Thank you to the more than 300 IACMI members, partner organizations and friends from 34 states, as well as 8 countries, who registered and participated in our Winter 2021 Members Meeting virtually February 16-18, 2021. The three-day event showcased a stellar lineup of featured speakers. (Highlights from each speaker follow.) In addition, IACMI Working Groups met to discuss six industry relevant themes, including Infrastructure and Construction, Recycling/Circular Economy, High-Rate Aerostructures Fabrication, Simulation/Digital Twin, Future Mobility/Vehicles Technology and Wind Energy. Other program elements included remarks from the U.S. Department of Energy, presentations, breakout sessions, and results of IACMI Consortium Council elections.
Thank you to all the IACMI members, partners, and event sponsors – American Chemistry Council Plastics Division, Arkema, BASF, Dassault Systèmes, TPI Composites, Johns Manville and Zoltek – for helping make the Winter 2021 Members Meeting possible.
After a half day of IACMI Working Group meetings on February 16, the general session event kicked off February 17 with remarks from Valri Lightner, Deputy Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Office at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). She told conference participants IACMI has “validated technologies that meet all of the goals that were initially set out for the institute by DOE in 2015.” Lightner said the accomplishments IACMI and its members achieved during its first six years are foundational efforts to build upon toward achieving some of the clean energy goals of the Biden administration. See Lightner’s full comments here.
Following Lighter, IACMI CEO Dr. John Hopkins talked about IACMI’s ability to “Convene, Connect and Catalyze” member organizations with a focus on fulfilling agency missions and supporting national interests in Energy, Defense, Transportation and Commerce. “The market spaces have changed. We will continue to emphasize that mobility and infrastructure are key application areas. They set the backdrop for diverse technical challenges and the things that are most important to us,” Hopkins said. “In looking at how we drive the institute forward, it’s through these key activities of convening, connecting and catalyzing and doing it with a very purposeful approach.” Hopkins said the Institute will also continue to provide pathways for innovation in workforce development in a way to have impact in support of the national interest and the U.S. economy. See his presentation here.
The Members Meeting large group sessions continued February 17-18 featuring special presentations from the following. Here are some highlights.
Dr. Susan Tierney
Senior Advisor for the Analysis Group and
Former DOE Assistant Secretary for Policy
A member of the committee that developed a study to evaluate the status of technologies, policies and societal factors needed for decarbonization, Tierney presented on “Accelerating Decarbonization of the U.S. Energy Sector.” The first report looked at near and mid-term needs in the range of 5-20 years. She said it is possible and economically acceptable – or feasible – to reach a net-zero target by mid-century. See her presentation here.
Dr. Gunnar Merz, CEO
Composites United
Dr. Merz leads one of the world’s largest competence clusters of fiber-based lightweight technology connecting more than 380 national and international members with six locations in Germany. He presented on “Germany’s Industrial Strategy for Lightweighting and a Clean Energy Future.” He introduced a project called “Blancair,” which combines lightweight production of rotor blades for wind turbines with carbon dioxide binding for climate protection. The technology utilizes a filter module in a collection gate of a wind turbine to separate carbon dioxide and then store the gas on the ground. The collected CO2 can then be utilized for fuels, methane production or reconversion into electricity through green hydrogen production. “Not only can you store the carbon dioxide, but you can also get higher efficiency in your wind turbine,” Merz said. “Overall, it leads to a win-win situation.” See his presentation here.
Joannie Harmon, Director
IACMI Workforce Development
Presenting on “Training the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce of the Future,” Harmon said it is exciting to part of IACMI’s movement to help create and advance the next generation of manufacturing, including pairing industry needs with training resources designed to meet partners’ regional goals. She highlighted programs including Advanced Composite Career Pathways (ACCP), America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) and SkillCrafters. See her presentation here.
Steve Nolan, Senior Structural Engineer
Florida Department of Transportation
Speaking on “Advancements in FRP Composite Usage for Highway Infrastructure,” Nolan said the FDOT maintains 7,044 of Florida’s 12,529 bridges across the state, and almost a quarter of those, mostly along the coastline, are considered “in an extremely aggressive environment.” A mariner environment corrodes bridges. He said FDTO has successfully used FRP composites materials, specifically FRP-reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete, in several bridge repair and rehabilitation projects in recent years and is one of a handful of states doing so, a factor Nolan attributes to other states’ fear of trying new approaches. That up-front costs for composites are significantly higher than those for traditional steel, concrete and timber materials is a strike against FRP use in bridges and other highway infrastructure projects, Nolan said. The number one issue confronting the composites industry is the lack of data on long-term life-cycle cost of carbon-steel. An FDOT life-cycle analysis comparing carbon steel-RP/PC durability with FRP-RC/PC structures indicated the latter have a cost advantage of roughly $1.5 million. He said it showed the economically and environmentally sustainable advantage of FRP use in the coastal environment. See his presentation here.
