February 26, 2014 (Washington, DC) – Yesterday the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced its intent to establish a Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Composites Materials and Structures that will support U.S. prosperity and security and contribute to the creation of a national network of manufacturing innovation institutes.
President of the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) Tom Dobbins responded saying, “ACMA applauds the DOE for its vision in creating these innovation institutes, especially for composites. This high-strength, light-weight material has the potential to revolutionize a whole host of products, as it has done in wind energy. This investment will enable composites to play an even greater role in wind and transform other products, including automobiles, making them lighter, safer and more fuel efficient. ACMA also commends DOE for its thorough process for developing this RFP, giving the association and the industry the opportunity to participate in two requests for information and a full-day workshop in January. ACMA has played an active role in providing input to the agency.”
The vision for the institute is to revitalize American manufacturing and support domestic manufacturing competitiveness. The technical topic area for this institute is low-cost, energy-efficient manufacturing of fiber-reinforced polymer composites. Dobbins added, “ACMA sees this as an opportunity to unite the composites industry and forge a pathway to helping the industry reach its full potential. For this reason, ACMA will be very active in the process to define the institute and assure that it meets its full potential for serving the nation and the industry.”
