Detroit Tapped for New Composite Research Facility

The U.S. Dept. of Energy-backed Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) program is opening a $40 million research center in Detroit. The center will focus on materials research and developing production-scale applications for advanced fiber-reinforced polymer composites.

Announced in January, IACMI is a 122-member consortium funded by more than $70 million from the DOE and $189 million from industry, university and government partners. The program is led by the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Detroit center will be staffed and operated by Michigan State University, which is leading IACMI's efforts in Detroit. It will be co-located with the Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) program at a previously abandoned 100,000-sq-ft facility in Detroit's historic Corktown district.

IACMI and LIFT, both of which are part of the Obama administration's National Network for Manufacturing Innovation initiative, aim to accelerate the use of lightweight materials in next-generation vehicles.

While IACMI is focusing on advanced composites, LIFT targets high-strength metals. Locating the programs in the same facility will allow the two groups to collaborate with each other and with automotive partners to optimize the use of different materials for various vehicle applications, IACMI officials say.