Consortium for Accelerated Innovation and Insertion of Advanced Composites (CAIIAC)

Goal: Create a consortium to foster a domestic manufacturing ecosystem to accelerate innovation and industry adoption of advanced composite technologies by significantly shortening "manufacturing maturation cycles" and providing "right-the-first-time production yields."

Lead: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)
813 Ferst Drive, N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30332

Award Number: 70NANB14H051

Federal Funding: $385,112

Project Duration: 18 months

GTMI, in collaboration with Advanced Materials Professional Services, Florida State University, and the University of Dayton, will launch the Consortium for Accelerated Innovation and Insertion of Advanced Composites (CAIIAC). Already, 39 companies and government laboratories representing the aerospace, automotive, energy, and medical device sectors have committed to participating in CAIIC. More than 60 percent of these partners are small- or medium-sized enterprises that play a critical role in the U.S. supplier network. Starting with an industry-driven roadmapping process, the new consortium aims to:

• Accelerate innovation and help to speed development and deployment of advanced composites;
• Develop broad-based applications for advanced composites; and
• Encourage "invent here, build here" to improve U.S. competitiveness.

Despite the growth of composite industry over the past 30 years, broad-based commercial adoption of lightweight composites has been slower than expected. Industry has yet to be convinced of the superior "system-level" performance and "life-cycle" cost benefits. Seriously challenged by other countries, the U.S. composite industry faces several system-wide challenges, including developing affordable, scalable and reproducible manufacturing capabilities; methods for quick and reliable repair and joining; standardized approaches to composite design and testing; and more effective means of recycling and reuse. The potential business benefits of meeting these challenges are compelling; however, meeting them requires technical and financial resources beyond the reach of individual companies. Formation of an industry-driven CAIIAC will accelerate innovation and insertion of advanced composites.

For project information: Ben Wang, (404) 385-2068, ben.wang [at] gatech.edu (ben[dot]wang[at]gatech[dot]edu)

Funded Participants:

• Advanced Materials Professional Services (Longwood, FL)

AMTech Project Manager: Louis Staudenmann, (301) 975-4866, jean-louis.staudenmann [at] nist.gov (jean-louis[dot]staudenmann[at]nist[dot]gov)