IACMI in Ohio

Leading the World’s New Aerospace Era

The Birthplace of Aviation is home to the Dayton Composites Center, where world-class equipment, technology and R&D expertise come together. The center’s mission is to develop high-rate, low-cost manufacturing solutions for aerospace and advanced air mobility. 

Equipment + Expertise = Opportunity

The Dayton Composites Center is a leader in high-rate, low-cost aerostructures research and development. This work is essential to U.S. competitiveness in advanced mobility, from drones to electronic vertical takeoff and landing (e-VTOL) aircraft. IACMI members have opportunities to access expertise and capabilities built over 60 years. 

Dayton Composites Center team expertise spans the entire lifecycle of an aircraft, from design to maintenance. IACMI members can access specialists with knowledge of every phase of aerospace manufacturing. The team consists of more than a dozen leading scientists and engineers, augmented by UDRI staff whose work crosses over into composites.

 

Facility Host and Partners

Dayton Composites Center is part of the world-renowned 500,000-square-foot, 850-employee University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI), a founding IACMI member. The center neighbors the U.S. Wright Patterson Air Force Base, home to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), which collaborates on many projects. Industry partners include NASA, Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Teijin and Joby Aviation, to name a few.

IACMI Member Benefits

IACMI member companies can leverage the center for:

  • On-Site Expertise 
  • Design Simulation
  • Materials Development
  • Multifunctional Structures Design and Testing
  • Cause and Failure Analysis

Key Equipment and Technology

  • Tailored Fiber Placement (TPP)
  • RapidClave Consolidation and Cure System
  • Long-Fiber Injection (LFI) and Pre-Forming
  • Carbon Nanotube Production Lines
  • Compressed Gas Storage Area
  • iCOMAT Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) Technology (coming soon!)

Representative Projects:

  • Technology Scale-Up: Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Technology (VACNT)
  • Technology Application: VACNT for NAWAHiStitch Mountain Bike Wheels
  • Material Evaluation and Testing: Cryogenic Hydrogen Storage
  • Process Demonstration: RapidClave Rapid-Cure Epoxy Pre-Preg
  • Application Development: Next-Gen RapidClave Clean Sheet Projects (coming soon!)

Technical Area Expert

High-Rate Aerostructures Fabrication Area Director & Working Group Leader
Distinguished Engineer, UDRI
IACMI Site Director, Dayton Composites Center