Knoxville’s IACMI convenes industry voices on composites’ innovation
"At IACMI, our mission is to convene, connect and catalyze the composites community. Today's programming reflects that mission, highlighting new ideas, technologies and applications driving the future of composites," opened CCO Jason Gibson.
Knoxville-based Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) hosted an “Innovation Insights” webinar over the summer, highlighting three member companies utilizing emerging technologies and commercialization efforts across the composites industry.
Jason Gibson, IACMI’s CCO, moderated the session.
Presenting companies
The first presenter, Chris Sentz, CEO of Vitruvian, discussed the company’s large-format 3D printing technology, which has been used for projects ranging from a stage at a music festival to signage for a watershed conservation district. He also detailed the company’s workforce training pipeline as being innovative, pairing hands-on production work with credentialed instruction to help address labor shortages in manufacturing and construction. Though based in Columbus, Ohio, Vitruvian has ties to Tennessee’s innovation ecosystem. The company participated in the Spark Cleantech Accelerator back in 2023.
Eugene Timperman, president and executive engineer at AirTrac followed. He presented his company’s concept for an elevated mass-transit system built on composite guideways and air-cushion technology. Thisapproach, he said, could be built at a fraction of the cost of high-speed rail.
The webinar closed with Peter Levesque, design and project engineering manager at TxV Aero Composites. He overviewed how the company uses Victrex‘s low-melt PAEK thermoplastic polymer system to manufacture high-rate composite parts for aerospace applications, including hybrid components that combine composite laminates with injection-molded features.
Follow IACMI on LinkedIn to learn more about future programming here.
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