Dassault Systèmes Joins Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation

Dassault Systèmes (Waltham, Massachusetts) has announced its charter membership in the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), a 122- member consortium with the goal of creating better composite materials and technologies for rapid deployment within the automotive, wind turbine and compressed gas storage industries. As a charter member of IACMI, Dassault Systèmes will work alongside partners in the nonprofit sector, universities, national laboratories and private industry, as well as the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office.

The new institute will focus on advanced fiber-reinforced polymer composites that combine strong fibers with tough plastics to yield materials that are lighter and stronger than steel. While advanced composites are used in industries such as aerospace, military vehicles, satellites and luxury cars, the materials remain expensive, require large amounts of energy to manufacture and are difficult to recycle. IACMI is dedicated to overcoming these barriers by developing low-cost, high-production, energy-efficient manufacturing and recycling processes for composites applications.

The IACMI is the fifth named institute in President Obama’s plan for the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). The public-private partnership was selected through a competitive process led by the Advanced Manufacturing Office within the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The DOE Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute’s award is supported by a $70 million federal commitment over five years, combined with an equal or greater amount in non-federal resources.