Government Continues to Invest in Composites Research
The U.S. government is investing heavily in the composites industry. Whether through federal stimulus money or a specific grant, it is clear that in the future, composites are getting an opportunity to shine. Several companies, including Angstron Materials Inc., PPG Industries, Kenway Corporation and others, recently received grant funding, which they plan to use on R&D.
Angstron Materials Inc., a producer of nano graphene platelets (NGPs), was awarded nearly $1.5 million to develop processes for mass-producing chemically modified NGPs for a number of applications in the aerospace, energy, defense, automotive and telecommunications markets. Angstron was selected for the award by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Part of NIST’s Technology Innovation Program (TIP), the award will be matched by other funding sources. TIP selected Angstron based on its capability to accelerate development of nano graphene, an advanced material considered critical to potential growth in U.S. manufacturing. “We’ll also be able to help industries that currently need and use carbon nanotubes, but would benefit from higher performance and a lower cost,” said Bor Jang, CEO of Angstron.
Pittsburg-based PPG Industries, in partnership with MAG Industrial Automation Systems, was selected to receive a $741,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the development of materials and automation processes for wind blade manufacturing. Daniel Allman, director of MAG’s composites business unit, says, “The opportunity presented by the DOE and our partnership with PPG both enable us to demonstrate technology capable of revolutionizing wind blade manufacturing. Our intent is to bring to wind blade manufacturing the same advantages of automation that we developed for aerospace composites.”
Kenway Corporation expects to receive a $300,000 grant from the state of Maine that will help fund a $1.8 million project developing new temperature-controlled molds (TCM) for manufacturing. “Not only will this program train our employees on the manufacturing of the new TCM molds technology, but it will also disseminate this technology and training throughout Maine’s composites industry, providing the state a competitive advantage in traditional industries like boat-building and the burgeoning wind turbine market,” says Ian Kopp, vice president of Kenway Corp.
More information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and grant funding is available online.
