Discussing the America Makes Composites CFAM Project with Steven Floyd and Clark Patterson

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You're listening to compositesweekly,

the leading news and information podcast

of the composites industry.

And now you're host, Jonathan Taylor.

Welcome back to another episode of Composites Weekly.

Today I have two gentlemen joining me.

I have Clark Patterson and Steven Floyd

to discuss a project that's coming up early last month.

America makes and the National Center

for Defense Manufacturing and Machining

announced a selection of the University of Dayton Research

Institute as the awardee of a recent project

called Funded by the Air Force Research Laboratories

and Manufacturing Directorate.

This project will develop a comprehensive set of roadmaps

and reports to inform future DOD

and industry investment needed to scale

continuous fiber additive manufacturing technologies.

So these gentlemen are here to talk a little bit about that.

They have a series of workshops going

and the first technical workshop is being held

in Wichita, Kansas next week that's March the 24th

and with others to follow at the University of Delaware

and also Eastern Washington University.

So happy to have again, Steven Floyd and Clark Patterson

to talk about this project with America makes.

Guys, thanks for joining me on the podcast today.

First, I want to, I want you guys to introduce yourself.

Why don't we start with you, Steven?

Tell us a little bit about your background

and then we'll go with Clark.

Sure, yeah, and I wish I could have been at JEC

but hopefully everybody had a great time there.

Yeah.

So I'm Steven Floyd, CEO of Floyd Technology Consulting, LLC.

Also, I'm a Wollers Associate with Wollers Associates

powered by ASTM for added manufacturing consulting.

And so this project is around continuous fiber

additive manufacturing.

I spent 17 years in North of Grumman helping develop

additive technologies and ultimately left there

as the lead of space systems added manufacturing,

doing various things around metals, polymers, composites

and helping additive get into production.

One of the earlier things that I worked for a long time

now over 10 years was helping to create continuous fiber

additive manufacturing technologies,

the SCRAM machine that's out there.

You know, you'll be able to find cool videos on YouTube

from Electro Impact to check it out.

That's it's pretty amazing to watch.

Words don't really do justice.

Yeah, but I was one of the inventors on that.

That's awesome.

So excited to take those next steps here

and we'll tell you more about it in a little bit

but let Clark introduce himself next.

Yeah, so Clark, by the way, his video's blacked out

if you're watching for good reason, right?

He can't, yeah, we have some sensitivity

with DOD things and so that's right.

But yeah, I've been working in additive manufacturing,

advanced manufacturing for about two decades now,

for the last decade I've been doing it

in large format additive manufacturing.

So people who are familiar with like the Cincinnati BAM systems

are similar and I work currently

for a center street technologies

and are real interest in this and why I got involved

with Stephen and the group is we're trying to take it beyond

just the pellet fed large format additive manufacturing

and incorporating continuous fiber reinforcement

and really our interest is so broad in that

and simulation and other things

that we really have an interest in every facet of this program.

So we're trying to help pull it together

to educate people on this unique new approach

to added manufacturing and get into continuous fiber.

So tell us the, you guys are funded by,

is it the Air Force Research Laboratory materials

and manufacturing directorate?

Well, tell us a little bit about that.

Yeah, that's correct.

So Dennis Butcher out of Air Force Research Laboratories

is a lead sponsor behind this project.

He is partnered with America Makes and NCDMM

to put out this effort to really help inform strategy

and direction and really to help industry, academia

and industry both on the OEM machine manufacturer's side

but also the materials providers

and the OEM end users and people producing real parts.

Really the whole gamut of materials

all the way to delivered part to come together

and really create a vision and a strategy

around how we advance from what has been successful,

you know, technology development

and moving into commercialization

but really moving beyond that into industrialization.

So America Makes is a great partner to DOW

and you know, many different projects

and exciting things around added to manufacturing.

I've been involved in America makes for well over 10 years.

So excited to see this composites related project

finally make its way into America Makes and NCDMM.

And we've done a lot of road mapping in America makes

but this is the first one that's really focused

on continuous fiber and true composite structures

beyond chopped fiber or long fiber composite materials.

Clark, anything to add there?

Pretty much summed it up.

I've been working with America Makes and IACME

with a shout out to them as well

because they're also helping out with us.

Actually, the companies that I've worked for in the past

helped found both of those organizations

and I've worked on projects for those and for NASA.

So all of it seems to be coming together

into one unified project.

But yeah, so kind of building off of that,

we've got a great team of folks helping out on this.

So like as again, the goal is to really get a lot of voices

across the key areas of technology development

into industrialization.

And so we've got key folks like Clark Care

from Center Street Technologies,

really focused on industrialization.

We've got NIR, Wichita State University on board

to help with some of the aspects of robotics

and manufacturing instructions, camp considerations.

We've got Alhostar Technologies

helping out in the modeling simulation and analysis arena.

And then we've got three FLC,

bringing some small business perspective

to materials and processes advancements.

Together we're looking at gathering people

into these technology workshops

and what is going to do is focus people with expertise

in these swim lands to really talk about

the current state of the technology,

the landscape of what's possible today

and what's possible soon in the move into the challenges

that are preventing from doing a lot more

in the near to mid- and future.

What are some of the challenges?

I mean, we talk a lot about additive.

It seems like it's not often enough

that we're talking about composites,

continuous fiber and additive manufacturing.

