Two-Day Session led by Composites One, Closed Mold Alliance, MVP and IACMI-The Composites Institute, in Cooperation with National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., June 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Over 150 students, academics, technicians, and business owners from 27 states now have a better understanding of the latest developments in advanced materials and processes, thanks to attending a two-day school presented by Composites One, the Closed Mold Alliance, and Magnum Venus Products (MVP) in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), one of eight organizations comprising the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. Also participating in producing the workshop was the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Jeff Wright, Technical Director, Gougeon Brothers, Inc. and Trevor Gundburg, Director of Composites Engineering, Vectorply, present on the materials and equipment needed for the vacuum infusion process at Composites in Wind.


Attendees of Composites in Wind participate in a LRTM demo of a nacelle as Jim Noonan, Technical Support Manager, Composites One and Rick Pauer, Applications Manager, Polynt Composites, discuss the advantages that LRTM has to offer those considering converting to closed molding.
"The Composites One - IACMI partnership continues to grow, and the goal of educating the next generation of composites professionals, along with today's workforce is coming to fruition," said Composites One Director of Marketing Communications Marcy Offner. "Comments from attendees were all positive, and companies like Siemens, GE and Vestas were all impressed by the content of the workshop."

IACMI -The Composites Institute CEO Craig Blue agreed, adding, "Training the workforce to support the anticipated growth in the advanced composites industry demonstrates IACMI's commitment to the State of Colorado and other partners. Successful integration of innovative technologies such as advanced composites depends on a number of critical factors, including availability of a skilled workforce with hands on training in advanced materials."

Held June 14-15 at NREL's National Wind Technology Center in Boulder, Colorado, the Composites in Wind Workshop featured over a dozen sessions led by subject matter experts from Composites One, the Closed Mold Alliance, IACMI - The Composites Institute, NREL, and Magnum Venus Products (MVP). They included live demonstrations of Vacuum Infusion, Light Resin Transfer Molding, and repair methods. Ed Pilpel, President of Polystrand, presented a keynote address discussing advances in thermoplastics.

"The Composites in Wind Workshop would not be possible without the expertise and support of our supplier partners," said Offner. They include 3A Composites, 3M, Airtech, Ashland Performance Materials, Chem-Trend, Chomarat, Gurit, ITW Wind Group, MVP, Mankiewicz, Owens Corning, Polynt, Pro-Set, SikaAxson, Soul Composites, United Initiators Inc., and Vectorply.

Following this event will be two more workshops this year, (check compositesone.com for dates and registration details):

Process & Advanced Materials Workshop - West Lafayette, Indiana
Process & Automotive Market Advances in Composites - Detroit, Michigan
All are designed to help participants become more adept in advanced and closed mold processing, out-of-autoclave production, additive manufacturing (3D printing) light-weighting of products, prototyping, selecting systems and equipment, advancements in composites and high performance materials, data acquisition, modeling and simulation. Experienced process experts will lead sessions from Composites One and the Closed Mold Alliance, a resource dedicated to helping manufacturers make a successful conversion to closed mold and other advanced processes, and IACMI. Along with Composites One, the Closed Mold Alliance founding members include Magnum Venus Products and RTM North Ltd.

For more information, please call Composites One at 800-621-8003, or visit compositesone.com.

About IACMI: The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation's energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate development and commercial deployment of advanced composites. The national institute is supported by an up to $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office and over $180 million committed from IACMI's partners. Find out more at IACMI.org.

About Composites One: Composites One is the nation's leading distributor of composite materials, serving customers from more than 35 locations in North America. Composites One offers composites fabricators and molders unmatched product depth and breadth from more than 600 of the industry's top suppliers through a technical sales and customer service force that is the most knowledgeable in the industry. The company offers a variety of value added services that include a dedicated advanced composites team, closed mold technologies, technical applications reviews, and unmatched regulatory compliance assistance. Composites One is headquartered in Arlington Heights, IL. Find out more at www.compositesone.com.