Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation—Inaugural Members Meeting

Sandia Wind Department technical staff members Josh Paquette and Brian Naughton attended the inaugural members meeting for the newly formed Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) in Knoxville, Tennessee. A few hundred attendees from the composites industry, academic institutions, and government agencies gathered to learn about opportunities to participate in the newest National Network for Manufacturing Innovation institute, a $259M project to develop East Tennessee into an advanced manufacturing hub, established through the Revitalize American Manufacturing Act.

The IACMI signing ceremony at the Knoxville Convention Center. (Left to right: Craig Blue, IACMI CEO; David Danielson, DOE-EERE; and David Millhorn, Univ. of Tennessee).

The program began with a signing ceremony between the DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson, IACMI CEO Craig Blue, and University of Tennessee Executive Vice President David Millhorn. Following, were a series of presentations on the organizational structure and goals of the IACMI. The focus of the public-private partnership will be on accelerating the use of composite materials, especially in transportation and energy applications, spurring the growth of high-paying jobs in East Tennessee and nationally.

The five-year IACMI technical goals include

• a 25% lower carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) cost,
• a 50% reduction in CFRP embodied energy, and
• an 80% composite recyclability into useful products.

These goals will be achieved through the integrated R&D work conducted in five technology areas: wind turbines; vehicles; compressed-gas storage; design, modeling, & simulation; and composite materials & process. Each technology area is headed by a director that will help coordinate research within and between technology areas to ensure the work meets the overall institute goals.

Sandia looks forward to bringing their 25+ years of experience in wind-turbine composites and manufacturing to the institute to work with previous and new industry and academic partners to realize the Institute’s goals and enhance the competitiveness of US composites manufacturing.