IACMI Open House Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation, New Headquarters, and Cutting-edge Composites Laboratory

/EIN News/ -- KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IACMI–The Composites Institute® celebrated today the opening of its new national headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn., located in Innovation South at the University of Tennessee (UT) Research Park at Cherokee Farm.

The IACMI offices are co-located with the new, expanded UT Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF), a 44,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art laboratory. This lab will serve as a pivotal center for advanced composites and manufacturing, driving research, commercialization, and workforce training to strengthen U.S. competitiveness.

“Innovation South provides a strategic location for IACMI that will serve as a hub in the Southeast for regional collaboration in cutting-edge composites and advanced manufacturing,” said Chad Duty, IACMI CEO. “This new location, along with FCMF, offers exceptional opportunities for public-private partnerships, providing IACMI members and industry leaders with access to innovative research, world-class facilities, and shared office space in Knoxville.”

Prior to the move to Innovation South, IACMI, established in 2015 by the Department of Energy, had offices near Hardin Valley. For 10 years, IACMI has accelerated the use of advanced composites – which are lighter, stronger, corrosion resistant and energy efficient – in transportation, energy and infrastructure applications. A leader in workforce development, the institute has provided hands-on advanced manufacturing training for more than 5,100 individuals and engaged more than 18,000 students in STEM outreach.

“Innovation South enables us to develop materials-by-design solutions that will reduce the cost, energy, and manufacturing time of next-generation products,” said Uday Vaidya, IACMI Chief Technology Officer and the UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair for Advanced Composites Manufacturing. “It will be a place to conduct research and development at scale and transition innovative ideas and concepts to field commercial applications. This is unique to the East Tennessee ecosystem.”

Some of the equipment in this new facility includes:

1. Michelman Sizing line
2. High speed Wabash Compression Presses -150 Ton, 100 Ton, 500 Ton
3. RocTool induction heating system with custom 18”x18” tool for rapid cycle time processing of thermoplastic composites
4. Automated Tape Placement system
5. Natural fiber matmaking and spinning line
6. Composite Recycling
7. Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM)
   

The facility will serve as a training hub for students from K-12, technical colleges, universities, and industry professionals, offering hands-on learning experiences in cutting-edge composites and manufacturing. This focus on workforce development ensures that Tennessee’s current and future workforce gains the critical skills needed to meet the growing demand in advanced manufacturing industries.

About IACMI

The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, or IACMI–The Composites Institute®, is dedicated to securing U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing by connecting people, ideas, and technology. IACMI is a 170-plus member community of industry, academic institutions, and government organizations working to enhance U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, with a strong focus on technology, commercialization and workforce development. Established in 2015 by the Department of Energy, IACMI is one of 18 Manufacturing USA Institutes collaborating to accelerate new technology, create new products, reduce costs and risks, and equip the workforce with future-ready skills. IACMI also partners with the Department of Defense to scale up industry-driven job skills and revitalize American manufacturing. Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, IACMI is managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation, a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation.

For more photos visit: IACMI Open House Photos.

Contact: Margaret Slattery
mslattery@iacmi.org