John Geriguis
Advanced Development Lead
Joby Aviation
In the emerging realm of urban air mobility, lighter-weight materials and faster processing and production times will be key to achieving economy of scale, Joby Aviation’s Geriguis told IACMI members. Joby is set to launch an all-electric, zero-emissions vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in 2023. He said EOS 3D printing technologies and automated fiber placement machines will be major factors in its pursuit of lightweight materials. Designed to help alleviate growing traffic congestion in major urban areas and offer a sustainable mode of transportation, Joby’s aircraft can transport four passengers and a pilot, fly up to 150 miles on a single charge and cruise at 200 mph up to 4,000 feet high, although typical altitude will be 1,000. In December, Joby acquired Uber’s on-demand electric vertical takeoff and landing company, Uber Elevate, in a deal that included a $75 million investment in Joby by Uber Elevate’s then–parent company, Uber Technologies. Learn more at www.jobyaviation.com.
Jeff Sloan, Editor
Composites World
Sloan presented an overview of “Composite Markets, Materials and Processes: Where We Are and Where We Are Headed.” Sloan broke down the significant changes in the industry, highlighting the aerospace industry in both Pre Covid-19 and Post Covid-19 markets. Among the major changes are a significant reduction in air travel (U.S. air travel in 2020 plummeted 60-70%from 2019), Boeing’s cancellation of the New Midsize Airplane (NMA) and a change in the rollout of new, single aisle aircraft from several manufacturers to the 2025-2027 year range. Additionally, Sloan presented insight into the wind turbine industry, automotive, marine/RV/sporting goods outlook, pressure vessels and urban air mobility. See his presentation here.
Dr. Thomas R. Kurfess
Chief Manufacturing Officer, ORNL
Focusing on the theme “Democratizing Advanced Manufacturing – Ensuring Productivity and Security,” Kurfess said 3D printing helps bridge the gap from concept to manufacturing but scale up production is a challenge in advanced manufacturing. “How do you get from making one or two up to making thousands – it’s a big leap,” he said. Security in the development and production of new technology is also a challenge. Kurfess stressed that ORNL’s strategic plan for advanced manufacturing can be summarized as “Innovating Technology Faster Than The Competition Can Copy.” “If you’re going to put out a new technology, a new capability, then the competition will come,” he said. “What you need to be able to do is keep your technology and capability ahead of the competition. Our vision is rapid innovation to ensure U.S. dominance in advanced manufacturing.” One of the highlights of Kurfess’ presentation was his explanation of ORNL’s 110,000-square-foot Manufacturing Demonstration Facility which has essentially two shop floors – one for Rapid Innovation Capability and the other for Scale Up Capability. Kurfess said there is no other currently available open research facility with these combined capabilities. See his presentation here.
John Hensley, VP
American Clean Power Association
Hensley presented on “The Current and Future State of the Clean Energy Market” and noted wind energy is currently the largest source of clean power in the United States. There are wind projects in 41 different states, plus the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, he said, adding Texas leads the U.S. in the amount of electricity produced by wind power with Iowa coming in second. “Around nine-to-10% of all electricity used by Americans comes from wind energy,” he said. “In some states, that share is much, much higher. Iowa is the national leader with over 50% of electricity generated in that state coming from wind turbines.” More than $323 billion was invested in the wind industry in the U.S. in 2020, along with the payment of more than $2.6 billion in state and local taxes and lease payments to landowners across the U.S. last year as well. See his presentation here.
Dale Brosius, IACMI
Chief Commercialization Officer
Dr. Uday Vaidya, IACMI
Chief Technology Officer
Brosius and Vaidya wrapped up the Members Meeting with a look at the significant advances the composites industry has made over IACMI’s first five years in developing new materials, processes and manufacturing technologies; establishing new research facilities; and developing the workforce.
Now the focus is on the future, they said, and that includes growing IACMI’s membership base over the next five years from its current 150 members to 250. Vaidya said special emphasis will go to reaching small companies that would benefit most from IACMI’s assets and resources.
Brosius, citing one member’s recent observation that, in the composites industry, anyone looking for a solution should know IACMI is the place to go, said linking people who need solutions to providers of those solutions is a key role for IACMI, and the drive to attract more members has called for what IACMI calls a “three C’s” strategy.
“Convene, connect and catalyze,” Brosius said. “Convening the full composites ecosystem to share ideas and successes, connecting those looking for help with those that can help, and catalyzing innovation through focused technical projects and strengthening current and future workers’ skill sets.”
More Members Meeting Materials…
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SAVE THE DATE: Fall 2021 Members Meeting October 5-7, 2021
Mark your calendars for October 5-7, 2021 and plan on joining us in Detroit for our Fall 2021 Members Meeting. Stay tuned for more details.