March 21, 2018 | Source: 4M Carbon Fiber
Three 4M Carbon Fiber Corp. technicians completed multiple Tooling U-SME courses related to the production of carbon fiber and composites. The courses include topics such as electrical circuits and equipment design and were provided via membership with IACMI – The Composites Institute. Through these online national workforce training Tooling U-SME courses, Jacob Perry, Mike Agentis, Jr., and Nick Grubb furthered their education and gained valuable insight into necessary composites production techniques and other engineering skills used in the composites industry.
The most popular training for the group was a 19-lesson course, which included an interactive lab and content for basic components of an electrical circuit and how they are used in schematic drawings. The program provides knowledge that will support advanced training on carbon fiber production and other composites manufacturing topics as employees grow professionally. Participants are able to evaluate knowledge gained by taking pre and post-course examination that measure the skills introduced through the classes. This program allows 4M Carbon Fiber Corp. and IACMI to further develop workforce training curriculum priorities and to understand future training needs and opportunities.
“Utilizing this training opportunity allows our employees to gain the valuable skills they need, without disrupting production,” said Anderson Little, 4M Carbon Fiber Corp. Project Manager.
RMX Technologies, LLC and 4M Carbon Fiber Corp. are working closely on the commercialization of the plasma oxidation technology for the production of carbon fiber while demonstrating carbon fiber and oxidized fiber properties with various precursor materials. RMX Technologies has been an IACMI member since it began and participates in IACMI technology development projects and workforce development initiatives. These activities support the 4M Carbon Fiber Corp. objectives of developing the workforce that will be required to manufacture, construct, commission, and operate the advanced production system being designed and constructed by 4M for the manufacture of low cost carbon fiber.
In addition to encouraging employees to participate in Tooling U-SME courses, RMX and 4M support workforce development by hosting IACMI interns. RMX hosted an undergraduate mechanical engineering summer IACMI intern in 2017 from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. RMX and 4M will host 2 or 3 interns this summer.
About IACMI-The Composites Institute:
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation’s energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate innovative research and development in the advanced composites field. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national Manufacturing USA institute is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office and over $180 million committed from IACMI’s partners. Find out more at IACMI.org.