimpact and Oak Ridge National Laboratory) have been recognized for developing an advanced process to manufacture composite rocket nozzles using robotic additive manufacturing and large-scale water-soluble tooling, winning a CAMX - The Composites and Advanced Materials Expo ACE award!

By replacing traditional metal molds with environmentally friendly dissolvable mandrels, this breakthrough eliminates machining, solvents, and complex demolding—reducing cost and lead time while enabling highly complex geometries and superior performance.

The result? Faster, cleaner, and more flexible production of high-performance thermoplastic aerospace components—marking a major advancement in scalable composite manufacturing.

Learn more: https://iacmi.org/bright-ideas-composite-rocket-nozzles/

Attention Manufacturing USA Institute Members—that's YOU, IACMI Members!

The National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing needs YOUR input. Join on February 11 at 2 pm ET for a virtual Town Hall session where you can share your thoughts on how federal efforts can create new jobs, strengthen the economy, and bolster national security.

https://nist.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/fASPhOUXTDizj_BHTpLZTg #/registration

Big news for Structural Composites, Inc. 🎉
They have been awarded a $9M+ contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Canaveral FRP Sector Gate Project at Port Canaveral.

The project includes designing and delivering the largest fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sector gates ever used by USACE, marking a major shift from traditional steel to advanced composite materials. These next-generation gates offer longer service life, dramatically lower maintenance, and significant lifecycle cost savings, helping modernize critical marine infrastructure.

The project also leverages collaboration with IACMI and industry partners to support workforce training, innovation, and long-term knowledge transfer—further strengthening U.S.-based advanced manufacturing.

Read more: https://lnkd.in/g_R2kY52

Today at 12 PM ET, Innovation Insights featuring:

Justin Brooks with IACMI talking about our METAL for America and America's Cutting Edge - ACE programs
Mike Siwajek with CSP
Rob Klawonn with Rock Fiber (USA)

Join us TODAY, register now: https://lnkd.in/guvGwfNq

🚀 Bright Ideas | 2025 CAMX Finalist

National Institutes of Applied Research, NIAR / Wichita State University, with A&P Technology, Inc. and Fiber Dynamics, Inc., was a 2025 CAMX finalist for advancing aerospace composites with an overbraided, single-piece serpentine duct using melt-out tooling.
By overbraiding directly over recyclable tooling, the team enabled a highly integrated, damage-tolerant composite duct—then infused, cured, and melted out the core to deliver a lightweight, scalable structure ready for production.

💡 Why it matters:
Braided composites provide intrinsic through-thickness reinforcement, reducing delamination risk while enabling precise load tailoring, automation-ready manufacturing, and high-rate production—all with lower tooling cost and lead time.
“The goal was to validate an integrated process chain that reduces tooling cost and lead time while enabling sustainable, high-rate composite production.”
— Dr. Waruna Seneviratne Seneviratne, Director, ATLAS, NIAR

Watch the video: https://lnkd.in/gkAfC2Hq

Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gS4u9Z6P