Next-generation composite materials are twice as light and three times as strong as composites currently in use. Advanced composites could potentially revolutionize advanced manufacturing. In fact, the White House believes that advanced composites will give American manufacturers a competitive edge, building a foundation for future growth and competitiveness.
With high expectations of fostering American innovation, boosting advanced manufacturing and creating high-value jobs, the Obama Administration announced that the University of Tennessee will lead the new Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, or IACMI. IACMI is a consortium of over 120 companies, organizations, universities and research laboratories.
Over $250 million, including $70 million in federal funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office and $180 million in non-federal funds, will be invested to develop low cost, energy efficient manufacturing methods for fiber reinforced polymer composites and foundational technologies that are broadly applicable in many industries. Advanced composite materials could be used in cars, satellites, wind turbines and aircraft among other things. The ability to produce these composites cheaply will have a transformational economic impact on American manufacturing.
The IACMI will focus on making advanced composites faster, less expensive and easier to recycle. The consortium will also focus on making the process greener. The consortium’s goal is to bring overall manufacturing costs down by 50%, reduce the energy used in their manufacture by 75% and dramatically increase the materials recyclability- by up to 95%.
TechVision21 enthusiastically supports the creation of regional innovation hubs, the public-private partnerships called Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation. America’s most prosperous regions and states are home to highly specialized, technology-intensive clusters of innovation, comprised of related companies and supporting organizations. These clusters attract investment and business activity from around the globe.
http://www.techvision21.com/inside-view/three-new-manufacturing-institutes-announced/