We sent, I have a lot of guests on our show

and it's typically just additive manufacturing,

but I always love when we get the technologies together.

But I know that that's been a long time progressing.

What do you see as some of the biggest challenges

and hurdles that you're hoping to highlight

and push through on this project?

Yes, so this project itself

is not really going to push through the hurdles.

It's going to really make a concerted effort

to make those hurdles super clear, right?

So we are gathering the people to really talk about that.

What are the two hurdles and what does success look like?

Because we think, I think we've seen this

in a lot of the additive technologies

that I've been involved in

where we're really good at creating capabilities,

but we're not necessarily the best at understanding

what is good enough and sufficient

to really truly become products

and find the real requirements behind what it is.

And so we're going to have a lot of discussion around that

as we move into the application,

workshops as far as, you know,

these are the challenges, great.

What is success against those challenges look like

and what is good enough to make an impact

in the industrial base?

What seems to be the area of focus

or maybe the industry of focus

does it other industries outside of aerospace

or are you focusing mostly on the aerospace industry?

Yeah, so this is not strictly aerospace,

but given that this is coming out of there

for research labs and aerospace,

because of course, really the number one starter.

But most manufacturing technologies

really gain traction when it is benefiting multiple industries

and there's different gaps and capabilities

that brings the table to improve it

and make it more efficient, more affordable, et cetera, right?

So we're definitely looking to open the umbrella

a decent amount and look beyond aerospace

in these workshops

as we gather requirements and understanding.

I know we have some folks already signed up

from energy industry

and we're looking to get more people involved

from automotive, hopefully from marine

and other applications.

So, but space and aeronautics

gives us a pretty good starting place

to really have a lot of coverage.

And these are broken down.

You mentioned you've got a technical stage

and application stage

or the workshops or technical application and refinement.

So break these down if you would.

Sure, yeah, so this is like three stages

that we're going through here.

So first is the technology workshops.

We have three of those scheduled,

more or less identical in program,

just looking for different folks to engage

based on their schedules and locations in the country.

What's easiest for them?

So the first is next week on March 24th

at NIAR, which is a test state university.

So that'll be posted there.

And then we'll have the next one April 9th

at University of Delaware.

Okay.

And then the third one will be May 6th

at Eastern Washington University

and Chaining, Washington.

So that'll round out the opportunities

to really inform the gaps and challenges

and set the stage for the application workshops.

As we look forward a little further,

we're going to do two application workshops.

One is going to be more centrally focused

on commercial and aviation applications

and industries outside of defense.

And that will be July 7th

in conjunction with University of Washington

and Seattle, Washington.

And then on May 27th,

we are going to be doing a more defense focused workshop

for applications and that will be in Los Angeles

with the University of Southern California.

And how can our listeners,

wherever they learn more about this,

how can they register sign up?

Yes, we have an interest form out there right now.

That's the way to express how you want to engage

as far as which workshops are of interest to you

and your background and sort of which swim lane.

You best fit in so we can understand

how to make a positive conversation with you

and where your background is.

So we'll make sure we drop the link of that to you

and you can get that here through the video

and dissemination to everybody.

Folks can also reach out to me on LinkedIn

and get them the link that way too.

What's been the response so far?

So far, we've had over 100 people submit an interest

in participating in some way in this.

We've got close to 40 people signed up

for the first workshop next week

and to look at similar or better numbers even

for the ones that follow, so.

That's fantastic.

Yeah, a great way to engage and encourage more people

to sign up, we can definitely fit quite a few more.

So it'll be great time to participate

and bring your expertise to the table

but also learn more and then work.

Well guys, thank you so much.

We'll post the link on our show page.

Also your LinkedIn information too

that people can reach out to you.

We'll post this and tag you guys.

But anyway that we can help here, get the word out

and we'd love to follow up with you later

as the programs in full swing.

I know your first is next week, but as we go,

I'd love to follow up with you all

and hopefully we'll have a chance

to meet in person somewhere down the road.

Do you guys plan to be at the CAMX show

in Atlanta this year?

Not sure yet, but I hope so.

Yeah, I'll probably be there for sure.

And also a sample that's coming up, not too long.

Yeah, that's right, that's all.

Next month and people who are into additive manufacturing

we've got rapid, not too far away in Boston as well.

That's right, yeah.

But yeah, we do want to really encourage anybody

who has any interest in this all to engage

we're trying to be as inclusive and comprehensive

as possible to basically get as much information

on people who not just have needs,

but developmental materials, developmental equipment,

basically the whole spectrum of things.

So we'd love to see more people at the shows

at the various workshops.

And also with respect to Sampy,

we're not doing anything official with Sampy,

but we'll have several folks of the team at Sampy.

So if you will, I'll talk there and a little bit more.

Again, just reach out and I'll start

on my connection to one of the folks

that's going to be there from the team.

And then we hope to see you later there.

And I will be at rapid.

So if you want to engage there, then it's another pathway.

Fantastic.

Well, again, guys, thank you so much, Clark.

Steven, both of you for your efforts and anyway,

again, anyway, we can help.

We'll be posting a link out on our page

where people can learn more.

Again, hopefully we get a chance or can follow up

with you two later this year.

And kind of get some feedback on so

far how the progress has been.

Awesome.

Really appreciate the time today, Jonathan.

It's been exciting telling people about this

and happy to have the word spread.

We look forward to seeing people at the workshops.

That's more.

Thanks, guys.

Thank you.

Thank you.